On October 20, the event dedicated to International Culinary Day was held. At first, the exbition of our national meals was viewed.
Opening the event, department head of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic Akbar Novruzov said that Azerbaijani cuisine is an important part of our national culture. Our national cuisine culture has historically extensively spread from geographically, covering areas inhabited by Azerbaijanis from ancient times. As in every region of our country, Nakhchivan also has its own culinary culture, which is unique to delicious meals.The table culture has always been maintained at the highest level, as a symbol of blessing there was a great respect for the table, aesthetics and ethics of tableware were made with great accuracy. This rich view of Nakhchivan cuisine also provides a good basis for the development of culinary tourism in the autonomous republic.
It was stressed that promotion of national cuisine in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is in the center of attention. In 2009, The Decree of the Chairman of the Supreme Majlis of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic on the establishment of Nakhchivan Culinary Center in Nakhchivan for the first time among the regions of Azerbaijan is a clear expression of that.
Director of “Nakhchivan Cuisine” Culinary Center Turkay Safarzadeh delivered a report entitled “October 20 is the International Culinary Day”. She stated that since the day of restoration of independence, the Azerbaijani state has taken a number of important steps towards the protection of national identity. One of the first steps taken is the protection of national cuisine. On April 23, 1991, by the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the National Culinary Center of Azerbaijan was established in order to study and promote Azerbaijani cuisine. Since the day it was founded, the center has achieved a number of achievements in the promotion of our national cuisine, discovery and promotion of forgotten meals. In 1992, Azerbaijan was the first country to join the World Association of Culinary Organisation among Turkic states and former USSR republics. Following the exceptional support of the NCCA, Russia (1994), Ukraine and Uzbekistan (2002), Belarus, Serbia (2006), Turkey, Kazakhstan, Moldova (2008) became members of the WACO.
“Study and development of Azerbaijani cuisine gained wider popularity after the great leader Heydar Aliyev came to power in Azeraijan”, said Turkay Safarzadeh. In April 1994, the national leader Heydar Aliyev sent a letter to the World Culinary Congress held in Norway and invited the World Culinary Union to close cooperation with Azerbaijan. It was noted that in 1999, the prominent state figure Heydar Aliyev gave a task to hold the youth and professional culinary Olympiads within the framework of the Youth Policy Program.
In his speech at the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences in 2011, the President of the country, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, who successfully continued the path of national leader Heydar Aliyev, spoke about the Armenians taking different steps to bring their samples of Azerbaijani cuisine to their own name and said that such actions were inadmissible. President Ilham Aliyev has emphasized the importance of paying attention to the promotion of national cuisine in Novruz holiday holding on republican level.
Noting that in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic appropriate measures are being implemented to introduce and propagandize national cuisine, Nakhchivan Culinary Center has successfully participated in several cultural events as well as festivals of national and international significance. It was noted that Nakhchivan team won a silver medal at the International Culinary Festival in Istanbul, Turkey in 2011.
As in every region of our country, Nakhchivan also has its own culinary culture, which is unique to delicious meals.The table culture has always been maintained at the highest level, as a symbol of blessing there is a great respect for the table, aesthetics and ethics of tableware were made with great accuracy. In order to systematically study and develop, propagandize and promote the culinary culture of ancient folklore, the “Nakhchivan Cuisine” Culinary Center created in Nakhchivan has been trying to cope with its tasks during the past period and continues its activities in this direction today. For this purpose, all conditions have been created for the center.
At the end of the event, “Azerbaijani cuisine” promotion film was demonstrated.