Street Food in Visual Media in Turkey: Food Mediatization in Tourism

Abstract

Visual media has played a significant role in driving various transformations since its inception. The media has often portrayed gastronomy as a visual spectacle, showcasing allure, a reassuring image, and authenticity. Countries endeavor to enhance their gastronomy tourism by not only presenting their human and natural assets but also highlighting their distinct food and beverage cultures through visual media. This study aims to analyze the depiction of street food in Turkey in both national and international visual media and to explore the extent to which the promotion of street cuisine has been leveraged within the context of gastronomy tourism. The study seeks to contribute to future efforts aimed at making street food a compelling attraction in Turkey???s gastronomy tourism. For this study, an extensive literature review was conducted and semiotic analysis was applied to visual media components. National and international productions featuring street food in Turkey were analyzed across 10 distinct categories. ??stanbul emerged as the most prominently featured city in these productions. Furthermore, ??stanbul???s multicultural nature and its history of migration from various regions allow it to reflect the culinary cultures of different parts of Turkey. Based on the findings within the scope of this study, the emotions, thoughts, and messages evoked by visual media materials depicting street food in Turkey can be summarized as follows: a sense of camaraderie, social engagement, delightful gastronomic experiences, intriguing encounters, a feeling of familial warmth and authenticity, nostalgia, a sense of belonging, cross-cultural interaction, and visually striking presentations.