Atesbaz-ı Veli, which has the first and only known cook mausoleum in the world, and the Mevlevi cuisine, which is a very unique cultural element, is due to the significant impact of the uniqueness of the gastronomic tours and destinations, which have gained great momentum recently...
Culinary Culture in Mevlevi and Atesbaz-i Veli Authority
Mustafa AKSOY
Ayşenur Burcu AKBULUT
Nurhayat İFLAZOĞLU
In the tradition of suffering, which is one of the most important features of Mevlevi, the dervish who comes to the dervish lodge is expected to complete his ordeal in a thousand and one days. In Mevlevi, the kitchen (matbah) is not only the place where food is cooked and the table is set, but also where dervishes complete their ordeal and receive their basic education. In this context, an extremely difficult task such as systematizing and professionally maintaining this trend had to be done by a person of that strength and will. Hz. Born with Sultan Veled, who was also the intellectual heir of Mevlana, the Mevlevi order grew up during the reign of Ulu Arif Çelebi, and one of the heroes behind the scenes is Ateşbaz-ı Veli.
Atesbaz-ı Veli, which has the first and only known cook mausoleum in the world, and the Mevlevi cuisine, which is a very unique cultural element, is due to the significant impact of the uniqueness of the gastronomic tours and destinations, which have gained great momentum recently, on the travel decision. evaluation has become important. In this study, it is aimed to ensure the recognition of the cuisine, which has an important place for the Mevlevi school of education, and the cook, the grandfather Ateşbaz-ı Veli, who is an important element of this education, and to determine the characteristics of the Mevlevi cuisine.
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Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi (1207-1273) is a great scholar who influenced not only the science and wisdom tradition of Turkish-Islamic Civilization but also western civilization, a deep Sufi with his life and personality, and a good poet who still maintains his influence with his works. The Mevlevi tradition, which he laid the foundations of, although he did not establish it himself; It became a school of education and a school of education aimed at educating people in the ideal sense, and continued to influence Turkish culture for centuries through the Mevlevi lodges established in many regions, especially in Konya. Mevlana is the leader of the Mevlevi order. Mevlana also gave his ideas, which enlightened the society in every aspect, with the various symbols he used.
One of these symbols is food. For example, he explained his most meaningful philosophy of life in terms of food, saying, "My life consists of the words 'I was raw, burned, cooked''. Developing written rules about the kitchen, seen in these rules; Teaming in the kitchen, the beginning of dervish education in the kitchen, the construction of a mausoleum with red stones representing fire for Mevlana's famous cook, Ateşbaz-ı Veli, explains the importance given to the kitchen by the Mevlevi in the 13th century (Halıcı, 2007, p. 16).
Mevlevi; Hz. It was founded by his son Sultan Veled, his student Çelebi Hüsameddin and his grandson Ulu Arif Çelebi in order to pass on the teachings of Mevlana to future generations, and later it was administered by the office Çelebi, who was chosen from among the Çelebis who came from that lineage. Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi is seen as one of the main sources of the common thought formed in Anatolia starting from the thirteenth century (Karaismailoğlu, 2014, p. 231).
Mevlevi tradition has an important place in terms of art, literature and cultural history as well as its influence in social history with the activities it has put forward since its establishment (Kemikli, 2007, p. 2). Mevlevi is a school of education and training. Its aim is to make a mature person in terms of substance and meaning by taking human beings into consideration. In this respect, it is a training school that aims to raise people in the ideal sense (Özönder, 1988, p. 98). Hz. Mevlevi, which started with Mevlana, was shaped by mysticism on its basis and expanded the range of science with more colorful manifestations.
In this wide spectrum, besides many of his disciples who took their place, accompanied and supported Mevlana, there are exceptional dervishes whom he added to their hearts. One of these valuable dervishes is Ateşbaz-ı Veli, one of the important architects of the Mevlevi order. your life; Hz. Atesbaz-ı Veli, who is at the top of the list of devotees to Mevlana, is a friend of the heart, who grew up in the cuisine of Mevlevi, both in a symbolic sense and in his daily life (Bekçiler, 2015: 16-23). In the management of this training school, Ateşbaz-ı Veli, that is, Cook Dede, has a great importance. Ateşbâz-ı Veli, who also lived in the time of Mevlana, is the first cook of the Mevlevi convents and a person whom Mevlana values, as well as the person responsible for the education of the dervishes.
