Istanbul palace cuisine developed and enriched under the influence of many civilizations. During the Ottoman Empire, the flamboyant tables prepared for the sultan, the mother sultan and the people of the Divan were influential in the development of Turkish cuisine. In our globalizing world...
What is the Effect of Istanbul Palace Cuisine on Turkish Culinary Culture?
We found Prof.Dr.Sıdıka*,
Research Assistant Specialist Tufan Süren*
SELF
The unique creativity and tastes of the Istanbul palace cuisine are largely separated from other world cuisines in terms of their traditional values. Turks, who have a long historical background, have a rich culture in cuisine.
Istanbul, which was the capital of the Byzantine Empire, had a great influence on the establishment of the basis of the Turkish Culinary Culture and Istanbul Ottoman palace cuisine in the historical process of the Seljuk Empire and the Ottoman Empire . Especially during the rise of the Ottoman Empire, the fact that the sultans held their meetings with dinner in the palaces and gave special importance to the food brought about the development of the palace cuisine in Istanbul.
What is the Effect of Istanbul Palace Cuisine on Turkish Culinary Culture?The fact that the Turkish nation has a deep-rooted history and has lived together with many civilizations is of great importance in being one of the largest cuisines in the world. It is known that
Istanbul palace cuisine has an impact on the formation of a rich food culture by seeking new flavors and varieties .
Istanbul palace cuisine developed and enriched under the influence of many civilizations. During the Ottoman Empire, the flamboyant tables prepared for the sultan, the mother sultan and the people of the Divan were influential in the development of Turkish cuisine .
In our globalizing world , Turkish cuisine has lost its importance and with the effect of western cuisine and the rapid spread of fast-food derivatives, it is thought- provoking that especially young people do not know some dishes in our culinary culture .
LOGIN
One of the most important vital needs of man is food. Eating is also a culture and therefore differs from society to society. The lifestyle, history and geographical structure of that society are important factors in the formation and development of the nutrition culture (Güler 2007:19).
Turkey has a geography where the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa intersect. This feature has added great richness to the food culture museum over the years. Both the abundance of sources of food and beverage raw materials and the cultural accumulation of living together with many nations have contributed to the richness of our food culture and made Turkish cuisine one of the few in the world (Baysal 1993: 12).
The influence of the Central Asian Turks, Mesopotamian culture, Islamic culture, and the new tastes developed in the palaces of the Seljuk and Ottoman Empires have a great influence on the shaping of Turkish cuisine.
Meat and dairy products of the nomadic people in Central Asia, grains of Mesopotamia, vegetables and fruits of the Mediterranean environment, combined with the spice of South Asia played a role in the formation of a rich Turkish culinary culture (Güler 2007:19). However, the rules of the Islamic religion were also adopted by the Turks and were effective in the culinary culture (Buldik 1998:228). Especially with the Ottoman Empire's rule over large lands, European dishes also contributed to the development of Turkish cuisine (Tomanbay 2007:6).
The Effect of Istanbul Palace Cuisine on Turkish Culinary CultureTurkish dishes in Central Asia gained importance as Anatolian dishes during the Seljuk period, and later became famous as Istanbul cuisine or palace cuisine (Bulduk 1993:23).
In parallel with the development of the Ottoman Empire, Turkish cuisine also showed a significant development. In the Ottoman Empire, while the people made a wide variety of dishes from a certain number of foods, especially in the palace, the meals became richer.
In the 15th century, while the dishes were less and simple in terms of variety, in the 16th century Turkish cuisine began to experience its richest period, but this situation decreased with the collapse and poverty of the empire in the 19th century. Especially during the rise of the Ottoman Empire, the fact that the sultans held their meetings with dinner in the palaces and gave special importance to the food brought about the development of the palace cuisine in Istanbul. The kitchen is an important part of the palace. The Sultan and his dignitaries saw gathering around a table as a social activity, and dishes that were constantly renewed and diversified emerged (Güler 2007:20-21).
During the Ottoman Empire, Turkish cuisine was divided into two as palace cuisine and public cuisine. The palace kitchen consisted of ostentatious and rich tables prepared for the sultan, the mother sultan and the people of the Divan. As a result of this situation, the cooks made new dishes for the palace surroundings and were influential in the enrichment of the culinary culture (Güler 2007:21.) In the Ottoman period, the public cuisine was also quite rich and delicious, although not as much as the palace cuisine .
