The place of meze culture in Hatay gastronomy and determination of the sensory quality characteristics of traditional Hatay mezes

Our country has a deep-rooted nutritional cultural heritage and Turkish Cuisine is considered one of the richest cuisines in the world. Located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Region, Hatay is an important city that dates back to 9,000 BC and is located at the crossing point of trade routes. Hatay, which stands out with its different cultural values, natural richness and traditional cuisine, has entered the "Creative Cities Network" by UNESCO in the field of gastronomy and received the title of "Gastronomy City". In today's modern conditions, where it is very difficult to protect the characteristics and diversity of our traditional cuisines, Hatay cuisine stands out in the field of gastronomy with its appetizer culture. Preparation and presentation of appetizers continues to be important as a common tradition of this cuisine however, appetizers lag behind in terms of awareness. The fact that studies on Hatay cuisine are superficial and insufficient and that appetizers, which are a valuable part of the cuisine culture, are not included in the literature are a detected deficiency. In this study, first of all, general information about the province of Hatay, which is the field of study, was given and then the gastronomy culture of Hatay and the characteristic features of Hatay cuisine were analyzed by categorizing them. In the continuation of the study, the Hatay appetizers, which were missing in the literature, were classified, appetizer recipes were arranged and a sensory analysis study was performed on the determined varieties. In this context, the study is expected to contribute to the literature. Key words: Gastronomy, Hatay Cuisine, Appetizer Culture, Sensory Analysis