Food Taboos in Turkey Speaker note

Food Taboos in Turkey: Speaker note
Title slide
The culture of Turkey is colourful and rich. The people living there share a mixed
culture. In spite of living in close quarters and their proximity to the western
culture they have been able to keep the essence of their culture separate. The
effect of culture on food habits and taboos are quite obvious. The religions that
people follow, to a large extent dictate our food choices and habits. The most
prominent religion of turkey is Islam and thus, most of the food choices are
dictated by Quran. Other than that, influences of nearby regions and cultures,
native practices and food availability has affected their food habits and acted as
the source of their taboos.
Slide 1
The culture of Turkey is Muslim dominant at present. Though it has not been so
from the beginning. The culture of Turkey is an amalgamation of different
cultures and languages. The cultures of eastern Mediterranean regions, Central
Asian Region are the major cultures that have influenced Turkish culture.
Slide 2
Other cultures such as eastern European culture and Caucasian culture also has
influence on it, thus making the culture of Turkey a largely diverse and colourful
one. Common food also includes dolma, a kind of stuffed vegetable dish, pilaf or
fragrant rice, desserts etc.
Slide 3
The taboos related to pig meat are present in Muslims all over the world. The
religious doctrines of the Muslims expressly forbids eating pigs. Pigs generally
eats mud and worms from them. Their meat contains tape worms in many cases.
In many cases, food taboos are dictated by the materials that are available to
the local people. In many tribes, the food that are difficult to find have been
banned.
Slide 4
The Yariks believe that shell fish are prohibited in Quran though no such instance
has been found.
Turks living there believe that snails are prohibited by Quran. No such instances
has been found here as well.
Thus, food related taboos or prohibitions specifically are not always prescribed
by religious doctrines (Hamilton 2000). They may be results of practice or
scarcity, past illnesses or simply blind faith.
Slide 5