The Gaziantep Cuisine Museum is housed in a restored Ottoman-era building and takes the city's food culture with complete seriousness — which, given that Gaziantep was the first city outside Europe to receive UNESCO recognition for its culinary heritage, seems appropriate. The museum covers ingredients, tools, traditional recipes, and the social context of Gaziantep's food culture.
Displays document the pistachio cultivation and processing that underpins the famous baklava trade, the various kebab preparations specific to this city, and the production of traditional items like grape molasses, red pepper paste, and olive-oil soap. There are reconstructed kitchen environments and genuine antique cooking implements. For anyone interested in why Gaziantep's food is different — and why locals are so insistent about it — this is a good place to start. Then go eat.