Armenian cookbook from 1915 and baklava muhabbeti enteresan
Eyüp KARTAL
The connection between nationalism and cuisine
In the case of cuisine we can easily observe how deeply nationalism is anchored in today's modern world and how much this concept constricts our social lives, says
Zafer Yenal.
What food or dish is most discussed in Turkey?
An interview with Zafer Yenal by Fatma Sagir
Zafer Yenal: Recently there was a discussion about Halloumi cheese: whether it belongs to the Cypriot Turks or the Cypriot Greeks, or to the Turks. Such topics are regarded as very essentialist.
Before that a big discussion was held over the origins of the dessert baklava. The question was raised: "Does baklava have a national identity?" Such a question is utter nonsense. All these dishes have been transported from place to place for centuries. Different peoples prepare them in their own way and eat them in their own way. In the process, these dishes have absorbed something from every location and changed along the way.
What makes baklava baklava is not its Turkish, Greek or Arab identity. Today, as a result of historical and societal influences, baklava is eaten in Greece, Lebanon, Syria and Armenia as well as in Turkey. The motivation behind the desire to account for the origins of a dish lies in the significance of nationalism in the modern world.
This happens on the same level as the pleasure we feel when our national team defeats their national team, or because we consider the people in our country to be more honourable, honest, hard-working and successful than others. All of this is rooted in nationalism.
How do such discussions influence society?
Zafer Yenal: This is a very important issue. These topics are not taken seriously in the media. The reports and commentaries nurture nationalism, allowing it to affect everyday life. As a result, people do not hesitate to think in the category of "We and They." For this reason the concepts and language we use to express our thoughts about music, dance, food and the like are very important. Consequently, there is a great potential for these discussions to become dangerous.
Normally, conversations about such discussions start with a joke. Nobody considers this to be dangerous. At what point do they cross the line?
Zafer Yenal: We see instances of the line being crossed with the murder of Hrant Dink and with the rising number of cases of lynch justice in recent years. We observe the line being crossed with the discrimination against the Kurds by the state and the violence used against them.
The same thing is true when soccer fans from opposing teams get into fights in Istanbul or kill each other at international soccer matches.
To perceive the seriousness of this question, we don't necessarily need events like these, for such a boundary is quite vague. We can see the line being crossed with ordinary, commonplace events to which we pay little attention as well as in political situations.
What observations have you made in Germany?
Zafer Yenal: Let's take a look at the importance of the döner (kebab) in Germany. While the döner here has gained in popularity, it's obvious that it is associated with Turkishness. At the same time you can say that nobody notices what constitutes a döner, but instead who prepares it.
On the other hand, what is regarded as a döner in Germany is very different from a döner in Turkey. Many Turks would doubt that the döner in Germany is a döner at all, because this dish has been completely Germanized, a bizarre snack in bread.
What is the connection between nationalism and cuisine?
Zafer Yenal: Food itself has no particular significance. A bean is a bean everywhere, and rice remains rice no matter where you are. But how is a deeper importance ascribed to food, and how are people sensitised to their different affiliation? This is precisely the crucial point that links cuisine and nationalism.
In the case of cuisine we can easily observe how deeply nationalism is anchored in today's modern world and how much this concept constricts our social lives.
Let's take a look at an Armenian cookbook from 1915. Here we would find dishes that can be called Turkish as well as many that we would identify as Armenian. At the same time, this cookbook not once mentions Armenian or Turkish cuisine. Instead the author writes " This dish derives from the region around the city of Merzifon."
What we understand as nationalism today is quite different from how people understood it eighty years ago. This different understanding shows us that these topics are constructs. When something has been constructed by people or society, we know that we will have to work very hard to change it. For this reason it is very important to make the connection between cuisine and nationalism.