Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
ANADOLU Ege Tarımsal Araştırma Enstitüsü Dergisi, cilt.33, sa.2, ss.237-258, 2023 (Hakemli Dergi)
In this study, seasoning and coloring plants traditionally obtained from the wild, mainly through foraging and used in the cuisine of Hatay (Türkiye), which is listed as the City of Creative Gastronomy by UNESCO, were researched and 68 local plant species used as spices, sauces or egg coloring in various religious rituals were compiled. Some, such as Laurus nobilis and Thymbra spicata, have been gathered extensively from nature due to their significant cultural value. Thymbra spicata has started to be cultivated due to increasing demand with the influence of gastronomy tourism, and has even become one of the important agricultural products of Hatay/Antakya in recent years. This development has increased the economic value of the species while reducing the pressure on its natural populations. This is a successful example of alternative agricultural products traditionally obtained by foraging that may be adapted to agriculture and the local economy. Some plants presented here are used in Antakya’s unique religious and cultural practices, such egg painting plants used by spring fests of various ethnoreligious populations. Thirteen original plant uses that are not mentioned in the literature and are only found in Hatay are presented, such as using Melilotus species as a bread spice, Laser trilobum as a spice in local dishes and Pistacia species as ingredients in za’atar mixtures and the flavoring of the local soup known as “kishk”. The variety of wild plants used as sour sauce and the fact that they were used as an alternative to the tomato sauces that dominate the culinary culture today are interesting in terms of showing the change in culinary culture over time. Hatay was the province that suffered the most destruction in the earthquake of February 6, 2023. We hope that this article, written just before the earthquake, will provide socio-economic guidance in the rebuilding of the city. Some of the people from whom this information was compiled unfortunately lost their lives in the earthquake, and a significant number of them were forced to migrate from the destroyed city. This situation is a striking example of the need to compile ethnobotanical knowledge without losing it.