Özet

Although Turkish cuisine has been influenced and enriched by Chinese, Iranian, Arabian, Byzantine, European and Mediterranean cuisines, its boundaries or redlines have been drawn mainly by the religion throughout this interaction process. Therefore, Turkish cuisine, which has not been dominated by any other one, has been enriched by preserving its genuineness within the Islamic framework. Although there are a number of climates and cultures being influenced, some bans imposed by Islam regarding the consumption of certain foods, some eating manners and rules, all form the basis identified with the general Turkish cuisine culture.The relation between the Anatolian Turkish cuisine culture which has become one of the prominent cuisines of the world throughout the history and religion has been examined in this study dealt with respect to the food theories of Ibn Khaldun and Mary Douglas. What people consume is determined on the basis of geographical and climate conditions besides their culture and belief. Religion serves as a core and has an unchanging principal role in the formation of cuisine cultures. Obliged to eat by its nature, humanity is most restricted by its belief in religion for the matter of nutrition. Accordingly, a great number of nutrition styles have been formed as a result of different stances of different religions. Common cuisine cultures and religions that have had a significant impact in the formation of those cuisine practices both in the past and in present time have been studied in order to determine the place of Turkish cuisine among others, which is, along with Chinese and French, regarded as one of the three main cuisines of the world. Cuisine cultures and practices of old Turks were formed largely due to their pursuit of a nomadic life under the effect of several religions and beliefs in the vast steppes of Central Asia. Turks, who used to consume different vegetable, fruit and grains along with meat as their meal, experienced considerable changes in their nutritional habits after the adoption of a sedentary life and conversion to Islam. Turkish cuisine, which gained new features as a result of Islamization, has turned out to be one of the remarkable kitchens of the world after incorporating the richness of several other cuisines available in that geography into its own especially during the Ottoman era.