Cultural Post 1

[Nile Harris]

Turkey has a very fascinating culture. Geographically, Turkey is located on the Mediterranean Sea. It shares borders with Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran to the east; Iraq to the southeast; Syria to the south; and Bulgaria and Greece to the northwest. Greece and Turkey have a rich history empirical and political conflict dating back to the Ottoman days. Greece used to be a part of the Ottoman Empire until it declared its independence before the fall of the empire. Since those days, there still remains cultural conflict between Turks and Greeks. The sentiments seem to be that Greeks hate Turks and Turks hate Greeks. My language partner used to share those same sentiments until he met Greek people and realized that they are very much similar people. Even to the point to where he could say “Greeks are just Christian Turks and Turks are just Muslim Greeks”. Greeks and Turks do have very similar cultures. A huge part of Turkish culture is the authentic Turkish food. But there are some specific foods that Greeks have tried to market as traditional Greek food, when in reality, it is Turkish. One food that is authentic Turkish food, but around the world is always advertised as Greek, is baklava. Baklava is a pastry made of dough, nuts, and syrup or honey. It is very delicious. The word “baklava” itself is of Mongolian and Turkic origin which shows its Turkish origin. Also, the pastry dish uses pistachios as one of its main ingredients. Turkey is actually one of the world’s largest producers of pistachios, which are cultivated in the southeastern part of the country (very far away from Greece). Another dish that was originally Turkish, but also claimed by the Greeks is dolmades. Dolmades are grape leaves stuffed with various things such as rice, vegetables, and ground meats. The word “dolma” itself is of Turkish origin and means to fill or to stuff, which supports that it is of Turkish origin. Dolmades are actually one of my favorite Turkish dishes. One last thing that is claimed to be Greek, is Greek yogurt (strained yogurt). This type of yogurt has become popular in the western world and is marketed as authentically Greek. The word yogurt comes from the Turkish word “yoğurmak” which means “to knead; to be curdled or coagulated; to thicken. The yogurt food probably is not originally Turkish, but it is definitely not of Greek origin. Also, the most popular brand of “Greek” yogurt, Chobani, was really made by a Turkish man. When my language partner told me these things, I was astounded and very intrigued because I thought that only of these things were authentically Greek because they are always advertised as Greek. But it definitely makes sense that these things have made their way to Greece, due to the historical power of the Ottoman Empire. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that these foods are all of Ottoman origin rather than just Turkish origin. Because the Ottoman Empire was centered around modern-day Turkey, that may be why those dishes are considered Turkish.