Apart from being the place where the kitchen is cooked and the table is set, it is also the application area of the Mevlevi school of education. This school is managed by a certain system and staff, and the education authority of this system is Ateşbaz-ı Veli. This important task was fulfilled by the distinguished people who were appointed to the "Ateşbaz-ı Veli Office" (Özönder, 1988, p. 100101). In this respect, it is important to determine the cuisine, table setting and manners in Mevlevi, the cooking methods used in Mevlevi cuisine and the elements that are considered, and the food and beverages that affect the Mevlevi cuisine culture.
The aim of this research is to provide recognition of the cuisine, which has an important place for the Mevlevi school of education, and the cook, the grandfather Ateşbâz-ı Veli, who is an important element of this education, and to determine the table setting and manners, cooking methods, food and beverages in the Mevlevi cuisine. In line with these purposes, it is also aimed to create a resource for researchers about the possible effects of the Mevlevi tradition on the 21st century cuisine and what should be considered when transferring these effects as a cultural element.
PRINTING AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN MEVLEVILI
Before the Mevlevi synthesis became commonplace in Anatolia, the first factory where the Mevlevi fabric was woven, that is, the place where it was introduced, was the printing house of the Mevlana convent (Bekçiler, 2015, p. 34). Mevlevis used the expression "matbah" for the kitchen and "somat" for the food. Matbah is the place of material and spiritual nourishment (Iyiyol, 2014, p.591). Matbah-ı Şerif (Kitchen); It coincides with the southeast corner of the Mevlana lodge, Meydan-ı Şerif section, and is the most valuable section, which is of great importance for the lodge and the Mevlevi order. Although this place seems like a place where only food is cooked and eaten, in fact, it is an ascetic place where amateur dervishes are cooked with knowledge, who have settled on Mevlevism but do not know the subtleties and methods of reaching the Almighty Allah (Bekçiler, 2015, p. 31). Getting into the ordeal starts in the kitchen.
The kitchen is not just the place where food is prepared and cooked. At the same time, it is the place where the Mevlevi dervishes undress and go through the process of preparation, growth, cooking and maturation. The kitchen means the symbolic place of worldly occupations (Demirci, 2008, p. 124). The spirit of the Mevlevi lodges beats in the kitchen. The novice Mevlevis undressed themselves in the kitchen, completely abandoned their selfishness and learned the way-method in the kitchen (Halıcı, 2009, p.18-19). In order for the food to be cooked, it must undergo a certain transformation. Just as raw food is cooked on the stove and reaches a certain consistency, the Sufis must also undergo a transformation.
This job is an education that starts from the heart and covers every aspect of life. Raw novice dervishes should also be cooked in the Mevlevi hearth and reach a certain consistency. In the Mevlevi culture, where the purpose is expressed indirectly or with simile, a similarity has been established between the cooking of food and the spiritual journey of man, and a ritual has emerged around it (Iyiyol, 2014, p. 592).
Matbah-ı Şerif and Ateşbaz-ı Veli (Konya; 05.03.2016)
The candidate, who started the ordeal, was first told to sit on the gold hide skin on the left side of the kitchen door. For three days the candidate stood on his knees as an observer, observing the service of others who had suffered before him. In a way, it was a period of carefully observing what was going on in that place. During this period, he would not get up from his place and talk to anyone except for essential needs. After the three days were completed, he was brought before Kazancı Dede, he was asked again, if he insisted on continuing the ordeal, he would begin the ordeal that would continue for a thousand and one days, and he would first serve as a footman, which lasted for eighteen days.
Later, he was shown other services he would do (Demirci, 2008, p. 124). During the ordeal that lasted for one thousand and one days, dervishes served separately in eighteen branches of service. He gains a qualification in an art branch, cooks and matures in conversation, sema, dhikr and contemplation during the service, and at the end he is adorned with the love of God, love, people and nature, a man of heart, a lamp of love, a blessed grandfather who radiates light and illuminates his surroundings. would become. The dervish was assigned to clean the toilet when his ordeal was approaching. Cleaning the toilet was one of the most difficult services for the soul. The dervish, whose grandfather was approaching, was actually cleaning his soul, breaking and destroying his ego while cleaning the toilet (Top, 2006, pp. 60-61).
