Written by Adar Ozalkak
Throughout history, almost all cultures have been influenced by each other. Food culture is one of them, and the Kurds living in the north of Mesopotamia constantly interacted and traded with different cultures in Mesopotamia. Therefore, the Kurds had a serious impact on the other food cultures in Mesopotamia.
First of all, the Kurds influenced the food culture primarily through the use of ingredients. Bulgur and rice are staples in both Kurdish and Mesopotamian cuisines. Different cooking methods of bulgur and rice create rich flavors between the two cultures. Secondly, they are very similar in terms of food types. If we examine the cuisines, Kebab and Dolma varieties will be seen in both. It is common in Kurdish and Mesopotamian cuisine to cook meat on a skewer or a fire. Lamb meat, in particular, is widely consumed in both cuisines. (Arslantaş, 2023)
The methods of preparing the meals are also quite similar. Both cultures frequently use the tandoor cooking method when cooking their dishes. Tandoor can be defined as follows: It is built of clay, has two openings, starts in a cylindrical shape, and moves slightly upwards and ıt is a type of stove that is conical and buried in the ground. In addition, meat cooked with this method cooks for a long time, but a very delicious taste emerges. (Ayduslu, 2020)
Another similarity is the types of spices used. The most important spice among these types is sumac, frequently used in Kurdish cuisine. In short, sumac is a spice that is preferred in both salads and meat dishes and enriches the dishes by giving an acidic taste. What makes sumac so important is that it has great importance in both Kurdish and Mesopotamian cuisine. (Çekiç, 2023)
At the same time, the reason why the food culture is so rich and developed in both societies is that due to the intense migration in Mesopotamia, the food developed and spread to the surrounding regions.
Another reason is that both cultures attach great importance to hosting guests, so people show that they value their guests by decorating their tables with a variety of dishes, and thanks to this, their food culture is expanding. (Arslantaş, 2023)
As a result, Kurdish food culture is an extremely rich food culture that was influential in the formation of this diverse and rich food culture in Mesopotamia. The main reason for the formation of this multi-layered culture is due to trade activities. Today, Mesopotamian culture is still changing and developing.
References:
An indispensable spice in multicultural Hatay cuisine: Sumac. (n.d.-a). https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1020&context=jometr
Yrd. Doç. Dr. Nevin Ayduslu - DergiPark. (n.d.-a). https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/711946
View of Eski Mezopotamya Mutfak Kültürünün günümüz diyarbakır mutfağı üzerine etkileri (the effects of ancient Mesopotamian culinary culture on today’s Diyarbakır cuisine). (Çekiç,2023) https://jotags.net/index.php/jotags/article/view/1647/2832
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