Ahmet Şükrü SOMUNCU

Eating is an indispensable part of human life. Not only human beings but also other living creatures do this act of eating to sustain their lives. In human life, this act also has a cultural dimension. At some point, food becomes a basic need for the human taste buds and creates a culture around it. Also, the culture of the society is reflected in the food/drinks in question. Items belonging to food and culinary culture have always taken place on special occasions and transitional periods in human life. Items belonging to culinary culture are also included in literary products that take their subject from human beings. The representatives of minstrel literature, who created works within the circle of "Turkish Minstrel Art", also dealt with culinary culture, food, and beverages in their works. Poems on food, the first examples of which were observed in the 14th century, are also frequently encountered in the minstrels of the Republican era. In these works, which are mostly created as food epics, topics such as the origin, preparation, and taste of food are addressed and a humoristic style is often perceived. In this study, based on three poems of Minstrel Ali̇ Çatak From Develi titled Pastırma (Bacon), Mantı Destanı (Manti Saga), and Yemekler Geçidi (Food Parade) and by presenting some examples from other poems, the reflections of cuisine culture in minstrel literature are analyzed. In the meantime, the concepts of food, catering culture, and culinary culture have been emphasized and their effects and place on our cultural world have been discussed. Consequently, the role of minstrels as culture carriers was once again presented to the attention. The processing of the elements of culinary culture by minstrels constitutes a proper example of cultural transfer.

Keywords: Minstrelsy tradition, Minstrel literature, Cuisine culture, Minstrel Ali Çatak from Develi.