Izmir Project Revives Traditional Turkish Village Cuisine

Türkiye's Izmir Revives Village Cuisine to Preserve Culinary Heritage

A cultural initiative in Izmir, western Türkiye, is working to revive traditional village dishes and safeguard the region's culinary heritage for future generations.

The project, led by the Karabağlar Public Education Center — an institution under the Ministry of National Education (MEB) — collects recipes from elderly women in rural neighborhoods and documents them for long-term archiving.

Preserving Disappearing Traditions

The effort focuses on restoring dishes once common in Izmir's villages but now rarely prepared. Recipes gathered during field visits are being recorded, digitized and organized for publication in an upcoming book. Culinary trainees at the center are also learning these dishes to ensure structured intergenerational knowledge transfer.

Karabağlar Public Education Center Director Fatma Demirci said many traditional recipes had started to disappear. Her team visited villages, met elderly residents and collected flavors passed down from grandmothers and great-grandmothers.

"These healthy recipes were being forgotten. We are teaching them to our trainees and archiving them. We will also deliver the full study to our ministry," Demirci noted.

She added that more than 20 dishes unique to Izmir, including külür cookies and topalak soup, have already been documented. Preserving local culinary heritage, she said, also strengthens the region's cultural continuity and supports the center's long-term education strategy.

Village Residents Share Family Recipes

Village residents contributing to the project say they want to protect authentic flavors for future generations.

Kabakucu Recipe Preserved

Kavacık villager Cavidan Çınar shared her grandmother's Kabakucu recipe, emphasizing her hope that the dish will remain part of Izmir's food culture. "This flavor belongs to our village, and it excites me to see it being preserved," she said.

Traditional Cookies and Healthy Eating

Another participant, Fatma Aksu, highlighted the value of promoting healthier homemade dishes. She teaches külür, a traditional cookie made with Kavacık molasses. "These flavors should not be forgotten. Young people need to reconnect with meals that are nutritious and satisfying," she said.

Zero-Waste Village Techniques

Tülay Dündar introduced a zero-waste pastry made with stale bread — a technique traditionally used to prevent food waste in village kitchens. "Bread was never thrown away. It was turned into pastries with spices and other ingredients. Bringing back this recipe gives me joy," she explained.

Young Trainees Bridge Generational Gap

Young trainees say the program provides rare access to the knowledge of experienced village cooks. Nineteen-year-old Umut Barış Gezgin said learning directly from elders creates a meaningful bridge between generations.

Eighteen-year-old Sedanur Poyraz added that many traditional dishes have already faded from memory and must be shared widely to survive.

Key Achievements of the Project

• Documented over 20 unique Izmir village dishes
• Created structured intergenerational knowledge transfer
• Preserved recipes like külür cookies, topalak soup, and Kabakucu
• Digitized recipes for future publication and archiving

Traditional Dishes Being Preserved

• Külür cookies - Traditional cookies made with Kavacık molasses
• Topalak soup - A regional soup specialty
• Kabakucu - A village dish shared by Cavidan Çınar
• Zero-waste bread pastry - Traditional method using stale bread

The project not only preserves recipes but also strengthens cultural continuity and supports the region's long-term educational strategy.

Warning: Without such preservation efforts, many traditional village recipes could be lost forever within a generation.