# Food and Migration


## Posts

- [The Sultan of Mutbakh: A day in the kitchen of a Syrian woman in Istanbul](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/the-sultan-of-mutbakh-a-day-in-the-kitchen-of-a-syrian-woman-in-istanbul/)
- [How migration changed cooking practices: examples of kabsa, foul and shawarma](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/how-migration-changed-cooking-practices-examples-of-kabsa-foul-and-shawarma/)
- [Mamounia Recipe](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/mamounia-recipe-2/): Mamounia is a famous Levantine dessert, considered one of the traditional dishes that originated in the city of Aleppo, Syria. It is believed that Mamounia was named after the Abbasid Caliph Al-Ma’mun, who was known for his love of this dish. .pdf
- [A Traditional Syrian Taste: Molokhia with the Recipe](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/a-traditional-syrian-taste-molokhia-with-the-recipe-2/)

## Pages

- [Özyeğin University Hosted “Food, Migration & Social Cohesion Workshop”](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/ozyegin-university-hosted-food-migration-social-cohesion-workshop/): Özyeğin University Hosted “Food, Migration & Social Cohesion Workshop” Özyeğin University Hosted “Food, Migration & Social Cohesion Workshop” Özyeğin University has hosted the “Food, Migration & Social Cohesion Workshop” as part of the “TUBITAK-1001 Project on Food, Homemaking, and Social Integration for Syrian Women in Istanbul, Gaziantep and Hatay.” Associate Professor Susan Rottmann from the Anthropology Program at Özyeğin University serves as the project’s Principal Investigator. After the opening speech of Assistant Professor Burcu Mutlu, Chair of the Anthropology Program, the project team shared the project findings and analyses on migrants’ perception of home and belonging, changing culinary practices after
- [Yousef Salih](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/yousef-salih-en/): Yusuf Salih Yusuf Salih Yusuf Salih was born in Aleppo, Syria and now lives and works in Istanbul. He is featured in the documentary film Emekçi Müteciler, about the economic and labor aspects of refugees in Turkey. His current work as a researcher and podcast creator approaches these same issues from an anthropological perspective, informed by his experience as a translator and his work in the shoemaking industry.
- [Assoum Badavi](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/assoum-badavi-en/): Assoum Badavi Assoum Badavi Assoum Badavi, Çukurova University Assoum BADAVİ studied in the faculty of Economic university of Aleppo and left in the last year because of war in Syria, She graduated from business administration in English language from the university of Çukurova in 2019 with honor degree, she is doing her master in Çukurova university now.She has been active working in the field of refugees since 2015 worked with the project funded by UNICEF ( Supporting the Integration of Syrian Children into the Education System), In 2018 she worked in the employment office for Syrians in Adana Chamber of
- [Nour Zanjer](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/nour-zanjer-en/): Nour Zanjer Nour Zanjer Nour Zanjer, Master’s student, Istanbul Unviersity Nour Zanjer is a Syrian researcher, humanitarian worker, and lifelong migrant with an interest in gender and forced migration. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Administrative Sciences from King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia in 2017 and completed her master’s degree in Political Science and International Relations at Istanbul University in 2023. Her thesis, titled “Syrian Women on the Way to Europe: Strategies, Challenges, Perceptions,” explores the experiences of Syrian women seeking asylum to Europe. Nour has contributed to several projects, including “Food, Homemaking and Social Integration for Syrian Women
- [Canan Şeyma Demir](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/canan-seyma-demir-en/): Canan Şeyma Demir Canan Şeyma Demir Canan Şeyma Demir, Gaziantep University Canan Seyma Demir graduated from İnönü University, Department of Economics in 2018. In 2022, she received her master’s degree in Economics at Gaziantep University. In the same year, she started her doctorate in Gaziantep University Migration Institute Migration Studies program. Demir’s main fields of study are migration economics, migration sociology and economics.
- [Zeynep Yılmaz Hava](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/zeynep-yilmaz-hava-en/): Zeynep Yılmaz Hava Zeynep Yılmaz Hava Zeynep Yılmaz Hava, Özyeğin University Zeynep Yılmaz Hava received her bachelor’s degree in Translation Studies from Boğaziçi University in 2013 with a high honours degree. In 2017, she received her master’s degree from the Cultural Studies programme in Istanbul Şehir University with her dissertation on “Rabıta as a technology of the self and a self-care practice in Sufism”. In 2023, she successfully defended her thesis titled “Constructing Migrant Foodscapes: The Case of Syrian Refugees in Fatih, Istanbul”. She is currently working as a postdoctoral researcher at Özyeğin University in the TÜBİTAK-1001 project titled “Food,
- [Mehmet Nuri Gültekin](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/mehmet-nuri-gultekin-en/): Mehmet Nuri Gültekin Mehmet Nuri Gültekin Prof. Mehmet Nuri Gültekin, Gaziantep University He was born in 1971 in Kilis. He received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees from Ege University. Between 1994 and 2007, he worked as a philosophy teacher in various high schools in Tatvan and Izmir. Since 2007, he has been lecturing in the Department of Sociology at Gaziantep University while trying to read and learn about issues such as sociology of literature, social change, patriarchy and ‘honour’, transformations in the rural structure. He has published a book titled Modernisation, Individual and Everyday Life in Orhan Kemal’s Novels.
