Turkish pop culture was in the limelight again in January 2017, when videos of Turkish butcher Nusrettin Gökçe went viral on the internet, featuring his most unique meat-carving style and skills.
Owner of the Turkish chain of Nusr-Et steakhouses with locations in Istanbul, Palmarina-Yalikavak, Ankara as well as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Nusrettin was already a well known personality with a strong following on Turkish social media networks. However, it was his suave pony tail, sleek, shapely forearms and the manner in which he salted his dishes that recently caught the attention of a much wider, international audience.
Adding another dimension to food-porn and using the nickname Salt Bae, Nurettin’s slick performances attract millions of viewers on instagram and youtube, as he sliced expertly into enormous slabs of lamb and beef. Self-made with only an elementary school education, he is basking in new found fame and hopes to open a restaurant in New York. ‘Then, I will know I’ve truly made it,’’ he say.
The irony of Salt Bae? He claims to be a vegetarian.