Artisan cheese maker, Lale Kuseyrioğlu, reflected on how life revolves around food – particularly local dishes like künefe – in Antakya while talking about the city before the earthquakes. "The question which finds meaning around Antakya was what would we eat, what would we drink," she said.
Born and raised in Istanbul and having studied in the UK before moving to Antakya in 2014, Kuseyrioğlu now produces the area's local Hatay cheese, a soft rindless cheese made from raw goat's – and sometimes cow's – milk. She was initially surprised by the city's connection with food and the people's passion for spending hours gathered around large dining tables.