THE FORGOTTEN TASTE OF ERZINCAN: ZARAFAT

Abstract

Nutrition is one of the actions that people take in order to survive. This act of feeding differs in every society and in every geography. Therefore, the gastronomic difference arising from this difference includes many local products. The province of Erzincan is located on a transition point as well as hosting many communities. Therefore, it combines different flavors. One of these delicacies is the dish of zaarafat. Zarafat is one of the local products that has been forgotten and no one makes it nowadays. Therefore, there is no study on this subject in the field of gastronomy. The aim of this study is to write down the consumption and production style of elegance food, to present it and to transfer it to the younger generations. Interview technique, one of the qualitative data collection methods, was used in the research. In the research, it was possible to interview 6 people, 5 housewives and 1 retired civil servant, living in the province of Erzincan, face to face and by phone. The fact that most people do not know about Zarafat has caused a decrease in the number of people. Information about the history, recipe, how it was made, the tools and equipment used, which meals were consumed, and the way of serving were collected from the participants. In the light of this information gathered, it is thought that it is important to bring the elegance dish to the light, include it in production, introduce it and transfer it to new generations. As a result of the study, information about the content of the elegance and how it is made was obtained. According to these results, elegance exists and its recipe has been obtained.