A storm in a bowl of soup! There is a Turkish saying about creating a tempest in a glass of water meaning simply “Much ado about nothing!”
Back in February, there were news in the Turkish press that Greece is preparing to have tripe soup included on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List. For some reason, a month later, I started receiving calls from local press asking my opinion on the case. Apparently, there was some controversy being stirred up, and the local news decided to tackle with the issue. Soon after, the tripe soup ownership case took the Turkish press by storm. Meanwhile, to investigate the truth behind the news, I checked the list of candidates for 2026, which will be evaluated in Xiamen, China, in December. Tripe soup is not on the list to be considered this year. Apparently, preparations are underway, but the nomination hasn’t been formalized yet.
Offal Geography
Tripe soup (işkembe çorbası in Turkish) is a beloved dish across a vast region stretching from Central Europe to the Balkans, available all over in Thrace and Anatolia, all the way to Iran and the countries of the Middle East. Just like Türkiye, all Balkan countries—including Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Macedonia, and Serbia—have a deep-rooted tripe tradition. The Turkish word originates from the Persian terms “shekambe” (meaning tripe) and “shurba” (meaning soup). It is valued not only for its strong garlicky taste but also for its health benefits. Tripe soup shops usually sell other offal specialties, particularly “kelle” and “paça,” which is “head” and “trotters” in soup form, all regarded as restorative food. Interestingly, in Greece, tripe soup is named “patsas,” coming from Turkish “paça,” which is the feet of the animal.
Beyond class
Tripe soup shops are seen as places that bring together the rich and the poor. However, in most societies, tripe soup vendors are more closely associated with men. Bulgarian researcher Albena Shkodrova describes tripe shops in both communist and post-Soviet Bulgarian society as male-dominated spaces and the tripe soup being manly attributing a gender angle to the dish. She points out that “Shkembe chorba” is never cooked at home but belongs to urban life. She also emphasizes that those tripe soup eateries (shkembedzhiynitsi in Bulgaria) are also places that transcend class distinctions, bringing together men of all walks of life. Though the well-off, respectable men were regular customers, tripe soup shops belonged more to the marginal section of society. She describes the usual clientele as: weird and colorful personalities, workers and drunkards, bohemians and pariahs.
Living human heritage
UNESCO lists are often thought of as comprising monuments, archaeological, historic and natural sites. However, humanity’s shared heritage — evaluated under the heading of “World Cultural Heritage” — is not limited to physical structures. There are also living traditions, rituals, crafts, music, puppetry, folklore, and folk dance — elements that shape our culture. Food is also included in this category. The sum of these cultures, passed down from generation to generation, has been evaluated under the “intangible” category. However, it is now more commonly referred to as “Living Heritage.” The spectrum of living heritage is vast, but when it comes to culinary heritage, it seems to be a very sensitive issue, which is where likely storms will explode.
Multiple ownerships
Whenever one country lays claim to a shared culinary delight enjoyed by many nations, all hell breaks loose, sparking “it’s mine, it’s not yours” disputes, and the arguments never seem to end. For some reason, finding common ground just isn’t possible. However, at the UNESCO Intangible Heritage list, there is a possibility open for common ground. Culture knows no borders. In the case of culinary heritage, it is not borders that dictate, but rather the shared history and geography that rule. There are entries that involve multiple countries. For example, the Nowruz celebrations were accepted through a joint application by 13 countries, including Türkiye. Even if a file is initially registered by a single country or a few countries, other countries may later seek to be added by claiming ownership. For instance, “Falconry” was accepted in 2010 through a joint application by 11 countries, but within a decade, by 2021, the number had risen to 24, with additional countries joining. As a result, it has acquired the status of a shared world heritage spanning a geography all the way from Ireland to Korea.
Culinary battles
Our first file accepted as a culinary culture was the “Ceremonial Keşkek Culture” in 2011. After the lists are announced, objections sometimes arise from certain countries. As soon as it was announced, it sparked a dispute over ownership between Turkey and Armenia. Armenia had reacted strongly, claiming that the origin of “keşkek” was actually “harissa,” both dishes are communal wheatberry and meat stews. In response, UNESCO stated that culinary culture has a transnational, permeable structure and that Armenia could submit a separate “Harissa” dossier, if desired. In the 15 years since, no new application has been submitted on this matter.
While the “Keşkek-Harissa” incident was the first major crisis, the list has always had the potential to stir up controversy. Indeed, the “Lavash Crisis” erupted in 2014. When “lavash” flat bread was registered under Armenia’s name, this time, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan protested. UNESCO immediately sought a compromise. To appease the objecting countries, it added a statement to Armenia’s nomination, noting that this bread is shared by many communities in the region and that the nomination does not imply “exclusivity.” Shortly thereafter, a solution unfolded. The five objecting countries prepared a joint dossier and had the “Lavash, Katırma, Jupka, Yufka: The Culture of Making and Sharing Flatbread” dossier accepted in 2016.
Now, we must keep an eye on the end of the year! The storm over a bowl of soup might be an early harbinger of a much bigger storm brewing. I don’t mean to sound like an astrologer, but let me tell, there’s no need to consult the stars to foresee that this will cause a stir: This year, Türkiye has a total of four candidate dossiers, two of which are related to food culture: Yogurt is a joint application with Bulgaria and Romania, while our baklava application is held in partnership with Azerbaijan. Flavor and culinary culture are humanity’s shared heritage. Let’s invite all neighboring countries from the Balkans to the Middle East to join our joint applications — if they accept the invitation, all the better, and we’ll all savor these wonderful tastes together.
aylinoneytan@yahoo.com