- [Sevgi Usta](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/sevgi-usta-en/): Sevgi Usta Sevgi Usta Assoc. Prof. Sevgi Usta, Özyeğin University Dr. Sevgi Usta graduated from the University of İstanbul in 1983. After the completion of internship at İstanbul Bar, she started to work at the University of İstanbul, Faculty of Political Sciences in 1986. She obtained her M.A. and Ph.D from Social Sciences Institute of the Istanbul University in 1988 and 1995. She worked at the University of İstanbul from 1986 to 2013 and currently is working at the University of Ozyeğin. She gives lectures on Family Law, Marital Property Regimes, Children Rights, and Social Protection Law. More
- [Maissam Nimer](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/maissam-nimer-en/): Maissam Nimer Maissam Nimer Asst. Prof. Dr. Maissam Nimer, Istanbul University Nimer is an assistant professor at Istanbul University, Faculty of Political Sciences, working in the fields of social and gender inequalities, marginalities and government of asylum-seekers. She is currently involved in a project called Géorécits, which seeks to examine the way in which intellectual production is transformed by exile. This project, financed by Institut Convergences Migrations, is carried out at Paris Nanterre University and leads a TUBITAK 3510 project about policies and experiences relating to foreign faculty in Turkey. Previously, she carried out work at Koç University, and as
- [Pınar Sezginalp](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/pinar-sezginalp-en/): Pınar Sezginalp Pınar Sezginalp Asst. Prof. Dr. Pinar Sezginalp Özçetin, Bilkent University Pınar Sezginalp is an Assistant Professor of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design. She achieved her B.A. from Bilkent University, department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design in 2008. She pursued her doctoral research within the exchange program in KU Leuven in 2013, and obtained her Ph.D. from Middle East Technical University from the Architectural History department in 2017. Sezginalp taught History of Architecture and Interior Design, History of Art and Design, History of Modern Architecture and Interior Design in Turkey, Dwelling and Domesticity, Basic Design Studio and Visual
- [Susan Beth Rottmann](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/susan-beth-rottmann-en/): Susan Beth Rottmann Susan Beth Rottmann Asst. Prof. Dr. Susan Beth Rottmann, Özyeğin University Susan Rottmann is an Associate Professor of Anthropology. She obtained her B.A. degree in Comparative Religion from Cornell University in 2001, her M.A. degree in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2006, and her Ph.D. degree in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2012. She has received several major grants for her research, including a Fulbright-Hays DDRA and grants from the Social Science Research Council, the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, the American Research Institute in Turkey and the Institute of Turkish Studies. Between
- [IMISCOE 20th Annual Conference ](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/imiscoe-20th-annual-conference/): IMISCOE 20th Annual Conference IMISCOE 20th Annual Conference Presentation at the IMISCOE 20th Annual conference at the panel “Sustainable food and cultural diversity: Discourses and practices. Part 2: Comparing cultures”. 2023-07-04 University of Warsaw & Online Our team presented the the preliminary results of our research in Istanbul in the IMISCOE 20th Annual conference at the panel “Sustainable food and cultural diversity: Discourses and practices. Part 2: Comparing cultures”. The working paper is entitled “Unequal home-making practices among Syrian refugees in Turkey in a context of economic uncertainty”, which examines the culinary coping strategies of women to recreate place attachment
- [Blog](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/blog-en/): Blog All Post Saha Notları Tarifler A Traditional Syrian Taste: Molokhia with the Recipe Ekim 10, 2024/ On July 13, 2023, we paid a visit to one of our previous interviewees (called Dunya as of now) at… Read More Mamounia Recipe Eylül 5, 2024/ Mamounia is a famous Levantine dessert, considered one of the traditional dishes that originated in the city of Aleppo, Syria.… Read More How migration changed cooking practices: examples of kabsa, foul and shawarma Mart 20, 2023/ by Maia Alhares, Nour Zanjer, Yousef Saleh A field visit and the photo of lunch at a Syrian restaurant in…
