Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted the leaders of NATO member countries with an official dinner at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, where the menu was prepared entirely with traditional products and specialties from different regions of Turkey.
The evening began with two antipasti. Guests were served traditional stone-baked pie, accompanied by butter from Trabzon and natural honey with honey from Hizan. The second antipasti consisted of seasonal vegetables lightly fried in olive oil, accompanied by smoked yogurt from Denizli.
Manti, traditional handmade pasta filled with minced meat, a specialty of the city of Kayseri, was served as a warm dish, accompanied by yogurt from Denizli and smoked pepper sauce from Ayaş.
For the main course, the leaders had two options. One was sea bass fillet served with tarama, Urla Sakız artichokes and grape leaves from Tokat. The other option was slow-cooked beef ribs, accompanied by caramelized butter from Trabzon, smoked eggplant and pilaf with roasted green wheat (firik) and morel mushrooms.
For dessert, Sütlü Nuriye, a traditional Turkish dessert similar to baklava but with a lighter cream, was served. It was accompanied by pistachio mousse from Gaziantep, ice cream from Kahramanmaraş, and a bergamot aroma.
The dinner took place as part of the first day of the 36th NATO Summit in Ankara, where Erdoğan and his wife, Emine Erdoğan, welcomed the participating heads of state and government to an official reception at the Presidential Complex.
Lini një Përgjigje