Abstract
CHERISHING AND CHERISHED CULINARY CULTURE: AN OVERVIEW OF THE ARTISAN RESTAURANTS IN IZMIR
With its extraordinary culinary culture based on its rich geography that has hosted 36 civilisations throughout its 8,500 years of history, İzmir is one of the ancient cities in the West Anatolia. The cuisine of Izmir not only incorporates food items such as meat and milk from Central Asia and Caucasus, but also those from Anatolian, Seljuk, Ottoman and Mediterranean cuisines. Additionally, Izmir has a multi-congregational and multi-cultured cuisine that has maintained the coexistence of Turkish people, the Sefarad, Levantine, Armenian and other entities from the beginning of the 16th century to the middle of the 20th century, and artisan restaurants constitute a significant part of this richness. Hence, the basis of the study is comprised of examining artisan restaurants. The aim of the study is to determine the role of artisan restaurants within the rich cuisine of Izmir. Literature review and document analysis were employed in the study. Consequently, it has been found out that artisan restaurants in Kemeraltı Bazaar, which is as old as the city itself, and around the town of Basmane have been actively serving customers for a long time. Moreover, it has been discovered that artisan restaurants have existed based on the master-apprentice relationship of Ahi-community, have had plenty of both domestic and foreign customers, along with lots of regular patrons and traditional service manners, and have maintained the traditional home-made taste of the food they serve. Consequently, the study has concluded that artisan restaurants, being a true representation of traditional Turkish restaurants, constitute a significant value in the cuisine of Izmir, and more broadly, in the Turkish cuisine. Meanwhile, the study asserts that artisan restaurants should be cherished, and that they form a culinary culture that should be considered an important gastronomic product as part of gastronomic tourism. It is predicted that future studies examining other elements that enrich the cuisine of Izmir will expand the subject.
Keywords
Culinary Culture, Artisan Restaurants, Izmir.