- [Traditional Syrian Friday Breakfast](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/traditional-syrian-friday-breakfast/): Traditional Syrian Friday Breakfast Traditional Syrian Friday Breakfast This breakfast usually includes foul (fava beans), falafel, hummus, fatayer (savory pastries) with za’atar and cheese, and of course, the essential tea, which plays a key role in Syrian breakfast culture. For those who enjoy something sweet, there’s mamouniye (semolina pudding) and shuaibiyat (flaky pastries), typically paired with salty cheese for the perfect blend of flavors. Today, Syrians living in Turkey try to keep this tradition alive by moving it to Sundays, Turkey’s holiday, so they can continue the practice of gathering and enjoying this special meal as a family. Every Syrian
- [An amazing Middle Eastern feast!](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/an-amazing-middle-eastern-feast/): An amazing Middle Eastern feast! An amazing Middle Eastern feast! Here is a more detailed information about the foods: Tabbouleh: A fresh and zesty salad made primarily with parsley, bulgur, tomatoes, mint, and lemon juice. It’s often served as part of a mezze (small appetizers) or as a side dish in Middle Eastern meals, especially during lunch or dinner. Tabbouleh is eaten cold, making it refreshing in warm weather. Kibbeh: A traditional Levantine dish made from a mixture of bulgur, minced onions, and finely ground meat (often beef or lamb), sometimes filled with more meat, nuts, and spices. Kibbeh can
- [Falafel & Hummus: A Taste of Middle Eastern Heritage ](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/falafel-hummus-a-taste-of-middle-eastern-heritage/): Falafel & Hummus: A Taste of Middle Eastern Heritage Falafel & Hummus: A Taste of Middle Eastern Heritage Falafel Falafel, made from ground chickpeas or fava beans, is a crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside deep-fried patty. Infused with fresh herbs like parsley and cilantro, and spiced with cumin and coriander, falafel is much more than a street food staple. It’s a symbol of community and cultural pride across the Middle East, from Lebanon and Israel to Egypt and Palestine. Often served in pita bread with fresh veggies, tahini sauce, and pickles, falafel is the perfect blend of flavors and textures that brings people
- [Ramadan Meeting with Syrian Friends](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/ramadan-meeting-with-syrian-friends/): Ramadan Meeting with Syrian Friends Ramadan Meeting with Syrian Friends Two types of Knafah in Syrian cuisine: Rough Kanfeh (Kanfeh Khishneh):Two layers of shredded fillo dough filled with cream, baked, and garnished with crushed pistachios. Smooth Knafe (Knafeh Na’ameh):A crispy layer of ground semolina dough on top, and the second layer contains molten Arabic cheese; Akkawi, similar to mozzarella cheese, baked and garnished with crushed pistachios.
- [Iftar Meal at Syrian Home](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/iftar-meal-at-syrian-home/): Iftar Meal at Syrian Home Iftar Meal at Syrian Home The iftar’s menu included: Deep Fried Kibbeh (Kibbeh Meqliyeh):It is the main dish of Aleppo cuisine: a crispy shell made of bulgur wheat, beef, and onions, stuffed with beef and nuts. Kibbeh in Yogurt Souce (Kibbeh Labaniyeh):On the Lebanese way, it contains yogurt, kibbeh, garlic, and mint. Lebanese Tabbouleh Salad:Fresh and finely chopped parsley, tomatoes, and bulgur wheat with limon and olive oil sauce. Baked Eggplant Kebab (Kabab Banjan):It is a popular dish among both Syrian and Turkish cousins. It contains eggplant and meat. Fried Eggplant Slices. Çiğ köfte (Kibbeh
- [A Taste from Aleppo Cuisine: Mansaf Freekah](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/a-taste-from-aleppo-cuisine-mansaf-freekah/): A Taste from Aleppo Cuisine: Mansaf Freekah A Taste from Aleppo Cuisine: Mansaf Freekah The steps of serving start with a layer of freekeh being placed in the serving dish, then a layer of white rice, then minced meat and roasted chicken (chicken can be replaced with pieces of lamb), and then it is decorated with roasted almonds. The dish is served with Ayran yogurt and a fresh green salad.