Eighteen Types of Services Seen in the Kitchen:
1. Kazancı Dede: He is the proxy of Chef Dede. He was a lodge officer and he would manage the kitchen and the novice Mevlevi collectively.
2. Caliph Dede: He used to guide and train the novice Mevlevi who came to the kitchen.
3. Outside Field Officer: He used to convey the orders of Cook Dede to the dervishes in the cell.
4. Laundryman: He used to wash the laundry of grandfathers and dervishes.
5. Abrizci (shedding water): He was the toilet and mess cleaner.
6. Şerbetçi: He would make the ceremonial sherbet of the grandfather who would complete his ordeal and be the owner of the cell, and at the same time make sherbet and serve it to the grandparents who came to visit the kitchen.
7. Dishwasher: He washed the dishes and had them washed.
8. Wardrobe Shopkeeper: He would look at the containers and supervise the tinning and keeping them clean.
9. Marketer: He used to go to the market in the morning and buy the things that needed to be bought.
10. Somatçı: He would set the table, remove it, sweep the table area and have it swept.
11. Inside Square: He used to make coffee and serve it to dervishes, grandfathers and guests.
12. Inside Lamp Shop: He cleaned the lamps and candlesticks of the printing house, prepared them, woke them up, rested and arranged them.
13. Tahmisçi: He used to roast the coffee of the lodge, grind it into flour and prepare coffee.
14. Bedridden: He used to make, collect and lift the beds of dervishes.
15. Outside Lamp Shop: He used to look at the oil lamps, candles, candlesticks outside the printing house, and perform services such as waking them up and resting them.
16. Broom: He cleaned, swept and swept the kitchen and yard.
17. Çerağcı: He used to supervise the oil lamps and candlesticks of the printing house; He was considered his assistant in the tomb.
18. Footman: He used to take care of the errands called foot service. This service was first given to those who came to the lodge (Demirci, 2013, pp. 184-185).
CHEF DEDE: ATEŞBAZ- I VELİ
Ateşbaz-ı Veli lived in the time of Hazrat Mevlana, his real name is Şemseddin Yusuf and his father's name is İzzeddin. It is rumored that Ateşbaz-ı Veli came from Belh or Karaman with Baha Veled, grew up in the lodge and worked as a cook. Ateşbaz means playing with fire. He has an important place among Hazrat Mevlana and Mevlevi.
Seljuk Sultan II. Chef Dede, whose active presence was felt during the period of Gıyaseddin Mesud, is a sea of knowledge flowing from heart to heart, like the fountain of dervishes who are surrounded by the euphoria of the Mevlevi sect. But at the same time, besides having a chair related to education in this divine place, his primary duty is the responsibility of the printing house. Besides the cooking in his kitchen, he is also responsible for the accounting of the expenses of the convent. Although he is known as Sertabbah (meaning head chef in Persian and Arabic, the term Mevlevi) in the kitchen of the convent, that is, the cook grandfather, in fact, he became the guide and educator of the dervishes who set their heart on Mevlevi and want to attain perfection by training their souls(Waiters , 2014, p.16-23).
While Dede the Chef trains the novice Mevlevi in all respects, Kazancı Dede is his assistant. Atesbaz Maqam is a training and education authority. Chef Dede is the first teacher of the novice Mevlevi. The name of the white fleece lined in Meydan-ı Şerif is Ateşbaz post. Surrendering to this office means confessing to Mevlevi and praying to undress to the Çileye. Ateşbaz-ı Veli, who is the tutor of the novice Mevlevi, holds the second highest position in the lodge (Özönder, 1988, p. 97).
According to a popular belief; Şemseddin Yusufermiş is a person and it took the name Ateş-baz after the following event; “One day, Şemseddin Yusuf tells Mevlana that there is no wood left for the stove, and Mevlana orders him to put his feet under the stove and cook the food in this way. Thereupon, Şemseddin Yusuf goes and puts his feet under the stove, and the flame that comes out of his thumbs starts to boil the cooking pot immediately, but when he doubts whether it will burn, his left big toe burns.
