In the modern era, food is rarely just about sustenance; often, it is a living archive of human history. No one understands this quite like the mastermind behind Riyadh’s Mahsan. With over three decades of kitchen experience and fifteen years spent digging alongside archaeologists in Turkey, this unique chef doesn't just cook — they excavate. By unearthing and reviving culinary traditions that span back millennia, they are bridging the gap between ancient Anatolia and modern Saudi Arabia, proving that our shared cultural threads are deeply woven into the food we eat.
We sat down with Mahsan's head chef, Omur Akkor, to discuss the magic of reviving the world's oldest recipes, the profound storytelling power of a single dish, and how a plate of Harees can connect us all to our ancestral roots.
I've been working in the culinary world for 32 years. I'm a chef by profession. At the same time, for the past 15 years I've been involved in archaeological excavations across Turkey, researching 100,000 years of culinary history in Anatolia.
And I also try to adapt ancient recipes I've discovered for today's kitchen.
One signature dish is Harees, or Keşkek. In Saudi Arabia, it's known as Harees. I think it's one of the shared dishes of our region.
And when we consider that it's made by boiling wheat, it's regarded as one of the oldest dishes in the world. No older recorded dish cooked in a pot has yet been found. So, Harees may very well be the world's first dish.
What do you hope people will feel or experience when they visit your restaurant?
Sometimes a single plate of food tells more than a thousand-page history book. I study some of Anatolia's oldest dishes across a period of nearly 100,000 years. And in doing so, I connect the past to the present.
For me, a single dish represents history, memories, family, abundance, and generosity. That's why I hope every guest who comes here and shares a meal also connects with their own past. Because Saudi culture shares many common traits with Anatolian culture.
I think they'll leave with those same feelings.
If someone has never tasted Anatolian cuisine before, how do they start? What do they try tonight at Mahsan?
For someone experiencing Anatolian cuisine for the first time, I'd start them with one of our soups, perhaps a chilled wheat soup. And one of Anatolia's vegetable-rich salads would complement it well.
If you're asking about main dishes, manti is a very typical Anatolian dish. Dolma is another classic Anatolian dish. Manti, dolma, and sarma. And I'd also recommend trying some Turkish grill dishes.
Mahsan, Opened on June 13, 2026
An Nada, Riyadh 13317
Make a reservation here
@mahsan.ksa
