Migratory Kitchen: The Example of Syrians in Mardin

OpenAlex İngilizce

Due to immigration, lifestyle and dietary habits transform depending on the change in the socio-economic situation, social position, and status of migrants. These changes can be observed in various stages, such as in the availability of food and its preparation, and consumption. This article attempts to demonstrate the transformation in dietary habits after immigration of people who migrated to Turkey since 2011 due to the Syrian war. The study focused on the city of Mardin, located in southeastern Anatolia, and was conducted in the form of fieldwork. Using snowball sampling methods, participant observation, and qualitative research techniques, in-depth interviews were made with 25 people who migrated to Mardin from different regions of Syria. The change in dietary habits varies greatly in parallel with the amount of change in socio-economic status to a large extent. However, there was some differentiation in terms of food structure and diet. This study shows that immigrants’ views on food were different. It was observed that Syrians continued their traditional dietary habits or fully adopt the dietary habits of the new country or engage in a hybridization of dietary practices due to cultural transition.