Yörük cuisine in resorts

Many years ago, tourism in Türkiye centered around cultural tours of the country. Tours typically began in Istanbul, exploring key sites on the historic peninsula, particularly the iconic trio of Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapı Palace, before heading eastward to Anatolia, starting in Cappadocia. After visiting the fairy chimneys and several cave churches, tour buses would head westward to Pamukkale, concluding the cultural tour at Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary. This was largely the standard until the late Prime Minister Turgut Özal’s tenure in the 1980s. His revolution was generally regarded as the initiation of privatization, but in the tourism world, his time was associated with the start of resorts. He was the one to allocate treasure-owned coastlines to tourism investors to build massive hotels and resorts. His term marked the beginning of resort development along the Mediterranean coast, particularly around the city of Antalya. This is how new properties mushroomed in Belek, Kemer and similar coastlines. The resorts sought to emulate the once-legendary Club Med, particularly in their food and beverage management systems. Each night, there would be another theme, usually featuring diverse cuisines, but the last night would always be dedicated to Turkish cuisine. There would be döner kebab and other open-fire kebab varieties, syrupy Turkish desserts, all accompanied by some dancing, local folklore troupes and above all, lots of belly dancing. Tourists were happy, and this is all that matters.

All-inclusive abundance

For many years, Türkiye hosted mass tourism with the “all-inclusive” system, eventually becoming a top destination. Abundance and plenty were the key to success. It is true that we all love a bit of luxury, and luxury means plenty to many. The vast array of food choices at breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets offers tourists a rewarding experience after a year of demanding work. When you have a week off with all the abundant food and drinks available and devouring all offered without counting your pennies is a luxury. All the lavish buffet tables and free drinks compensate for your labor, and finally, you feel pampered and special. Excessive food on tables was often criticized as waste, but of course, resorts excelled in recycling food in many creative ways. Leftover rice would end up in stuffed vegetables the next day, fruits would be transformed into marmalades, and so on. But it is true that the whole system was not sustainable. All this glitter came with a cost. Facilities quickly deteriorated, decor trends became outdated, and local communities and small businesses struggled to benefit sufficiently from this type of tourism. In recent years, tourism has shifted toward a more responsible and sustainable model. One way is to give emphasis to local products and artisanal producers in order to sustain their existence and support the local economy.

Power of the local

As mentioned, Antalya has been the pioneer of tourism in Türkiye, especially in regard to sea-and-sun tourism. The definition of luxury is also changing. Now, luxury is not necessarily about plenty; on the contrary, simplicity with refined gusto and design is the key to most high-end properties. Exclusivity became synonymous with the concept of luxury. It is also more about the experience, the thrill of discovery and encounters with new cultures. A very plausible way of discovery is focusing on locality. The traveler wants to experience new flavors, feel nature, learn about local cultures and also share the responsibility to sustain their existence and care for the environment. Now, tourism is also regarded as a way to communicate with people and showcase the local culture. Just as in the days of those grand culture tours in Anatolia, there is a comeback in culture tourism. When we say culture, it surely includes gastronomy. The new wave emerging seems to be focusing on locality.

Recently, Sherwood Exclusive Hotel in Kemer, Antalya, hosted a special gastronomy event titled 07.07 Antalya Gastro Fest. Apparently, I was late in discovering the festival; the festival was already celebrating its fifth year. Curated by food researcher Asuman Dokgöz, the focus was on the Yörük cuisine of Antalya. Yörük people are nomadic people of the Taurus Mountains that lie along the coastal Mediterranean. Still semi-nomadic, Yörüks are famed for their dairy products, especially cave-aged cheeses. The dark, goat-hair woven Yörük tents were pitched in the resort’s garden, just steps from the beach. The enticing aroma of grilled meat drew beachgoers, despite the blazing midday sun, creating long queues of curious visitors outside the tents. It was a long lunch of discovery, even for many of the Turkish guests. Reflecting on my experience, I regret not sampling more of the fascinating local flavors. That realization sparks the urge to return to a destination. After all, discovery is the essence of tourism, and the joy of uncovering local treasures is unparalleled!