They inform Mevlana about the situation, and Mevlana comes and expresses his sadness by saying "Hay Ateş-baz, ha", meaning why you have doubts; He also puts his right big toe on top of his left toe so as not to show his burning toe.” This event is remembered with the first step taken by the whirling dervishes when they started the sema (Halıcı, 2009, p. 19).
In Mevlevis, gulbank is recited when the food is taken down from the fire, after the meal, at the feast meal and after the ashura is eaten. Atesbaz-ı Veli's name is definitely mentioned in the gulbanks related to the meal. The main function of mentioning the name of Ateşbaz-ı Veli in Gülbanks is to express respect and devotion to this person, who is Mevlana's cook. In addition, since the matbah is the office of Ateşbaz-ı Veli, this office is also respected (Iyiyol, 2014, p. 591). While the rosebanks where his name is mentioned at every table set up after Ateşbaz-ı Veli in the matbahn were drawn, the dervishes sought the inspiration of the dishes prepared by their Chef Dede in every bite they ate (Bekçiler, 2015, p. 102).
On the other hand, if the cook of Ateşbaz-ı Veli is mentioned; Hz. Throughout his life, Mevlana expressed his rubais, ideas and secrets with various symbols and gave quality to his words. These symbols include vineyard, rose, sky, sun, moon, sugar, mirror and, in terms of our subject, the delicacy of food made by the cook's grandfather, which conquers hearts with its pleasant scents. The chef grandfather embellished his skill in cooking and the sauce he added to the dishes, blended with ledunniyat (God-given secret knowledge), embarrassingly presented it to the rice (Bekçiler, 2015, p. 40).
Sheikh Galip referred to Ateşbaz-ı Veli in his couplets; ''The propellers on the matbah, which is the hearth of love, the Mevlevi dervishes who have just started the Mevlevi semah; The salamander is Ateşbaz-ı Veli. ''As seen in the example, Ateşbaz-ı Veli is not an ordinary Mevlevi dervish, but an important person who has been remembered and kept alive with respect throughout the history of Mevlevi. As a matter of fact, in a couplet, Sakıp Mustafa expresses the connection of the oil lamp in his lamp, which drives away hatred and deceit in the pot of public opinion, with the secret of Ateşbaz-ı Veli' (Gökalp, 2005, p. 296).
Ateşbaz-ı Veli passed away in 1285, 12 years after Mevlana's eternal farewell. Dervishes and members of the dervish lodge always remembered him with goodness, remained faithful to the suggestions and advice of their Cook Dedes, and tried to keep this etiquette reform alive, which has been going on for eight hundred years, in homage to his memory. With the efforts of his Mevlevi friends, dervish dervishes and Sheikhs Sultan Veled, who were saddened by Atesbaz's death, he had a modest tomb built, worthy of the glory of the Cook Dedes, and was buried in the place of silence according to the Mevlevi manners (Bekçiler, 2015, p. 101-102).
Atesbaz-i Veli Tomb (Konya; 05.03.2016)
The tomb built for Ateşbaz-ı Veli was built with red stones. This tomb, which was built in the 13th century, is the first and only tomb built for a cook. This has a special meaning in that it indicates the respect shown to food, cuisine, cuisine and a cook at that time (Halıcı, 2009, p. 19). The tomb has two floors, and on the second floor there is a symbolic sarcophagus, the main merkat, that is, the place where Ateşbaz-ı Veli lies, is in the place that the Seljuks call the armory (underground).
Covers with verses and hadiths embroidered with green thread are laid on these sarcophagi. There is a Mevlevi coin with a green turban on his bedside (Bekçiler, 2015, p. 104). The world's most famous food authorities, who came to Konya for the first of the International Food Congress, which was held to commemorate the 700th anniversary of Ateşbaz-ı Veli's attainment of God, also visited the tomb of Ateşbaz-ı Veli, and in the 13th century in Konya They experienced the magic of meeting a cook who had a mausoleum built.
Alan Davidson, one of these experts, used the phrase "We went there like tourists but returned like pilgrims" for the visit to the Atesbaz-i Veli tomb in his article titled "Seven Wonders of Konya" (Halıcı, 2007, p. 36). There are common beliefs among the people that visiting Ateşbaz-ı Veli and taking a pinch of salt distributed there and bringing it to their kitchen will bring abundance to the kitchen of the people who visit, that the food they cook will be good or that it will cure diseases (Halıcı, 2009, p. 20).
