Sibel Hurtas
Translated by Sibel Utku Bila
Earlier this month, a Turkish newspaper reported that a new crisis was brewing between troubled neighbors Turkey and Armenia. The disputed issue this time is a popular foodstuff called “lahmacun”
in Turkish and “lamadjo”(*) in Armenian. According to the report, the
Armenians had launched an international drive to promote it as an
Armenian dish, opening two restaurants in Russia.(**) The report sparked
indignation among Turks, who also claim ownership of the dish, which is a
thin piece of dough, topped with minced meat, vegetables and spices,
ideally baked on a wood fire. Some television programs even took it upon
themselves to explain why it was Turkish food.(***)
The notion of food threatening diplomatic tensions may
sound amusing, but Turkey and Armenia are already involved in a similar
row on an international level over lavash, a thin flatbread similar to a
tortilla. The crisis began after Armenia had lavash inscribed
on UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as “an
expression of Armenian culture” in 2014. The decision drew protests
from Turkey and other regional countries. Earlier this year, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan submitted a joint file to UNESCO,
presenting lavash as a regional culinary heritage. The issue will be
now discussed at UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the
Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, scheduled to meet Nov. 28
in Ethiopia.
Armenia’s lahmacun drive is also triggering counterattacks. Fatma
Sahin, the mayor of Gaziantep, told Al-Monitor that the city, famous for
its rich cuisine, had already won a spot on UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network in the field of gastronomy, and would lay claim to lahmacun as well.
Ironically, lahmacun is contested not only internationally but also
between several regions in southern Turkey. Gaziantep [Aintab], Adana and
Sanliurfa [Urfa] have been locked in a long-standing rivalry over ownership of
the dish. These days, Gaziantep, which borders Syria and has been the scene of Islamic State attacks,
seems to be ahead in promotion efforts. Struggling to shake off its
newly acquired image as a violence-plagued region and in an effort to
revive tourism, the city is promoting lahmacun as “Turkish pizza.”
“To our foreign guests, we promote this delicacy as Turkish pizza.
They like it very much, as it is both healthy and filling,” Sahin said.
“This taste is utterly special to the Gaziantep cuisine, and what makes
it different is the spices of the region. The lahmacun is otherwise
consumed across Turkey, but ours is the most delicious one. You can’t
have the same Gaziantep lahmacun anywhere else. I hope we’ll have it
patented in the shortest possible time.”
Turkey’s culinary tensions are not with Armenia only. With Greek
Cypriots, for instance, tensions have surrounded halloumi cheese, a
hallmark of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, which has been divided between its Greek and Turkish communities
for over four decades. In 2014, the Greek Cypriots applied to the
European Commission to secure protected designation of origin status for
halloumi, or “hellim" in Turkish, drawing angry reactions
both from Turkish Cypriots and Turkey. A year later, the issue arose on
the agenda of peace negotiations between the two Cypriot sides, and the
EU hailed a “common understanding”
reached on the issue as a sign of the parties’ willingness to “build
confidence.” Similar disputes have taken place over baklava, raki and
olives between Turkey and Greece.
One easily notices that the food spats always involve nations with
which Turkey has historical tensions. Haberturk’s diplomacy
correspondent, Bahar Bakir — who reported about the lahmacun unease —
stressed the commercial aspect of the disputes.
“The problem of food registrations has become a new crisis domain
between nations. Countries that have political disputes are competing in
other realms as well. … Serious trademark wars are underway around the
world,” Bakir told Al-Monitor.
In Turkey’s neighborhood, she noted, the competition is especially
heated as nations have a lot in common in their heritage. “The
[contentious] products are actually regional products, meaning that the
dishes belong to everyone. Yet, they are being registered by whichever
nation takes action first,” Bakir said. “Turkey has a lot of registered
trademarks, but some countries are leaving Turkey behind. And in a
region where tensions are already running high, this leads to new
crises — even if soft ones.”
For Turkey, the culinary spats come atop heavy historical baggage, including wars and population exchanges with Greece and a genocide row with Armenia. Though trademark wars have emerged as a new realm of
rivalry in modern times, one should note that the disputed dishes often
serve as a vessel for cultural connection
as well. Trademarks may be important, but in a region so closely
intertwined in cultural terms, drawing lines between cuisines and other
traditions is not easy after all.
Turkish chef Murat Hayran, whose team of professional cooks often
represents Turkey at culinary events abroad, says many dishes share the
same name but often differ in their ingredients and taste.
“Once, we took part in a Turkish Week event in Greece and put stuffed
vine-leaves, baklava and mastic pudding as Turkish dishes on the menu.
The Greeks said those were not Turkish but Greek dishes. And they were
really the same dishes with the same names, but their ingredients and
the way they were served were different,” Hayran told Al-Monitor.
The chef’s trip had other surprises as well. “As we took a walk in
the streets, I heard the sound of bagpipes. I was so surprised that we
shared not only dishes but also music,” he said. “Then, I sat down at a
cafe and a Greek man invited me to his table. When I told him I was
Turkish he started talking about Istanbul, and it turned out we had even
common acquaintances.”
Hayran is fine with the shared heritage but believes Turkey should do
more to promote its cuisine. “In a region with so many things in
common, the common dishes are only natural,” he said. “The problem here
is that Turkey lags a bit behind in promotion. We should be more
aggressive in promoting our dishes, cheeses and other delicacies.”
"Al-Monitor" (www.al-monitor.com), October 25, 2016
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