Gastronomy tourism is a phenomenon which its roots go way back. People who made efforts to reach spices, olive oil, and wine and trade through the Silk Road and the Spice Trade thousands of years ago have done their turn to the people who prefer this way not just for an earning but for the experience and pleasure nowadays.
The gastronomy tourism industry includes tourism agencies and guides that have a speciality in gastronomy, the media, television shows and magazines concerning gastronomy, travel writers, activities relating to gastronomy, wine producers, vineyards, farmers, and other producers. In this context, İzmir has quite rich values regarding its potential in gastronomy tourism. One of the most important signs of this richness is the increase of geographical indication products endemic to İzmir such as Ödemiş Potato, Bozdağ Chestnut Candy, Aegean Sultana Grape, South Aegean Olive Oils, Aegean Fig, Bergama Kozak Pine Nuts, İzmir Lokma, İzmir Şambali.
Tourists coming to İzmir for gastronomic tourism are provided with the opportunity to experience local products, foods, beverages, and local dishes of the region and to taste various types of wine. The facilities that produce fruit wines besides grape wines, which are unique to the province, provide different opportunities such as a trip to vineyards, observation of the process of wine production, tasting, and even accommodation. In addition, the bazaars, festivals, fairs, gastronomy tours, and tasting events, in which local foods and traditional dishes are promoted to attract tourists, are organized. Some of them are:
- Alaçatı Herb Festival
- İzmir Boyoz Festival
- Seferihisar Local Products Bazaar
- Tire Tuesday Bazaar
- Cherry Festival
- Kavacık Grape Festival
- Olive Festival
- Mandarin Festival
- Karaburun Daffodil Festival
- Emiralem Strawberry Festival
- The Taste and Culture from Crete to Tire Festival
- Urla International Artichoke Festival
- Traditional Urla Grape Harvest Fete
- Gourmet İzmir Ecology and İzmir Organic Products Fair
- Olive, Olive Oil, Dairy Products, and Technology Fair
Gastronomy tourism is generally about traditional cuisine and dishes. İzmir Cuisine has a long history. The cuisine of İzmir and the region around it have a wide range of foods, and it is a unique combination of Aegean, Mediterranean, and Anatolian cuisine. Besides the vegetation of the region, its multicultural societal structure has had a great impact on the creation of this cuisine because İzmir has been home to many civilizations since pre-historical times. The interaction between different cultures throughout the long historical process has enriched, diversified, and enhanced the culinary culture for generations of Aegean, especially of İzmir, and carried it to the present day. Considering that İzmir has a culinary culture that bears the traces of every culture it embraces and is harmonized with the influence of Roman, Bosnian, Albanian, Cretan, Sephardic, Levantine, Anatolian, and Greek cuisines, it is safe to say that İzmir Cuisine has an exclusive status in gastronomic tourism with this unique and solid structure.
The İzmir Cuisine presents itself as a cuisine that is healthy, easily digested, light foods when it is mentioned. Since the foundation of this cuisine consists of fish, olive oil, herbs, and vegetables, the rich İzmir Cuisine is as delicious as it is healthy.
As in the whole Aegean region, olive oil is the primary basis of the İzmir Culinary Culture. Furthermore, food with meat, vegetables, rice, dolma, and fries cooked with olive oil. In addition, olive oil can be consumed as raw with seasoning on the side of the different cheeses.
In the Aegean and Mediterranean Regions, olive oil has been produced, consumed, and traded since pre-historic times. The excavation conducted in Clazomenae ancient city in Urla District shed light on the olive oil trade that has been made in these regions for many years. “The Workshop Area”, similar to modern small-scaled industry sites, included the Clazomenae Olive Oil Factory, and the olive oil trade had been made intensely from the Aegean to the Mediterranean. In the Clazomenae excavation site, there is an olive oil workshop known as the oldest in Anatolia, which has been operated for 2600 years from today. Further, this place still preserves its original form and can be visited.
Herbs has a special place in İzmir Cuisine. During spring, the bazaars in İzmir and its districts get fresh with newly grown herbs. The herbs collected from mountains and meadows are sold quickly as chicory, wild radish, sea cowpea, leaf mustard, cibes (the name given to the first cauliflower sprouts), and many more. The herbs are cleaned, dipped in boiling water, and placed on a plate when they get softer. Lemon and extra virgin olive oil spill on while serving.
Herbs can be consumed not only as salad or appetizers but also as dishes, especially the ones made with herbs like tangle, mallow, blessed thistle, ivy, and nettle. It is a must to mention the famous artichoke of Karaburun as well.
The dishes made with various herbs and consumed by people living in İzmir are the significant elements that enrich the İzmir Cuisine; therefore, the vegetables and the herbs are considered essentials.
When the İzmir Cuisine is mentioned, marine food comes to mind. The most known fish of İzmir is bream. The bream commonly lives in the Mediterranean and Aegean and has a dark blue herringbone, silversides, and very delicious meat that is immensely produced in fish farms. In addition to the bream, the grey mullet of Karaburun, bass, bluefish, grouper, sole fish, leer fish, stuffed mussels, calamari, and octopus are the other popular fish and marine foods of İzmir. It is a privilege to eat “Sütlü Balık” and “Tuzda Balık” in İzmir.
The classicals of marine food restaurants in İzmir are fishes and appetizers seasoned with original olive oil and various local herbs, and shepherd’s salad.
Koftes are the other main elements in İzmir Cuisine. There are numerous kinds of koftes as much as herb kinds. The İzmir Kofte is a dish that anyone can find outside of İzmir too. The Tire Kofte is served with yogurt under it and butter spilled on top of it. The Ödemiş Kofte is served as putting on toasted bread along with barbecued tomatoes and green peppers. The Butcher’s Kofte of Bergama is mixed with flour and cumin instead of bread crumbs and barbecued. In Bergama, Kofte restaurants around Ottoman bazaar-like places still serve this traditional kofte with a remarkable taste.
When İzmir comes to mind, Boyoz is another traditional food special to İzmir. Boyoz, a type of pastry inherited from the Jewish, has been associated with İzmir since it has not been traded or marketed in other cities. Its outer layer turns brown because it is cooked in the oven and is consumed at breakfast with boiled egg and Turkish tea. Another option for breakfast is İzmir Tulum Cheese and bagel, or, as it is known as gevrek in İzmir.
İzmir Lokma is the most famous desert of İzmir Cuisine. The leavened dough is balled into little pieces and dipped in boiling oil; next, the balls are put into cold syrup using a colander. When lokma is dried, it is served with cinnamon on it.
In every district of İzmir, there are countless local tastes and products. In the city centre, especially in Kemeraltı, Alsancak, and Basmane regions, it is possible to discover and experience local restaurants and other markets for foods and beverages where the long-lasting historical and traditional texture has been preserved for generations.
Concerning all of these qualities, İzmir is one of the most prominent gastronomy tourism destinations for those interested in diverse cultures and unique experiences.