Gastronomy Attractions and Practices in Tourism

Sustainability, Gastronomy and Eco Gastronomy

Sustainability

With the realization of the industrial revolution, the uncontrolled use of natural resources has led to the damage of environmental and cultural elements and the emergence of the concept of sustainability (Kasli et al., 2015). On the other hand, the negative impact of environmental pollution on human health has led consumers to prefer foods that are natural and suitable for human health. That’s why, organic and good agricultural practices have emerged within the understanding of sustainability in order to meet the needs of consumers for healthy food (İbis, 2021).

The concept of sustainability, which is one of the important issues of the 21st century, is defined as “ensuring continuity”, “sustaining existence” or “protection”, which emerged in order to ensure that people continue their lives as healthy individuals and to minimize the damage to the environment in industrial production and agricultural production (Scarpato, 2002; Durlu et al., 2013; İbis, 2021). On the other hand, sustainable food production is defined as “ensuring the continuity of the ecosystem and agriculture for future generations” (Durlu et al., 2013; Babadag & Ekincek, 2023). Ensuring sustainability will also contribute to the preservation of a destination’s identity, limited energy and all kind of natural resources (Sloan et al., 2015; Rinaldi, 2017).

Concept of Gastronomy

The concept of gastronomy, which emerged with the combination of the Greek words “gastèr” meaning stomach and “nomos” meaning law, was first expressed by Archestratus, who lived in the 4th century BC, as “good cooking”, “table pleasure” and “the art of eating and drinking well” (Csergo, 2016; Samanci, 2020).

In the 18th century, Brillat-Savarin, in his book “Physiologie du Goût”, defined gastronomy as “the mental knowledge of everything that is related to human nutrition”. According to Brillat-Savarin, the aim of gastronomy is “to recommend the most superior, possible form of nutrition necessary for man and to take care of its preservation” (Scarpato, 2002; Brillat-Savarin, 2014; Samanci, 2020).

The concept of gastronomy, according to the Larousse Gastronomique definition, is defined as “the curiosity to eat food well; a healthy, well-organized, pleasant and delicious kitchen, food order and system” (Larousse Gastronomique, 2005). In other words, “the art and knowledge of preparing and eating good food” (Cambridge Dictionary, 2023); Scarpato (2000) “the preparation, production and presentation of food, as well as the maintenance of cooking and eating characteristics with excellence”; According to Sariisik and Ozbay (2015), it is possible to define it as “a branch of art and science related to food preparation, cooking, presentation and eating and drinking experience, which is a reflection of certain cultures”. According to UNWTO (2017), gastronomy is a strategic element in the promotion of any destination (Lochman, 2021); According to the Turkish Language Association, “curiosity to eat well” is defined as “a well-organized, pleasant and delicious kitchen, food order and system that is suitable for health” (Turkish Language Society, 2023).

Eco Gastronomy

The concept of eco-gastronomy explains the relationship of agriculture and food with social, cultural and psychological elements from the table to the field. In other words, it contributes to ensuring socio-cultural and environmental sustainability. When the literature is checked, it is possible to see that eco gastronomy is also defined as sustainable gastronomy. From this point of view, it will be possible to say that it emerged as an expression of an environmentally friendly understanding (Scarpato, 2002; Yurtseven & Kaya, 2011). Eco gastronomy provides added value to the uniqueness of the destination by expanding and developing the area of local tourism resources. In addition to strengthening the local economy in terms of tourism and agriculture sectors, it is also stated that it will make a significant contribution to sustainable development with an environmentally friendly infrastructure (Nummedal & Hall, 2006; Pratt, 2007; Barrera & Alvarado, 2008).

Eco gastronomy is associated not only with the production and sale of agricultural production and local food but also with the social, cultural and political elements involved in the process (Scarpato, 2002). In the implementation phase of the eco gastronomy concept, the main challenges are the provision of high quality products, limited supply area and accessibility (Björklund, 2016).

The concept of eco gastronomy basically covers the following issues (Scarpato, 2002). These are;

• Transferring local culinary knowledge to future generations,

• Increasing welfare by providing added value to gastronomy activities.

• Provision of local food production

• Supporting the production of local people

• Providing visitors with local and authentic experiences

• Provide job opportunities to people in the region by supporting local production (Yurtseven & Kaya, 2010).