Our Culinary Culture through Time

Seminar on Turkey’s Regional Culinary Cultures and Traditions was held at YESAM on March 29th, 2012

Deniz Gursoy organized a seminar titled “Our Culinary Culture through Time” at YESAM (Culinary Arts Center):

The focus was on Turkey’s culinary heritage as an accumulation of influences not only by numerous civilizations that flourished in Anatolia (such as Sumerians, Hittites, Pontus and Phrygians), but also by neighboring empires of Persians, Egyptians, and Arabs. Centuries of cultural interactions that led to intriguing names for various dishes were mentioned.  We also learned that analyses performed on an earthenware bowl believed to have belonged to King Midas identified traces of meat stew with lentils.

Mr. Gursoy also mentioned the effects on the Ottoman Empire of Central Asian nomadic cultures brought to Anatolia by the Seljuks. The Ottoman era, after all represents a period of varying culinary influences as the Empire expanded into new territories and was exposed to new cultures – which then culminated into the Turkish Cuisine we know today.

Mr. Gursoy discussed the growing influence of regional cuisines on urban areas as internal migration reshaped Turkey’s demographics. He also noted Turkish cuisine’s increasing exposure to international culinary practices since 1990s.

The discussion was followed by a sampling of dishes thought to have been associated with ancient nomadic tribes.

Lecture video is in Turkish.