The Czech Food Fest 2026 took place on May 16–17, 2026, at Tünel Midpoint in Istanbul, under the auspices of the Consul General of the Czech Republic, Olga Hajflerová.
This exceptional event presented Czech cuisine as an important tool of cultural diplomacy while also creating a space for strengthening relations between the Czech Republic and the Republic of Türkiye. The festival was designed for a wide range of guests from the fields of diplomacy, business, media, and culture.
The program featured a tasting of traditional Czech dishes. It included roast duck with dumplings and cabbage, marinated beef sirloin in cream sauce (svíčková), and apple strudel. Czech fish cuisine was represented by carp cutlets in corn breadcrumbs with potato salad and marinated carp fries, prepared exclusively from fillets made using imported Czech ingredients.
A delicacy served at the festival was butter-based open sandwiches topped with trout caviar, specially prepared and imported for the occasion. The atmosphere was further enhanced by the Czech beer tradition, represented by Budějovický Budvar, served in both light and dark varieties.
Top experts in Czech gastronomy participated in the festival, particularly chefs Kristýna Kocánková and Petr Král, who were sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.
A separate theme of the festival was the presentation of Czech fisheries and fish cuisine, introduced by Dr. Václav Nebeský from the Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters at the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice.
The main goal of the festival was not only to present Czech cuisine, but above all to support intercultural dialogue and strengthen friendly relations between the two countries. Czech Food Fest 2026 thus confirmed the importance of gastronomy as an effective tool of cultural diplomacy. The event contributed to strengthening mutual understanding and offered guests an authentic experience of Czech culture.