In addition, in the palace, two more meals were prepared as “catering and aid”, apart from the palace officials. The meal, which was served as a treat, was sent to the homes of some statesmen as a compliment. Soldiers were also given food as a treat during feasts and Ramadan.
The food that came out as aid was also distributed to the public during the holidays and in Ramadan, which was seen as a palace expense, apart from the sadaqah personally distributed by the sultan. In addition, the people who came to the Divan-ı Hümayun, which met four days a week, to report their complaints, had their lunch in the palace. In general, aid to the poor was sometimes given as material. These materials consisted of rice, meat and bread (Ertuğ 2008:2-3).
The Effect of Istanbul Palace Cuisine on Turkish Culinary Culture
The palace kitchen was called Matbah-ı Amire. In this kitchen, enough food was prepared for four to five thousand people every day. Matbah-ı Amire was not the personal kitchen of the sultan, but the kitchen of the state. The sultan's special kitchen was Kuşhane, and wherever the sultan was, this kitchen would go with him (Ertuğ 2008:3).
With the conquest of Istanbul by Fatih Sultan Mehmet in 1453, there were great changes in the Ottoman meals in the palace. The consumption of seafood has increased considerably during this period. In the same period, with the Fatih Law, the rules of eating began to be applied for the first time in the Ottomans. During the Fatih period, the emphasis was placed on the simplicity and satisfyingness of the food rather than its variety (Güler 2007:21). While the palace cuisine in the Ottoman Empire had very rich, varied and plentiful meals until the 19th century, this wealth and abundance could not continue as a result of the problems, wars and economic collapse of the empire.
The rich culture of Istanbul, which is a very rooted city, from the Roman and Byzantine periods is also reflected in its culinary culture . The culinary culture of Istanbul, which was combined with the culinary culture of the Ottoman Empire, which also had a deep-rooted and rich culture, became even richer, and this culture, which formed the cuisine of Istanbul and the palace, was reflected to the public in time and added a great value to the Turkish culinary culture.
The Effect of Istanbul Palace Cuisine on Turkish Culinary Culture
CONCLUSION
Turkish cuisine is considered to be one of the few cuisines in the world. Turkish cuisine, which has a deep-rooted history, has been developed and renewed in various ways for many years. However, since the last period of the Ottoman Empire, the effect of westernization, technological developments, the entry of women into working life, the production of ready-made foods and especially the fast-food interest of today's youth cause Turkish cuisine to be forgotten (Birer 1990: 259). Our society's ignorance of its own culture and cuisine and its alienation from its own food is an important problem of Turkish cuisine, which finds value in the world today. It is thought-provoking that ready-made food and fast food products are preferred instead of Turkish cuisine, which is very valuable in terms of taste and health.
In order for Turkish cuisine to see the value it deserves, it is considered as an important step to research the Ottoman palace cuisine very well and to adapt these dishes to the present day, albeit with various changes. In addition to academic research and studies, it is important for the society to take care of cooking Turkish dishes, to introduce these dishes to future generations and to make them like them.
REFERENCES
Baysal, Ayşe (1993), “Changes in Turkish Food Culture , Evaluations in terms of Nutrition and Health”, Researches on Turkish Cuisine Culture , P.3, pp.12-21., Turkish Folk Culture Research and Promotion Foundation Publications, Ankara.
Birer, Selma (1990).
Bulduk, Sıdıka (1993), "A Study on University Students' Knowledge of Traditional Turkish Desserts", Studies on Turkish Culinary Culture , P.3, pp.22-26., Turkish Folk Culture Research and Promotion Foundation Publications, Ankara.
Bulduk, Sıdıka (1998), “Historical Development of Culinary Culture and Turkish Cuisine”, Turkish Culture, P.420, p.221-231.
Ertuğ Tarım, Zeynep (2008), “ Palace Cuisine 's Door Opening to the Public”, Ottoman Bank Archives and Research Center, http:/www.obarsiv.com/e_voyvoda_0708.html (15 March 2009).
Güler, Sibel (2007), “A General Evaluation of the Reasons for Change in Turkish Cuisine”, 1st National Gastronomy Symposium and Artistic Events, pp.18-28., Antalya.
Tomanbay, İlhan (2007), Detection and Determination of Turkish Cuisine Standard Recipes by Screening, Interview and Application Methods, Hacettepe University Vocational School of Social Sciences, Ankara