- [Gallery](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/gallery/): Gallery Gallery Grains: An Interactive Documentary on Food and Migration This link takes you to a series of short films created in Asst. Prof. Zeynep Merve Uygun Azizoglu’s COD 301 Studio Class with the collaboration of Assoc. Prof. Susan Beth Rottmann and Zeliha Inci Asal (MA). The project began with Susan introducing the topic of food and migration (the subject of her on-going Tubitak project) to students. She then attended several project feedback sessions during which she viewed rough drafts of the films and explained more about food culture and the challenges of migrants in Turkey. İnci and Merve hoca
- [Contact](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/contact-2/): Contact Contact Social Sciences Faculty Özyeğin UniversityNisantepe Mah. Orman Sok.34794 Cekmekoy, Istanbul, Turkey Phone: +90 (216) 564 90 00Fax: +90 (216) 564 99 99 https://www.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/contact E-mail: foodandmigration@ozyegin.edu.tr
- [Publications](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/publications/): Publications Publications Our June 2023 Newsletter is published online! Please click here to read our latest report on food, home-making and belonging for Syrian women in Türkiye. Susan B. Rottmann & Maria Kanal (2023) Akle Tayyibe [Tasty Dish]—Cooking Up Belonging in the Syrian Refugee Foodscape in Turkey, Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, DOI: 10.1080/15562948.2023.2275256. To read full article, please click here. Zeynep Yılmaz-Hava, Nour Zanjer & Susan Beth Rottmann (21 Nov 2024). “Culinary sustainability as a resilience practice for Syrian refugees amidst urban precarity in Istanbul”, Food, Culture & Society, DOI: 10.1080/15528014.2024.2429905. To access the article, click here. Susan
- [Project Team](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/project-team/): Project Team Susan Beth Rottmann Principal Investigator Özyeğin University Maissam Nimer Key Researcher İstanbul University Pinar Sezginalp Key Researcher Bilkent University Zeynep Yılmaz Hava Post-Doctoral Researcher Özyeğin University Canan Şeyma Demir Doctoral Researcher (BİÇABA Scholarship) Gaziantep University Assoum Badavi Master’s Student Çukurova University Nour Zanjer Master’s Student İstanbul University Maia Alhares Undergrad Student İstanbul University Ayşe Aydın Project Assistant Özyeğin University Gökdeniz Demirkaya Project Assistant Özyeğin University Sevgi Usta Advisor Özyeğin University Mehmet Nuri Gültekin Advisor Gaziantep University Yousef Saleh Expert MÜGYED
- [Aims and Objectives](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/aims-and-objectives/): Aims and Objectives Aims and Objectives Drawing on the research findings, the project is expected to concretely improve social cohesion among Syrians and locals in Turkey. A major output of the project is a workshop with civil society representatives and government officials. Through co-creation of an ethnographic cookbook (in an online blog format) with participants, the project creates belonging through food sharing integration activities. Additionally, the project will make urgent interventions to Turkey’s integration debates through announcements of research results in collaboration with government agencies and NGOs, as well as policy briefs for integration programming at national, EU and global
- [Methodology and Data ](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/methodology-and-data/): Methodology and Data Methodology and Data The three-year project is led by an anthropologist (as PI) accompanied by two sociologists and one interior architect, who are each experts on belonging, migration and homemaking. The project relies on ethnographic fieldwork in homes, including 150 hours of participant observation, 60 life history interviews and 30 mental maps. It employs maximum variation sampling and will recruit participants via the researcher’s pre-existing contacts and snowball sampling in three cities in Turkey (Istanbul, Gaziantep, and Hatay) which represent “strategic research sites” for the study of Syrian integration. The project applies a constructivist Grounded Theory Approach,
- [Research Question](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/research-question/): Research Question Research Question Gathering an interdisciplinary team of experts who have studied Syrian migration for several years, we build on research on migrant homemaking and on social integration. Our research question is: How can we understand migrants’ belonging, social, cultural and economic wellbeing, and community integration via in-depth research on food practices? In order to do so, the research focuses firstly on how Syrian women create belonging and “home” via cooking; secondly on the effect of economics and survival on food making practices; and thirdly on how food is involved in bridging and social integration.
- [Project Summary](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/project-summary/): Project Summary Project Summary Through in-depth qualitative research with Syrian women, the project endeavors to understand migrant homemaking activities and specifically how food practices change and are involved in integration. Comparing three cities with high numbers of arrivals since mass Syrian migration to Turkey in 2011, we analyze how cooking and food sharing are a means of fostering kinship bonds, experiencing heritage and expressing emotions like love, loss and gratitude. Food is shaped by socio-cultural traditions, family histories and economic realities. Previous research shows that food sharing matters for migrants, but little research has examined food practices of refugees or,
- [Home En](https://foodandmigration.ozyegin.edu.tr/en/home-en/): Research Food, Homemaking and Social Integration for Syrian Women in Istanbul, Gaziantep and Hatay Project Summary Project Summary Through in-depth qualitative research with Syrian women, the project endeavors to understand migrant homemaking activities and specifically how food practices change and are involved in integration. This project was funded through The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TUBITAK) 1001 programme, project number: 122K209. More Lorem Ipsum is simply dumy text of the printing typesetting industry lorem ipsum. Bana – İstanbul ❝ Since one lacks power and strength as a refugee, you want to show off your smartness with everything you do.


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