Culinary Culture of Displaced and Immigrant Communities in Niğde Province: A Field Research in the Context of Identity, Memory and Gastronomy Tourism

Abstract

This research aims to examine the culinary culture of the Selanik refugees who were resettled in Niğde province from Kozana, Kastoria, and Grevena regions of Greece through the compulsory population exchange under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, as well as other communities that migrated to the region in different periods, within the axes of identity, collective memory, and gastronomy tourism. The study was conducted adopting a qualitative research paradigm using field research, semi-structured interviews, and participant observation techniques. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 participants from different stakeholder groups, including local government officials, local residents, academics, women's cooperative members, food and beverage entrepreneurs, and civil society organization representatives. Research findings reveal that the displaced and immigrant communities in Niğde instrumentalize their distinctive culinary practices—such as chickpea bread, immigrant börek/bide, tarhana, kapama bread, and Örfene—to demarcate community boundaries, sustain homeland narratives, and transmit identity across generations. Ceremonial events such as the Halva Festival have transformed into sites of memory that concretize collective remembrance. It has been determined that Niğde's rich culinary heritage is insufficiently promoted and not integrated into gastronomy tourism; recommendations based on geographical indication, festival organization, and stakeholder cooperation have been developed.