Examination of Afyonkarahisar's local foods and stories in terms of gastronomy tourism

In this study, the awareness of local dishes and their stories in Afyonkarahisar among the local people was examined in terms of gastronomy tourism. Interview technique, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the research. Twenty-seven people aged 50 and over residing in Afyon voluntarily participated in the research. The data obtained from the interviews were evaluated by content analysis. As a result of the research, according to the participants, Afyon kebab, moussaka, bending and sausage are the first dishes that come to mind when Afyonkarahisar is mentioned. It was determined that Afyon kebab, moussaka, keskek, çullama meatballs, bending and hamırsız were the most preferred / favourite dishes of the participants. The majority of the participants' favourite/preferred dishes are deep-rooted family dishes and some of them are related to stories. According to the participants, Afyon kebab, keskek, çullama meatballs and moussaka are the most important dishes that should definitely be eaten in Afyonkarahisar. It was stated that almost all of the participants were told the origin of local dishes by their families or relatives. In addition, it was stated that almost all of them had an Afyon dish that they were influenced by its story. The participants shared their stories about the Afyon dishes that they remembered. In line with the results obtained from the research, suggestions have been made on how the local dishes and food stories of Afyonkarahisar can be used in gastronomy tourism.