Discerning Turkish Food in The Bastard of Istanbul and The Forty Rules of Love

Abstract

Food has long been a significant factor in the construction of cultural myths and identities. It plays a major part in the plots and characters of Turkish literature, especially in the works of Turkish writer Elif Shafak. The purpose of this essay is to examine how Turkish food is depicted in Elif Shafak’s books, with a particular emphasis on The Bastard of Istanbul, published in 2006, and The Forty Rules of Love, published in 2009, and how this depiction affects the characters in these stories. The use of food as a narrative element by Shafak will be investigated in this research, along with what Turkish food’s cultural significance is and how it influences character development and symbolism. It is crucial to place this conversation within the larger framework of Turkish culinary history to appreciate the relevance of Turkish cuisine in Shafak’s books.