Van’s breakfast culture is well-known

Four years ago, the ‘World Breakfast Day’ was declared with the aim of promoting the breakfast culture of Van, and this year it will be celebrated with individual and comprehensive events. Following the breaking of the record for the ‘world’s most crowded breakfast table’ with the participation of 51,793 people in Van in 2014, ‘World Breakfast Day’ was declared on June 5, 2020, to introduce Van breakfast to the world. Van breakfast, which includes approximately 17 products such as ‘herbed cheese’ prepared with a mixture of endemic plants grown in plateaus, ‘karakovan honey’ obtained from high-altitude plateaus, ‘murtuğa’ formed by the mixture of flour, butter, and eggs, and ‘kavut’ prepared with wheat roasted in region-specific butter, continues to be the city’s most important cultural heritage for centuries. This year, citizens will share images of their prepared breakfast on social media platforms with the hashtag #worldbreakfastday on June 2.
“Van breakfast is not a scattered breakfast,” said Fariz Gül, the operator of Bakhelebak Breakfast House, reminding that about 8 types of products of Van breakfast have been registered so far. Gül emphasized that Van breakfast has a range of products that appeal to the palate such as herbed cheese, kavut, murtuğa, rose and walnut jam, and stated, “Van breakfast is a breakfast consisting of various natural products. Although it may seem like a scattered breakfast, it is not actually a scattered breakfast. A scattered breakfast is purely wasteful. We are constantly renewing our calls to prevent this. Let’s protect natural Van breakfast products by consuming them.”
“We should turn Van breakfast into a street activity,” said Gül, stating that efforts are being made to increase the brand value of Van breakfast. “Products with geographical indications ensure our city stands out. Registrations are very important for both our city and the brand value of our breakfast. Breakfast promotions since 2020 have been mostly carried out through media channels. Van breakfast should be promoted with a collective event. A street festival would bring more attention. Even if it doesn’t happen this year, we are considering organizing a street festival in the coming years.”