The effect of culinary culture on creating city branding: A study on Afyonkarahisar

The eating habits, which has always been the basic need of human beings since its creation, has become an important part and reflection of culture, rather than just an action to fill the stomach. People's eating habits are seen as a phenomenon that creates the culinary culture of that society by combining with other factors affecting the society they live in. The concept of gastronomy has emerged with the transformation of culinary culture and eating habits into science and art. Gastronomy is a science that covers many features from the historical characteristics of food and beverages to its application areas. Today, the concept of gastronomy has become extremely important and has become a marketing element. Cities and countries aim to increase their recognition and attract more visitors by marketing their gastronomic elements. In this direction, cities are working to become a "gastronomy city" by branding them with their culinary cultures. The aim of this study, conducted for Afyonkarahisar, Turkey's third gastronomy city registered by UNESCO, is to analyze the effect of culinary culture on city branding. For the research part of the study, a face-to-face interview was conducted with the representatives of Afyonkarahisar Municipality Gastronomy Unit using pre-determined questions (semi-structured interview) and the opinions of the people with this representative ability were taken. The obtained data were analyzed by content analysis method. As a result of the research, it has been determined that the culinary culture and gastronomic products of the city play an extremely important role in the branding of a city. Keywords: Gastronomy, culinary culture, city branding, Afyonkarahisar, UNESCO Creative Cities Network