It is known that there are more than 300 types of pasta, which comes to the tables in different forms in almost every geography in the world following bread. Developed under the influence of different cuisine cultures, pasta meet with sauces and find its place on the tables both on special occasions and in everyday meals.

Muhittin Aykut Göymen
Chairman of the Board 
Turkey Pasta Industrialists' Association/ TMSD

We met with Muhittin Aykut Göymen, Chairman of the Board of Turkish Pasta Industrialists' Association (TMSD), for the World Pasta Day, one of the days that Turkish pasta industrialists presented to the world to honor a type of food. Pasta, one of the tastes that is consumed fondly in all parts of the world, regardless of the rich or poor, is celebrated all over the world with events held on October 25.

Pasta, which we encounter in all restaurants, tables and student houses, also makes a difference with its production suitable for the palatal delight of almost every country. The fact that durum wheat, which is used in pasta production, is grown in abundance in Türkiye makes our country very effective in pasta production. Aykut Göymen said that Türkiye's pasta export has reached 1.5 million tons with a continuous increase. His answers to our questions are as follows:

How did the idea of 25 October World Pasta Day, a gift of Turkish Pasta Industrialists to the world, come about?

When the World Pasta Industrialists came together for the first time in Rome in 1995, the suggestion to celebrate 25 October as the World Pasta Day was first voiced by the Turkish Pasta Industrialists, and then 25 October was accepted as the "World Pasta Day" at the meeting held in the USA in 1997. World Pasta Day was first celebrated in Naples, Italy in 1998, and it has been celebrated with great enthusiasm in different countries of the world since then.

The celebration of 25 October World Pasta Day, which was brought to life with the suggestion of Turkish Pasta Industrialists, in every country is a source of pride for both Turkish Pasta Industrialists and our country. Happy World Pasta Day, which is the gift of Turkish pasta industrialists to the world.

Although World Pasta Day used to be celebrated with more splendid events in the past years, things have changed with the pandemic. When will this special day of pasta be celebrated with those showy celebrations?

World Pasta Day was first celebrated in Naples, Italy in 1998, and it has been celebrated enthusiastically in different countries since then. It was celebrated in Türkiye twice in 2008 and 2013. It is decided at the General Assembly of the World Pasta Organization (IPO) when the World Pasta Day, which has been celebrated through social media posts for the last 3 years due to the pandemic, will be celebrated with the same enthusiasm again.

What are the latest data on pasta production in Türkiye?

According to the data of the Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT), 2,107 thousand tons of pasta was produced in Turkey in 2021. Our consumption in 2021 is 750 thousand tons. According to the IPO 2021 data, the top 5 countries that consume the most pasta in the world are Italy with 22.9 kg, Tunisia with 17 kg, Venezuela with 15 kg, Greece with 12.2 kg and Peru with 9.9 kg.

Again, according to TURKSTAT data, pasta consumption per capita in Türkiye in 2021 was calculated as 8.5 kg. With this figure, Türkiye ranks 8th among the 10 countries that consume the most pasta according to IPO data.

Could you share with us the latest data on Türkiye's pasta export?

According to the data of the Statistical Institute, we exported 875 thousand tons of pasta in August 2022 (first 8-month period) corresponding to 627 million dollars in value. The top 10 countries that stand out in our exports are Venezuela, Benin, Panama, Togo, Ghana, Senegal, Japan, Niger, Iraq and Somalia.

What are the reasons why pasta is so accepted in the world? How many varieties of this product are there which is consumed in almost every region of the world?

Today's consumers prefer pasta because it can be prepared easily and in a wide variety of ways. Nutritionists, on the other hand, treasure pasta because of its gold standard in healthy eating diets such as the Mediterranean diet and the traditional Latin American diet.

An independent survey was conducted in 17 countries by Oxfam Research Company in 2011. According to the results of this survey, pasta has been declared as the world's favorite food and it is still number one favorite foods of the world. Its increasing popularity among cultures around the world can be attributed to the fact that it is not only a versatile flavor but also a beneficial carbohydrate.

When you combine pasta with vegetables, legumes and other healthy foods, you will have prepared one of the easiest and healthiest meal options in the world.

Pasta is such a food that you can consume it with almost anything. In other words, you can cook 365 types of pasta by preparing a different type of pasta every day of the year. Today, there are more than 300 types of pasta in the world.

We have many reasons to love pasta. The fact that pasta includes healthy carbohydrate components and is suitable for many diets has also been signed with the 'Declaration of Scientific Consensus' published in Italy in 2015 for the first time. 3 scientists from Brazil and 1 scientist from Turkey signed the Scientific Consensus Statement in 2017. Thus, the number of scientists who signed the Scientific Consensus Statement from different countries of the world increased to 27. Prof. Nevin Şanlıer was recorded as the first scientist from Türkiye to sign the Scientific Consensus Statement. The Turkish version of the Scientific Consensus Statement, which was previously prepared in English, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, has been registered with the World Pasta Organization (IPO) as a result of the intense efforts of the Turkish Pasta Industrialists' Association (TMSD)