RAHATLATAN YEMEK (COMFORT FOOD): YEMEĞİN SOSYAL VE KÜLTÜREL ÖNEMİNE İLİŞKİN BİR ARAŞTIRMA
COMFORT FOOD: A STUDY OF THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF FOOD

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this case study is to understand the social and cultural significance of comfort food, which has different uses in Turkish such as konfor yemek or rahatlatan yemek. Comfort food is generally defined as food prepared with traditional methods and has a nostalgic appeal. The meaning of comfort food, which is associated with memory, social ties and identity, for students studying gastronomy at university was investigated. This study, which was conducted on comfort food, which is associated with childhood and home, was carried out with the participation of 137 gastronomy students at a university in Istanbul. After the students were told what comfort food is in the food culture course, they were given a questionnaire consisting of five questions prepared in advance and were asked to answer these questions. The answers given were transferred to the Excel program, collected under certain categories here and then analyzed with the descriptive analysis method. According to the results obtained, the relationship between the comfort foods chosen by the participants and their social and cultural structures was tried to be understood. At the end of the study, it was seen that the comfort foods chosen by the participants were related to the family structure and culinary culture they grew up in, and that meat dishes commonly used in Turkish cuisine were generally preferred, and high-protein and high-carbohydrate, shared meals consumed at large family tables were chosen. A small number of students preferred more contemporary and ready-made meals (pizza, lasagna, etc.). This result showed that comfort food, defined as sugary and high-carbohydrate foods in international sources, can vary according to culture and geography.

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