From 5 to 7 December, Gaziantep, Turkey, a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, hosted a research workshop on the “History of Food Culture Based Relations on the Silk Road”. The meeting brought together Gaziantep and other Creative Cities of Gastronomy located on the Silk Road – namely Chengdu and Shunde (China), Rasht (Iran [Islamic Republic of]) and Jeonju (Republic of Korea) – as well as experts, academics, notably from the UNESCO Silk Road Platform, and representatives of local authorities.

The workshop was first an opportunity to exchange experiences and best practices. It also enabled to elaborate strategies by focusing on reaching appropriate information about food culture across the Silk Road, as well as enriching international cooperation through gastronomy. The organization of this research workshop is part of Gaziantep’s action plan towards implementing the UCCN mission. The meeting concluded with a study visit of the city with a special focus on the historical traces left by the Silk Road inheritance, caravanserai and old mansions of the Ottoman time.