Start Date
31-5-2022 4:30 PM
End Date
31-5-2022 4:45 PM
Description
Istanbul was a magnet throughout history attracting many civilizations, because of the endless possibilities it offered. Today as a mega metropolis, it continues to attract populations of immigrants from all over Turkey. Although these moves to the big city are permanent, these immigrants keep their ties to their native rural lands. This connection becomes an important part of their livelihood because these families continue to procure nourishments, especially staple items such as legumes, grains, and a variety of preserved foods from their homelands. This type of food movement happens in two ways. Firstly, every year they visit relatives in the rural parts of Anatolia and bring with them abundance of winter provisions, which allows them to continue eating the traditional food items they are accustomed to at much lower costs. Secondly, they visit the specialty marketplaces around Istanbul that sells foodstuff from parts of Anatolia, where they keep their bonds with compatriots from same rural Anatolian districts as well as having access to the regional foodstuff. This way of shopping became an attraction for the urbanites of Istanbul who started to shop from the local marketplaces and order foods from rural Anatolian towns for the sake of incorporating natural and regional food products into their diets. This food movement have shifted from a necessity for the immigrants in Istanbul, to a comfortable food procurement method for the urbanites. As a result, cooperative ventures were formed that brought together the local producers and urbanite consumers.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21427/r2mb-sj57
Endless saga of food movement from rural Anatolia to Istanbul
Istanbul was a magnet throughout history attracting many civilizations, because of the endless possibilities it offered. Today as a mega metropolis, it continues to attract populations of immigrants from all over Turkey. Although these moves to the big city are permanent, these immigrants keep their ties to their native rural lands. This connection becomes an important part of their livelihood because these families continue to procure nourishments, especially staple items such as legumes, grains, and a variety of preserved foods from their homelands. This type of food movement happens in two ways. Firstly, every year they visit relatives in the rural parts of Anatolia and bring with them abundance of winter provisions, which allows them to continue eating the traditional food items they are accustomed to at much lower costs. Secondly, they visit the specialty marketplaces around Istanbul that sells foodstuff from parts of Anatolia, where they keep their bonds with compatriots from same rural Anatolian districts as well as having access to the regional foodstuff. This way of shopping became an attraction for the urbanites of Istanbul who started to shop from the local marketplaces and order foods from rural Anatolian towns for the sake of incorporating natural and regional food products into their diets. This food movement have shifted from a necessity for the immigrants in Istanbul, to a comfortable food procurement method for the urbanites. As a result, cooperative ventures were formed that brought together the local producers and urbanite consumers.