Abstract
Hatay is an ancient city that has hosted dozens of civilizations in the history. Today, this city, which includes different ethnic groups, has a rich culinary culture shaped by cultural interactions. Spices are among the basic components of this cuisine. Locust powder, nutmeg, mahaleb, fennel, dried basil, cajun, Samandag’s red chili powder, zahtar, and sumac are among the most used spices in Hatay cuisine. This study was carried out to determine the traditional consumption patterns and uses of sumac, which is one of the spices identified with the gastronomic identity of Hatay. In this context, a semi-structured interview form consisting of seven basic questions was applied to 17 individuals who met the condition of mastering the Hatay cuisine. As a result of the content analysis made on the collected data, it was determined that the participants expressed their passions for sumac through 16 different metaphors, consumed sumac for 8 different reasons, and used sumac in 34 dishes. The results of the analysis also revealed that there are social perceptions and practices shaped around sumac in Hatay, which makes it a part of the intangible cultural heritage.
Keywords
spice, sumac, culinary culture, Hatay, gastronomy
ORCID Identifiers
İbrahim Çekiç: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7375-1866
DOI
https://www.doi.org/10.5038/2770-7555.2.2.1020
Recommended Citation
Cekic, I. (2023). An indispensable spice in multicultural Hatay cuisine: Sumac. Journal of Mediterranean Tourism Research, 2(2), 141-152. https://www.doi.org/https://www.doi.org/10.5038/2770-7555.2.2.1020
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License