Jointly hosted by the Korean Cultural Center in Türkiye and the Hilton Hotel, the “2025 Korean Culinary Days” was held in grand fashion in Ankara, the capital of Türkiye, from Monday, Nov. 17 to Friday, Nov. 21. The five-day gastronomic journey concluded successfully, sparking widespread interest in K-food across the country and drawing enthusiastic attention from food lovers nationwide.

The Korean buffet event, held daily from 7:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at the Ankara Hilton Hotel, reached its full daily capacity of 100 guests, recording a total of 500 attendees over the five-day period. Participants included members of the diplomatic corps, senior officials from the local government, hotel guests, and a notably high number of young local fans of the Korean Wave, whose strong turnout drew particular attention.

More than 40 Korean dishes prepared by invited chefs Jang Yumin and Oh Jieun from Korea received enthusiastic praise from attendees. Alongside traditional favorites such as braised beef short ribs (galbijjim) and japchae, popular dishes like dakdoritang (spicy braised chicken) and haemuljjim (spicy seafood stew), familiar to local palates, proved especially well received.

In particular, youth-oriented K-street foods such as rosé tteokbokki and dakgangjeong highlighted the trendy appeal of K-food, striking a strong chord with younger generations. At the same time, reflecting K-food’s reputation as a wellness-oriented cuisine, there was also keen interest in healthier offerings such as acorn jelly (dotori-muk), assorted seasoned vegetables (namul), and traditional pickled dishes (jangajji).