The Turkish Cuisine - Essay Example

Introduction Information technology has had a major influence on many aspects of the human life. In Turkey, the language of the country, cuisine and culture have all been part of the revolutionary change that has been brought about by technology. Turkish cuisine has undergone various changes and is considered one of the best cuisines in the world. Turkish is the main language in the country and an estimated 56million people use the language. The rich culture of the Turks comes from the Ottoman Empire which ruled the country some time back. Modern culture has been embraced by the Turks although it is yet to get a strong hold of the largely Muslim country. Technology has had an effect on the development of these three aspects and this paper will explore how they have been affected. Cuisine The Turkish cuisine is rich due to the various changes that it has undergone over time. The origin of this cuisine is the Ottoman Empire period which presents the countries most successful era. The rulers of the time only preferred the best foods and they, thus, employed the best cooks who would provide them with what they wanted. This rich cuisine was later mixed with the Anatolia foods which originated on the Eastern side of Turkey. Despite the mix, the cuisines maintained a unique blend and they were distinguishable at a go. Currently, these cuisines are still available in Turkey and they have been chosen to be some of the best cuisines in the world (Edelstein 562). The availability of resources on land and in the sea has served to create a unique cuisine that the people of Turkey, and their visitors, cherish. Early Turks were nomads and their movement from one place to the other meant that they learnt of different cuisines on their way. The better aspects of the new cuisine were incorporated with their cuisine and this resulted to the widely renowned cuisine in Turkey today. Information technology has played a great role in the development of the Turkish cuisine. This platform has given people around the world a cheaper and more convenient means of communication. This means that the cuisine in Turkey has benefited from external cuisines which would never have been known in Turkey. The cuisine continues to develop with input from other parts of the world. The Turkish delicacy is also being tried in other places outside Turkey, thanks to the information technology platform which has broadened communication Language The Turkish language can be considered one of the oldest languages in the world. Its development over the years has been influenced by migrations as well as other factors. It is important to note that it is the official language of the Turks. The number of people speaking the language is estimated at between 50 to 60 million people in Turkey alone. The many variants of the language have been informed by the different movements of people in the country during the olden days. During this time, the people living in the country were nomads and they would move to a destination that they thought would favor them and their animals during dry spells. Until recent events in 1928, the language was based on Arabic letters. Since then, it was transformed to conform to most of the modern world languages. The development of the language has been left to the Turkish Language Association (Blomquist 15). The Association has been charged with the duty of ensuring that only words that are native to the language remain. It is important to note that the language, despite the closeness of Turkey to Europe, is associated with the Korean and Mongolian languages. The future of the language is expected to be bright especially with the appointment of a task force to look at the development of the language. Another tool that will play a great role in the development of the language is information technology. This is because it will enable people to learn the language and will ensure continuity. This is already happening and the internet has played a major role in the movement of the Turkish language from the continent to other areas (Levine 65). Information technology also presents other avenues through which people can learn the language. One such avenue is translation. Culture Current day Turkey is a descendant of the Ottoman Empire which played a great role in the development of culture in Turkey. However, the culture of the Turkish people dates back to thousands of years ago. Originally, the Turks were living next to China when they moved western and settled in the present day Turkey. In their migration, the Turks interacted with a number of ethic groups along the way (Edelstein 562). They borrowed some aspects of the cultures they interacted with and when they finally settled, their culture had become a mix of several cultures. Due to this movement, the Turkish culture is one of the richest in the world and it has continued to benefit from globalization. The nomadic nature of the ancient Turks was, therefore, a great influence on the current culture of the Turkish people. The modern culture in Turkey continues to be one that is influenced by the ancient times. It is important to note that the country has slowly been opening itself to western culture especially through tourism which is a major income earner for the country. Information technology plays a great role in the development of the new culture as it enables people to learn outside cultures without physically interacting with other people. This means that the Turkish people can incorporate other aspects in their culture and this is expected to make it richer. Information technology enables people to share information about their culture and this leads to formation of new cultures as well as improvement of the current ones. Conclusion The Turkish cuisine is one of the most renowned in the world. The culture and language of the Turkish people are also unique aspects of the country. The history of these three characteristics of the Turkish people is one that inspires admiration. Information technology is expected to enable the growth of the culture, cuisine and language in Turkey through various ways. The full effect of information technology on the development of these aspects is yet to be seen but it is expected to be advantageous for all the people in Turkey. Works Cited Blomquist, Christopher. A Primary Source Guide to Turkey. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2005. Edelstein, Sari. Food, cuisine, and cultural competency for culinary, hospitality, and nutrition professionals. Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2011. Levine, Lynn A. Frommers Turkey. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Read More