A Deep Dive into Turkish Food Taboos: Religion, Society and Culture

This presentation provides an overview of food taboos in Turkey, highlighting the significant influence of Islam and other cultural factors on dietary practices. It discusses how religious doctrines, local customs, and resource availability shape these taboos, with specific examples such as the prohibition of pork and certain seafood. The presentation also touches on gender disparities in food consumption, where men and male children often receive preferential treatment. It contrasts traditional Turkish cuisine with festive foods, noting the complex relationship with alcohol consumption. The presentation emphasizes the importance of understanding these taboos within the broader context of Turkish culture, which blends Mediterranean, Central Asian, and Eastern European influences. Desklib provides access to this and many other solved assignments to help students.

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
The society is male dominated. The men in the family receive preferential treatment in every aspect
and the food consumption habit is also reflective of that. The women are supposed to eat the left
obvers after the men are done eating. Male children too, are served with larger portions of food as
compared to female children.

Slide 6
The culture has its distinct qualities and is quite different than the western culture even after the
close proximity of their location with Europe (King 2017). Occasional food are quite different than
staple. They serve kebabs, wraps and baklava as festive food.
Slide 7
Traditionally, drinking alcoholic beverage is prohibited in Quran. This makes the situation somewhat
tricky. While in a traditional meal or occasion at someone’s house, the guests should always follow
the queue of the host in this regard.