For the majority of travelers, Turkey is the country of kebabs. That is obviously not a completely wrong perception, as the country offers different types of delicious kebabs. But Turkey also offers so much more for those looking for a culinary journey. The Aegean town of Ayvalık is set to tap into the culinary tourism trend: This seaside town offers not only unique eating but also a combination of healthy and mouth-watering cuisine. With consumer focus on healthy eating in modern times, Ayvalık is equipped with the right ingredient for a healthy diet: olive oil. Typical Ayvalık dishes are made of olive oil. This seems only natural as Ayvalık is surrounded by the oldest olive groves in the country. But Ayvalık’s culinary culture also reflects the social texture of the town. Until the early 20th, century the town had a large Greek population. After the retreat of Greek forces who invaded Aegean provinces following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, the Greek population had to leave Ayvalık, as Greece and the young republic of Turkey agreed to a mutual population exchange. Most of the new population that replaced the former Greek community was Turks from Lesbos, Crete and Macedonia. Today, most of the olive oil production in Ayvalık is family business run by the third or fourth generation of those subjected to population exchange. This social texture undoubtedly reflects itself in the province’s cuisine, which is a Turkish-Greek synthesis. The name of some typical Ayvalık dishes reflects this synthesis: Akuvadis, kydonia, papules, papucaki.  Fish as well as the vegetables grown especially in the Aegean region are the main ingredients of the typical Ayvalık dishes, which have very little if no spice at all.

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