THE CULTURAL AND EMOTIONAL MEANINGS OF FOODS CONSIDERED AS “COMFORT FOOD”

Zeynep Güngör

Makale detayları

THE CULTURAL AND EMOTIONAL MEANINGS OF FOODS CONSIDERED AS “COMFORT FOOD”

Yazarlar:

Zeynep Güngör

Yayıncı:

Ayla KAŞOĞLU

Ana Başlıklar:

Kültür Sosyolojisi | Sosyoloji (Diğer)

Dergi:

Avrasya Uluslararası Araştırmalar Dergisi Vol.13 Issue 45, pp.104-126

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

9/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001348539

pISSN:

2147-2610

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 The subject of this study is the concept of comfort food and the examination of its cultural and emotional context. Comfort foods are generally defined as foods that provide psychological and emotional comfort when consumed, evoke past memories and specific individuals, and are consumed during both negative and positive emotional states. In this context, the study aims to reveal the perspectives of individuals in Turkish society on comfort foods, the reasons for consuming such foods, and the social, cultural, and emotional meanings they carry. While the concept is mostly addressed within the context of Western culture in the literature, it is considered important to explore how it is understood in Turkish culture, the meanings individuals attach to these foods, their place in collective memory, and to identify cross-cultural similarities and differences. This study adopts a qualitative methodology and is designed using a phenomenological approach. The data were collected through interviews with 30 individuals of different ages, genders, and socio-cultural backgrounds using a semi-structured interview form. The obtained data were subjected to content analysis. The findings indicate that comfort foods provide emotional relief, help individuals overcome negative feelings, make them feel better, and help them remember the past. They evoke feelings of peace, security, nostalgia, and togetherness, and act as carriers of cultural, emotional, and social bonds through rituals. In addition to providing emotional and psychological comfort, comfort foods were also found to strengthen emotional bonds between people, support the preservation of cultural identity, and enhance the sense of social belonging. In this respect, the study sheds light on the emotional and social reflections of eating habits unique to Turkish culture. While comfort foods are generally considered an individual coping mechanism in international literature, this study concludes that in Turkish culture, they are more closely associated with nostalgia, cultural transmission, and collective identity.

 The subject of this study is the concept of comfort food and the examination of its cultural and emotional context. Comfort foods are generally defined as foods that provide psychological and emotional comfort when consumed, evoke past memories and specific individuals, and are consumed during both negative and positive emotional states. In this context, the study aims to reveal the perspectives of individuals in Turkish society on comfort foods, the reasons for consuming such foods, and the social, cultural, and emotional meanings they carry. While the concept is mostly addressed within the context of Western culture in the literature, it is considered important to explore how it is understood in Turkish culture, the meanings individuals attach to these foods, their place in collective memory, and to identify cross-cultural similarities and differences. This study adopts a qualitative methodology and is designed using a phenomenological approach. The data were collected through interviews with 30 individuals of different ages, genders, and socio-cultural backgrounds using a semi-structured interview form. The obtained data were subjected to content analysis. The findings indicate that comfort foods provide emotional relief, help individuals overcome negative feelings, make them feel better, and help them remember the past. They evoke feelings of peace, security, nostalgia, and togetherness, and act as carriers of cultural, emotional, and social bonds through rituals. In addition to providing emotional and psychological comfort, comfort foods were also found to strengthen emotional bonds between people, support the preservation of cultural identity, and enhance the sense of social belonging. In this respect, the study sheds light on the emotional and social reflections of eating habits unique to Turkish culture. While comfort foods are generally considered an individual coping mechanism in international literature, this study concludes that in Turkish culture, they are more closely associated with nostalgia, cultural transmission, and collective identity.

 The subject of this study is the concept of comfort food and the examination of its cultural and emotional context. Comfort foods are generally defined as foods that provide psychological and emotional comfort when consumed, evoke past memories and specific individuals, and are consumed during both negative and positive emotional states. In this context, the study aims to reveal the perspectives of individuals in Turkish society on comfort foods, the reasons for consuming such foods, and the social, cultural, and emotional meanings they carry. While the concept is mostly addressed within the context of Western culture in the literature, it is considered important to explore how it is understood in Turkish culture, the meanings individuals attach to these foods, their place in collective memory, and to identify cross-cultural similarities and differences. This study adopts a qualitative methodology and is designed using a phenomenological approach. The data were collected through interviews with 30 individuals of different ages, genders, and socio-cultural backgrounds using a semi-structured interview form. The obtained data were subjected to content analysis. The findings indicate that comfort foods provide emotional relief, help individuals overcome negative feelings, make them feel better, and help them remember the past. They evoke feelings of peace, security, nostalgia, and togetherness, and act as carriers of cultural, emotional, and social bonds through rituals. In addition to providing emotional and psychological comfort, comfort foods were also found to strengthen emotional bonds between people, support the preservation of cultural identity, and enhance the sense of social belonging. In this respect, the study sheds light on the emotional and social reflections of eating habits unique to Turkish culture. While comfort foods are generally considered an individual coping mechanism in international literature, this study concludes that in Turkish culture, they are more closely associated with nostalgia, cultural transmission, and collective identity.

