Anatolian Cuisine through the Eyes of the Itinerants

M. Bülent Varlık; studied is various parts of Anatolia. Completed his higher education at Middle Eastern Technical University. Upon graduation he started working for Gazi University, then worked at Türk Eximbank and retired in 2003. His first book was published in 1976. He has published twenty books and over hundred academic articles.  Currently he is on the board of Kebikeç magazine. Mr. Varlık generally writes about economy, labour and press history. He has also done an extensive research on the itinerants that travelled through Anatolia since 13th century. This month’s seminar features impressions of the itinerants on Anatolian cuisine and eating habits of the Turks.

Here is a brief summary of Bülent Varlık’s seminar:

“Since 13th century B.C. the itinerants who have visited Anatolia has taken notes that gives us information about the food culture of that time period. Itinerants do not give recipes but tells us what was eaten in which period. Travelling is perphaps one of the oldest human trait. We may even be bold enough to say that the first itinerants were Adam and Eve. Their travels from heaven to earth after consuming the apple is the first travel in history of humankind.  

Within the primitive communities, the need to find other food sources have forced humans to travel beyond of where they lived. However the travels that are pre-planned in order to get acquainted with new regions/countries to learn about their geography, history and management happened in later years.

One of the most important subject of these travels happens to be nutrition. In the broadest sense this includes all types of vegetables, fruits, meats, drinks, spices and aromatics, food presentations, cooking techniques and eating habits.”

Mr. Varlık continued to speak of the various food items such as vegetables, fruits, spices, herbs, meats, fats, soups, rice dishes, kebabs, bread, desserts, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, based on the notes of various itinerants such as; Dernschwam, İbn Batuta, Busbecq, Tournefort, Olivier etc. He also explained the eating habits, meal times and finished his lecture with the word of Ms. Pardoe’s explanations on Turks eating habits.

9 March 2016

The lecture video is in Turkish.