The Place of Seafood Products in Çanakkale Cuisine

Abstract

The city of Çanakkale, located in the westernmost part of Turkey, has a unique location as being a junction between two continents and having a strait system. Çanakkale has a rich variety of seafood, which has been reflected in its cuisine throughout the history. The people of Çanakkale are proud of their local seafood cuisine with diverse presentation techniques. The rich marine biodiversity is the basis of the menus of coastal towns and villages, playing a major role in gastronomic tourism. In this context, the present study investigates local dishes such as scorpion fish soup, stuffed mussels, fried mussels, fried squid, stuffed squid, squid kokoreç, octopus salad, octopus stew, shrimp salad, shrimp stew, sardines in vine leaves, swordfish on skewers, fried horse mackerel, steamed lanternfish, roasted sea bass, which are commonly available both in local restaurants and homes. The study aims to characterize popular regional seafood dishes of Çanakkale that has endured the test of time from the past to the present.