 Bu çalışmanın konusunu rahatlatıcı yiyecek comfort food kavramı ve bu kavramın kültürel ve duygusal bağlamının incelenmesi oluşturmaktadır. Rahatlatıcı yiyecekler, genel olarak tüketimi psikolojik ve duygusal rahatlık veren, kişiye geçmiş anılarını ve belirli kişileri anımsatan, negatif ve pozitif duygu durumlarında tüketilen yiyecekler olarak tanımlanmaktadır. Bu bağlamda çalışma, Türk toplumundaki bireylerin rahatlatıcı yiyecekler hakkındaki görüşlerini, rahatlatıcı yiyecek tüketme nedenlerini ve bu yiyeceklerin toplumsal, kültürel ve duygusal anlamlarını ortaya koymayı amaçlamaktadır. Literatürde daha çok Batı kültürü bağlamında ele alınan bu kavramın Türk kültüründe nasıl anlaşıldığı, bireylerin bu yiyeceklere yükledikleri anlamları, bu yiyeceklerin toplumsal bellekteki yerinin araştırılmasının ve kültürler arası farklılık ve benzerliklerin ortaya konmasının önemli olduğu düşünülmektedir. Nitel metodoloji benimsenen bu çalışma, olgubilim deseni ile tasarlanmıştır. Çalışmada görüşme tekniği kullanılmıştır. Farklı yaş, cinsiyet ve sosyo-kültürel geçmişe sahip 30 birey ile yarı-yapılandırılmış görüşme formu aracılığıyla veriler toplanmıştır. Elde edilen veriler içerik analizine tabi tutulmuştur. Çalışma sonucunda rahatlatıcı yiyeceklerin, bireylere; duygusal rahatlık verdiği, olumsuz duygulardan kurtulmalarına, iyi hissetmelerine ve geçmişi anmalarına yardımcı olduğu, bireylerde huzur, güven, nostalji, birliktelik hislerini uyandırdığı ve ritüeller üzerinden kültürel, duygusal ve toplumsal bağların taşıyıcısı olduğu sonuçlarına ulaşılmıştır. Ayrıca rahatlatıcı yiyeceklerin duygusal ve psikolojik rahatlık vermesinin yanı sıra insanlar ile duygusal bağları güçlendirme, kültürel kimliğin korunmasına destek olma ve toplumsal aidiyet hissini güçlendirme gibi işlevleri de olduğu bulgularına da ulaşılmıştır. Bu yönüyle çalışma, Türk kültürüne özgü beslenme alışkanlıklarının duygusal ve sosyal yansımalarına ışık tutmaktadır. Uluslararası literatürde rahatlatıcı yiyecekler genellikle bireysel baş etme mekanizması olarak ele alınırken, bu çalışmada rahatlatıcı yiyeceklerin Türk kültüründe daha çok nostalji, kültürel aktarım ve kolektif kimlik ile ilişkili olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.

Makale detayları

THE CULTURAL AND EMOTIONAL MEANINGS OF FOODS CONSIDERED AS “COMFORT FOOD”

Yazarlar:

Zeynep Güngör

Yayıncı:

Ayla KAŞOĞLU

Ana Başlıklar:

Kültür Sosyolojisi | Sosyoloji (Diğer)

Dergi:

Avrasya Uluslararası Araştırmalar Dergisi Vol.13 Issue 45, pp.104-126

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

9/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001348539

pISSN:

2147-2610

Comfort Food

Food and Emotion

Food and Culture

Collective Identity

Cultural Transmission

NostalgiaComfort Food

Konfor Gıda

Rahatlatıcı Yiyecek

Yemek ve Duygu

Yemek ve Kültür

Kolektif Kimlik

Kültürel Aktarım

Nostalji

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Zeynep Güngör

Yayıncı: Ayla KAŞOĞLU

Ana Başlıklar: Kültür Sosyolojisi | Sosyoloji (Diğer)

Dergi: Avrasya Uluslararası Araştırmalar Dergisi Vol.13 Issue 45, pp.104-126

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 9/2025

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001348539

pISSN: 2147-2610

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Zeynep Güngör

Yayıncı:

Ayla KAŞOĞLU

Ana Başlıklar:

Kültür Sosyolojisi | Sosyoloji (Diğer)

Dergi:

Avrasya Uluslararası Araştırmalar Dergisi Vol.13 Issue 45, pp.104-126

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

9/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001348539

pISSN:

2147-2610