Creating gastronomic product inventory a research: Example of Edremit region

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to determine the gastronomic products of Edremit region and to create an inventory. It is aimed to determine the sustainability of these products, to transfer them to future generations and to bring them to gastronomy tourism. The relationship between food and culture are concepts that have been influencing each other for years. Food and beverages belonging to communities are accepted as cultural heritage. In addition to its crude form, it takes its place as a part of cultural heritage in every stage and process that the product goes through until it comes to the table and is consumed. Local products or gastronomic products reflect the culture of the country and the region, provide an advantage in terms of sustainability and affect the visitor& revisit of the destination. In this context, it has been revealed as a result of researches that gastronomy tourism is a type of tourism that is increasingly popular and interesting by tourists. When we look at the point reached in the years we have come, the gastronomic culture has become the lifestyle of a region. In this culture, especially local products and some food facts stand out. The increase in such popularity reveals the importance of local products. Within the scope of the research, a semi-structured interview form was created and it was aimed to collect data about it. In this research, descriptive analysis technique was used through direct quotations obtained from the interview recordings. A total of 33 people were interviewed face-to-face in the research, and the interview with 33 people was effective in reaching data saturation. A total of 8 questions were asked to the participants in order to determine the gastronomic products within the scope of the interview. As a result of the data obtained, it has been determined that the region is very rich in terms of gastronomic products and the culinary culture is still maintained from the past to the present.