Festivals
The 13th Alaçatı Herb Festival welcomed millions
2024-03-17
The 13th Alaçatı Herb Festival, where hundreds of kinds of herbs gathered from nature took their place on the stalls, welcomed thousands of people on its final day. At the festival, where names each more valued than the last such as Edis, Mor ve Ötesi and Ayhan Sicimoğlu took the stage, the loveliest dishes and herbs competed.
At the Alaçatı Herb Festival, held this year by Çeşme Municipality on 18-21 April, numerous herb, food and souvenir stalls were set up. The Alaçatı Herb Festival, which is among the important world festivals with its delicious events each tastier than the last and the lovely scents spreading through the streets, this year too welcomed millions with the 'Return to the Essence' concept through concerts, stalls, exhibitions, talks, competitions and cooking workshops.
There were crowds on the final day of the festival, to which thousands of people flocked from all over Türkiye. Innovations in many areas held for the first time this year, such as street performers, an art street, literature and talks, were much appreciated.
At the festival, held this year with the "Şevketi Bostan" theme, stalls offering numerous plants such as bitter herb, sorrel, wild fennel, mallow, chicory, samphire, salsify, asparagus and rosemary, along with herb dishes and handmade products, drew intense interest.
The festival excitement reached its peak with names each more valued than the last such as Ayhan Sicimoğlu, Edis and Mor ve Ötesi taking the stage. Thousands of people who filled the concert area greeted the spring by singing along with the artists' songs.
Many events were held at the festival, from herb identification and gathering excursions to cooking workshops, from seminars on eating wild herbs and plants to concerts. At the Alaçatı Amphitheatre, the "Loveliest Dish Competition and the Most Varieties of Herbs Gathering Competition" was held, presented by Doğa Rutkay and with Ayhan Sicimoğlu as Head of the Jury.
The jury of the competition, in which 11 kinds of dishes competed, was made up of chefs including Ayhan Sicimoğlu, one of the festival's founders — Ahmet Güzelyağdöken, Gökçen Adar, Ayşe Nur Mıhçı, Figen Mertol, Reşat Akbaykal, Süreyya Üzmez, Prof. Dr. Menşure Özgüven, Dr. Ayfer Tan, Agricultural Engineer (MSc) Ahmet Keçeci and Nuran Erden.
In the competition a full gold coin was presented to the first place, a half to the second and a quarter to the third. In the Loveliest Dish Competition, Ebru Devecioğlu came first, Mevlüde Kitapçıoğlu second and Necla Işıklıoğlu third. In the vegetarian category, Deniz Alagöz was chosen as the winner.
In the Most Varieties of Herbs Gathering Competition, consisting of medicinal, aromatic and edible herbs, Nurcan Erden came first with 107 kinds of herbs, Eşenur Derin Kurnaz second with 104 kinds, and Esmanur Kurnaz third with 91 kinds.