According to one legend, Hz. Addressing Atesbaz-i Veli while Mevlana was alive; He pointed to the wisdom of this salt by saying, "Let the one who takes his salt be healed, may his needs be accepted, whether his food is increased or not, whether it overflows or spills..." (Bekçiler, 2015, p. 103). The Culinary and
Culinary Culture Awards competition, which has been held in Istanbul since 2010 on behalf of Ateşbaz-ı Veli as the first and only Ser-tabbah (head chef) whose tomb is known in the world, has been named "Ateşbaz-ı Veli Cuisine and Culinary Culture Awards" since 2014. It is organized in Konya.
Table layout and dining etiquette in the Mevlevi kitchen
The sacredness of fire and hearth, which has been going on since the first ages and going back as old as the existence of human beings, is in Mevlevi; A sacred hearth where novice dervishes cooked and matured while raw was considered a sacred temple (Halıcı, 2009, p. 18). In Turkish Sufi culture, hearth and fire have gained holiness in meaning and nature in accordance with Turkish mythology. Ocak was seen as the office of Ateşbaz-ı Veli. This sanctity given to the hearth necessitated showing respect and importance to the food cooked there and the process that took place. When the food was taken down from the fire in accordance with the sanctity of the hearth, it became necessary to perform a ritual and draw a rosebank in accordance with that ritual (Iyiyol, 2014, p. 592).
Eating, like eating, was a form of worship in Mevlevi, because it required gratitude afterwards. However, Mevlana used to recommend that the happiness of attaining the Truth would be attained not with the satiety of the stomach, but with the satiety of Worship, as in the following rubai. "O, who is imprisoned in the dungeon to eat and drink, if you are cut off from this; you can get rid of…'' That is, to be content with less food and drink, to sleep less, to quality time with worship play an important role in the training of the soul. As a result, the effect of the table order on the decency created with the awareness of this cannot be underestimated. In the framework of decency; There was table manners within the rules that must be followed without exception in terms of service understanding, self-cultivation, loyalty to philosophy and many other issues, which became one of the most sensitive actions by the Mevlevis (Bekçiler, 2015, p.
There are some rules that everyone should follow in table manners: Dervish should have ablution while cooking the food, should not make dhikr, should draw basmala when pouring it from the cauldron into the bowl, bring the table under his left arm, the salt shaker in his left hand and the bowl in his right hand. When he opened the table, he had to put the bread first and then the bowl. The food should be halal, even if the time for prayer came when the table was ready, he should eat the meal first, start the meal with Basmala, end with praise to Allah, the eldest of the congregation (sheikh) should pray before the meal, and the others should say amen. Dervishes were supposed to sit at the table with decency and not be negligent. Before starting the meal, the sheikh and the elders had to wait for it to begin (Tosun, 2004, pp. 124-125).
They would start the meal with salt and end it with salt. Everyone would wet the index finger of their right hand with their tongue, dip the salt in front of them and start eating by tasting it. The meal was eaten from a single bowl and everyone ate in front of them. Bread and meat were not cut with a knife. A glass of water to be drunk after the meal was drunk in three sips (Soysal, 2007, p. 78). It was not possible to eat while leaning or lying down. He sat on the left foot and stood on the right knee, did not get thirsty at the table, and food was left before the stomach was completely filled. A dervish would not get up from the table before the others, and the dervishes would wash their hands before the meal and both their hands and mouth after the meal (Tosun, 2004, pp. 124-125).
Each stage is subject to a separate ceremony in terms of cooking the food, bringing it to the table, serving it on the plate and eating it, which is included in the sanctity procedure in Mevlevi. The mechanism where food is eaten in Mevlevi is called Simat or Somat. Although it is any material used in the printing press, somat, which gains in quantity within the framework of decency in the synthesis of Mevlana, is actually a round and large wooden surface that stands out with its special manufacture. As an element to complement this, when placed under the somat, 25-30 cm. There is a mechanism that allows it to be raised, which is a tripod that can be opened and closed according to preference (Şahin, 2012).
