What does Ottoman palace cuisine mean in terms of the development of gastronomy tourism in Türkiye? Delving into the Turkish chefs’ perspectives

The food and beverages served in the palaces of the Ottoman Empire are still practised today and are in demand by gastronomy tourists. The main aim of this study is to examine the practises of the kitchen chefs in 5-star hotel establishments in Antalya regarding the Ottoman palace cuisine, service methods, the sources from which they learned the recipes, the level of appreciation of the guests and the differences in practises between the chefs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with hotel chefs, and the data obtained were analysed by descriptive analysis and content analysis methods. It was determined that due to financial constraints, some hotels do not produce meals in accordance with their original form. In addition, it was concluded that serving palace cuisine dishes in containers belonging to the period and in an area designated for palace cuisine dishes would contribute positively to the recognition of the Ottoman palace cuisine. While the chefs stated that lamb dishes and baklava are the most popular foods for tourists, Mutancana and Ballı (Honey) Mahmudiye dishes prepared with dried fruits are another important issue that is understood from the interviews that the rich variety of Ottoman palace cuisine is not sufficiently applied in today’s hotel kitchens and some recipes do not reflect the original. There is no other study in the literature investigating the Ottoman Palace Cuisine practises of hotel kitchen chefs in Antalya. From this perspective, this study is original enough to shed light on future research.