Two religions, one kitchen: The case of Midyat

This research aims to examine the interactions of people with different religious beliefs in terms of their culinary cultures in the Midyat district of Mardin province, Türkiye The study identifies three main themes: neighborhood relationships, social interaction, and food exchange/offering. Neighborhood relationships are divided into sub-themes of tolerance and helpfulness, while social interaction is explored under the sub-themes of respect and equality. Food exchange/offering is analyzed through the sub-themes of cultural richness, hygiene, and health. The participants' thoughts on tolerance were found to manifest as showing tolerance towards religious beliefs and lifestyles, while their thoughts on helpfulness were expressed as assisting each other during religious holidays and festivals. The participants' thoughts on respect and equality emerged as showing respect for each other during the practice of religious rituals. The research consists of four sections: The introduction section addresses the research problem, objectives, significance, assumptions, limitations, and issues. The conceptual framework section explains the concepts of gastronomy and gourmet, as well as the relationship between gastronomy and Abrahamic religions. Additionally, information is provided about the history, geography, social and cultural structure, population, economic structure, and culinary cultures of communities with different beliefs in the Midyat district. The methodology section describes the research method, study area and participants, data collection tools, techniques, and the process of data analysis. The final section presents the findings, analysis of these findings, and interpretations made based on them.