Mevlevis also have a leather table called "elifi somat", which is kept in a thin long scroll, similar to the letter "elif" in Arabic. It was mostly used for foods that could be eaten in separate containers such as breakfast or snacks (Soysal, 2007, p. 109). The Mevlevis called the food on the table "lokma", there was also Lokma Pilaf, known as Belh-Uzbek Pilaf. Hz. While Mevlana was praising the bite, he said that it is mature and requires virtue in the one who eats it, and he expressed it in one of his poems; “Wit and bite are halal for a mature person. Since you're not mature, don't eat and shut up'' (Waiters, 2015, p. 94).
In the Mevlevi Lodge, food was eaten on the floor table. When the time came, round wooden tables were set on a tripod in the kitchen, skins were placed around it, and a whole long napkin would be wrapped around the edge of the table, which would serve as a napkin. Spoons were lined up with their handles to the right and their faces down (Halıcı, 2007, p. 36). Because of this stance of the spoon, it was called "spoon in prayer", "spoon in gratitude".
A pinch of salt was put in front of everyone. Dervishes, who received the service of giving water, prepared the jugs and glasses. After all these services had been seen and the food had been emptied, one of the dervishes would fulfill his duty as a salsaman, that is, by "cutting off the head" in the corridor where the cells were located (a kind of ritual performed by the dervishes by praying in Mevlevi) with a loud voice; "Huu Somata salaaa!" he would shout.
It was a public invitation. Depending on the location and quantity of the cells, they would be released in several places. Everyone would enter the printing house one by one by beheading. When the sheikh came, they would sit at the table together (Şahin, 2012). “We are the Sufis who have fallen on the road; We are the ones sitting at the sultan's (Allah's) table and consuming his blessing. After the couplet, "Lord, make this bowl, this table eternal" was read, Fatiha was recited and a gulbank was drawn behind it.
If there was rice or halva, it would be withdrawn when Gülbank halva or rice arrived (Soysal, 2007, p. 108). Anyone who was full could not get up from the table, he would turn his spoon, put it back to its original state and wait. After everyone was satisfied, the meal would end with the prayer of the most senior in the somat. After the prayer, the one who wanted would get up and bow to the dervishes at the table by placing his hand on his heart. He would greet the dervishes at the other table in the same way, face-to-face, while leaving the door.
When Somat was empty, the dervishes would collect the plates and hand them over to the dervishes in the matbah; they would wipe the tables, sweep the floors and leave the somat (Halıcı, 2007, p. 39). During the meal in the
Mevlevi Culinary Culture lodge, the sheikh or chief cook used to read Gülbank. This gulbanka was called “somat rosebank”. When the pilaf came to the table, the fingers would hold the table with bent inwards, it was placed on the edge of the table and gulbank was read (Somat Gülbankı serves as gratitude for the eaten food) (Iyiyol, 2014, p. 592).
Eating and Drinking Culture in Mevlevi
Apart from table manners, lodge culture has a share in the formation of local cuisines. The sects that brought pre-Islamic Turkish cuisine to Anatolia, where meat, animal foods and pastries were predominant, encountered different food cultures in Anatolia as well; The grains of Mesopotamia, the vegetables and fruits of the Mediterranean, the spices of South Asia have created a rich cuisine in these lands at the crossroads of roads (Soysal, 2007, p. 78). When Mevlana came to the capital city of Konya with his family, it is understood from the Seljuknames that there was a magnificent kitchen in the palace.
Meals made with simpler materials during the Mevlana period were developed in the kitchens of the convent as well as in the public kitchen over time. Spices such as cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, and sumac were mentioned in Mevlana's works, with the introduction of other spices into the kitchen over time, molasses in meat dishes, and the use of sweet-sour, such as molasses and vinegar in some dishes, enriched the tastes of food. Zucchini kalyesi sweet-sour mixture, sweet meat zucchini and neck dessert; is an example of a sweet-salty mixture (Halıcı, 2007, p. 40).
Cooking methods in Mevlevi cuisine are examined under four main headings, which are divided into several sections: Cooking in water, frying in oil, cooking in dry heat and cooking in an oil-water mixture. Cooking in water was done in two ways: boiling food in water or, rarely, steaming. Frying in oil was applied as more or less oil. Dry heat cooking methods are in the oven, on the plate, on the grill, in the roasting and tandoori. The cooking method of oil-water mixture is pot dishes (Halıcı, 2007, p. 42).
