The relationship between street food and ecogastronomy in cities within the scope of UNESCO creative cities series

Understanding a region's history, culture, lifestyle, and people requires examining its culinary culture, which is a key element in analyzing the region. Street food is also considered one of the cultural wealth resources of a region and is seen as an important part of the tourism sector. The recognition of street food as cultural heritage through UNESCO represents an institutional approach. In parallel, ecogastronomy plays a key role in the sustainability of this heritage. In this regard, the sustainability dimension of street food in relation to ecogastronomy forms the main focus of this thesis. This study is a compilation prepared using a literature-based descriptive method, aiming to introduce, protect, and ensure the continuity of street food in creative cities in Turkey and around the world. The sustainability aspect of street food has been investigated and linked to ecogastronomy. The most emphasized theme in the literature is hygiene based on the storage conditions and presentation of products, which highlights the importance of street foods from an eco-gastronomic perspective. The scope of the study is to reveal street foods in cities included in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network and to reveal the connection of these foods with ecogastronomy. In this context, the importance of eco-gastronomic practices in terms of locality, seasonality, waste reduction, and social sustainability is emphasized. The findings of the thesis, based on literature, indicate that cities/countries included in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network list accelerate eco-gastronomic studies and practices after their inclusion, focusing on sustainable, environmentally friendly flavors. The eco-gastronomic aspect of street food, which accounts for the largest share of global consumption, is also positioned as a priority target in these cities. This thesis, on the relationship between street food and eco-gastronomy in gastronomic cities within the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, aims to make significant contributions to the literature by evaluating the eco-gastronomic cycle of street food on a global scale.