Atatürk Cuisine Week Decision No. 40 · May 19–25
A source-critical digital public-history and culinary-heritage project examining Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's table through archive-based research, published testimony and secondary scholarship, developed following Decision No. 40, by which TMDH–WTCA institutionally designated 19–25 May as Atatürk Cuisine Week. The initial publication date of this website is 26 August 2026, during Victory Week (26–30 August).
Why May 19?
May 19, 1919 marks Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's landing at Samsun and the beginning of the National Struggle. The Turkish Cuisine Movement (TMDH) and the World Turkish Cuisine Academy (WTCA) position Atatürk Cuisine Week, which begins on this meaningful day, as both a historical and a cultural bridge.
Historical claims on this site are classified by the evidence available. First-hand testimony, archive records, secondary research and editorial interpretation are kept distinct; accounts whose full citations have not been verified are marked as provisional source records.
The first edition was held on May 19–25, 2024. The institutional date of Atatürk Cuisine Week is 19–25 May, established by Decision No. 40, and it is commemorated on these dates every year. The initial publication date of this website, in turn, is 26 August 2026, during Victory Week (26–30 August) — this is the site's publication date, not the date of the week. The call to participate in future editions, with its criteria, is set out on the Editions page.
TMDH Institutional Assessment
"Atatürk's culinary legacy is not merely a nostalgic element; it is one of the source-based historical foundations of Turkish culinary identity."— TMDH Institutional Assessment · tmdh.net
Section Pages
Each card below opens its own page; you can also navigate from the menu or from the links at the bottom of every page.
Atatürk's Table
His approach to the table, three guiding principles, and Halit Atay's first-hand testimony.
Open Page → 02Archive Photographs
17 plates: table culture, state dinners and scenes of agriculture and production.
Open Page → 03Associated Dishes
From kuru fasulye to kuşkonmaz — nine dishes, each tied to a source.
Open Page → 04Atatürk's Chefs
The three Çankaya chefs identified in institutional and published records, all from Mengen, Bolu.
Open Page → 05May 19 Week
The seven-day 19–25 May thematic framework proposed by TMDH–WTCA after Decision No. 40.
Open Page → 06Bibliography
Bardakçı (2022), Tezcan (2001; presented 2000) and first-hand testimony.
Open Page → 07Documents & Findings
The myth–record ledger, the documented last meal and a century of menus.
Open Page → 08Editions · 2024–2025
The 2024 Washington first edition, the 2025 second edition, the concordance table and the call to participate.
Open Page → 09Institutions
TMDH, WTCA and the flag of the Turkish Cuisine Movement.
Open Page → 10Method & Source Policy
The source hierarchy, evidence badges and correction practice.
Open Page →