The list of dishes prepared by Ateşbaz is quite rich, but some dishes were more important for Mevlana. Because Mevlana, with his wise intuitions, believed that food gives meaning to the expression in terms of its spiritual and mental benefits and the beauty it leaves on the palate. For this reason, from time to time, the sultans and sultans of that period had the opportunity to taste, among the Mevlevi dishes cooked in Ateşbaz's cauldron, Tutmaç Soup Harise, Kalye, Borani, Cooked head, Liver kebab, Tirit, Shish kebab, Aş (Bulgur pilaf) and Tarhana soup. ;
These are some of the dishes cooked by Ateşbaz-ı Veli for Mevlana and mentioned in Mevlana's works. The dessert that came from the Mevlevi culture until the 21st century as almond halva is actually flour halva. Flour halva is indispensable for two salty and two sweet manners inherited from Mevlevi culture to Turkish cuisine culture (Bekçiler, 2015, p. 41-43).
The act of eating and drinking is not a daily, ordinary act in the world of Sufism. It has a ceremonial appearance, as it is often considered as a complementary element of worship. The tables, which are eaten collectively, accompanied by prayers and gulbanks, and sanctified with symbolic movements, have been traditionalized.
Some foods that embody religious elements or legends were cooked and eaten with a ceremonial order on special days deemed appropriate for them (Soysal, 2007, p. 49). Meals cooked and eaten on certain days and with a mystical ceremony in Mevlevi cuisine: represent water, which has an important role in human life. Soup representing the earth, meat and vegetables representing the land, rice and pastry representing the fire, eggs with bacon representing the generation and Güllaç with cream representing the love of Allah.
In the Mevlevi lodges, a kind of pilaf consisting of rice, meat, onions, chickpeas, coriander and peanuts and cooked ceremonially on Friday and sometimes Monday nights is called "lokma". For this, there is a separate cauldron in which nothing else is cooked. This silver-like cauldron was wrapped in a cloth and kept in its own cupboard, and for this, the existing stove in the kitchen (matbah) was called Ateşbaz-ı Veli Ocağı (Tosun, 2004, p.128).
In the Sufi culture, bread is accepted as a blessing of Allah and blessed, and it is seen as one of the foods that are shown miracles in the legends. Mevlana said, “Bread is lifeless as long as it stays on the table. But in the human body the joyful spirit is cut off. It is impossible for that bread on the table to be life. However, the soul does the impossible thing with selsebil water, it makes the bread soulful, and expressed the change of food in the human body (Soysal, 2007, p. 86).
Mevlana in the story Nohut in Mesnevi;
"The chickpeas boiled in the pot start to splash, she asks the lady of the house, why are you setting me on fire, since you bought it, why are you making me feel like this and turning me upside down? Housewife, I don't boil you because I don't want you, because I don't like you, so you can get a taste of salt and become food. I boil it so that you may mingle; this test is not to despise you: God's mercy is greater than his wrath; therefore, testing someone is out of his mercy.
You used to drink water in the garden, you would become green and fresh, it was for you to drink that water, to fall into this fire. You left the water, the earth, but you became a bite, mixed with the living, you became food, you became a strength, you became thoughts", (Halıcı, 2007, pp. 64-65), saying: "The fact that the food is put on the fire when it is raw and cooked, the people of mysticism enter the sect while raw and are cooked for the love of Allah." symbolized reaching the level of the perfect human being (Soysal, 2007, p. 90).
CONCLUSION
Mevlevis have attributed many symbolic meanings and religious motifs to the material and cooking method of the food, thus transforming the meal, which is actually a worldly affair, into a style of worship. On some religious days and nights, they helped the people of their neighborhood to understand this religious atmosphere better.
In addition, they have made important contributions to the world of culture and especially to the Turkish food culture.
Great importance has been attached to the most efficient and appropriate use and consumption of food. That's why cooking became the most respected profession in Mevlana's time, and even considered a spiritual position. The fact that the first and only cook in the world, whose tomb was built in his name, was Ateşbaz-ı Veli, who lived in the period of Mevlana, is also accepted as an indicator of this importance. Ateşbaz-ı Veli, who is Mevlana's cook, is one of the Mevlevi elders who are next to Mevlana.
He taught the necessary knowledge and etiquette by giving preliminary training to those who wanted to benefit from Mevlana's thoughts. Miracles, including him, have a great influence on the fact that Ateşbaz-ı Veli is not forgotten in Mevlevi circles. One of the most important parts of the Mevlana Lodge is Matbah-ı Şerif, one of the most important personalities is Ateşbaz-ı Veli and the office it represents. For centuries, both food and hearts were cooked under the supervision of Ateşbaz-ı Veli in Matbah-ı Şerif, where the ordeal (spiritual upbringing) was administered and administered, which is a place of complete surrender and lasted for 1001 days. Ateşbaz-ı Veli, who is the person who kneads the vaccine with love in the Mevlevihane kitchen, which is a training and education authority, has been kept alive as a supreme personality with a word and decision whose title, position and duty have continued for centuries in all Mevlevihanes.
Until the 21st century, there have been significant changes in Turkish culinary culture for many reasons, just like in the world, and it is certain that these changes will continue. The transfer of culinary culture to new generations, mostly through oral transmission, is an important factor in accelerating the change. In addition, the absence of symbolic figures or objects makes it difficult to understand and preserve the deep-rooted culinary culture. For this reason, Ateşbaz-ı Veli is a person who should be brought to the forefront not only as a cook or the guardian of the Mevlevi convent, but also as a symbol of Turkish culinary culture. Therefore, it should be considered as a starting point for the young people who are in search of identity under many influences to adopt the rich culinary culture and to transfer it to the future.
REFERENCES
Waiters, N. (2015). "Ateşbaz-i Veli". Üstüniş Ofset Printing House, Konya.
Demirci, M. (2008). "The Mevlevi Passion in Terms of Human Education". Mevlana and Human Symposium;
Symposium Proceedings, III. Session, Izmir.
Demirci, M. (2013). “Mr. Mevlana and Mevlevi Culture”. Kubbealtı Publications, Istanbul.
Gokalp, H. (2005). "The Mevlevi Places Through the Eyes of Divan Poets". C.U. Journal of Social Sciences Institute, Vol: 14, Issue: 2, p. 281-298.
Halıcı, N. (2007). “Mevlevi Cuisine”. Metro Culture Publications, Istanbul.
Halıcı, N. (2009). "Turkish cuisine". Capricorn Publishing, Istanbul.
Iyiyol, F. (2014). “Functional Analysis of Mevlevi Gülbankları and Mevlevi Gülbanks”. Turkish Studies - International Periodical For The Languages, Literature and History of Turkish or Turkish Volume 9/6 Spring 2014, p. 583-600.
Karaismailoğlu, A. (2014). “Mevlana and the Anatolian Tradition - Mevlana's Identity and Contribution to the Identity That Can Be Called Anatolian Tradition”. Turkic World Wise Summit: Meeting of Sultans of Hearts. Turkish World Capital of Culture Agency (TDKB), Eskişehir.
Bony, B. (2007). “Masnevi and Turkish Knowledge:
Mesnevihanism Tradition”. Uludag University,
Journal of the Faculty of Theology, Vol: 16, Issue: 2, p. 1-20.
Özönder, H. (1988). “The Importance of the Atesbaz Veli Office in Ateşbâz Veli and Mevlevi Lodges”. 3. National Mevlana Congress, Selcuk University Press, Konya.
Soysal, S. (2007). "Dervish Tables". Dogan Egmont Publishing, Istanbul. Sahin, B. (2012). “Dining at the Mevlevi
Etiquette” http://konyaarastirmalari.blogspot.com.tr/20
12/12/mavlevi-meal-adabi.html. (Access date, 05.03.2016).
Top, H.H. (2006). “Mevlana and Mevlevi (Adap in Mevlevi)”. TC Konya Governorship Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism Publications, Konya.
Tosun, N. (2004). “Tekke Dishes in Sufi Culture”. Journal of Sufism and Academic Research, Year: 5, Issue: 12, p. 123-135.
As the head chef Ahmet ÖZDEMİR, I see the source:
Mr. I sincerely thank Mustafa AKSOY, Ayşenur Burcu AKBULUT, Nurhayat İFLAZOĞLU for their academic studies titled "Culinary Culture in Mevlevi and Ateşbaz-ı Veli Authority" and wish them success in their professional lives . It will definitely be considered as an example by those who need it in professional kitchens and the gastronomy and culinary community.
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