Historical Development of Liver Kebab Consumption Habits and Preservation Methods in Şanlıurfa

Abstract

This study aims to reveal the historical development of liver kebab consumption habits and meat preservation methods from past to present in Şanlıurfa. A total of 100 participants, primarily second- and third-generation butchers, were interviewed face-to-face, and the data obtained were supported by surveys. The findings indicate that most young butchers are unfamiliar with traditional preservation methods, whereas old techniques transmitted through master-apprentice relations remain vivid in collective memory. It was determined that the consumption of liver and other offal in the early morning hours during hot summer months was not merely a cultural practice but also a necessity arising from geographical and climatic conditions. Historical sources and oral narratives demonstrate that from Göbekli Tepe to the Ottoman era and the Republican period, meat consumption was widespread in the region and preservation methods evolved continuously. The practice of meat brokers selling meat on handkerchiefs, for example, was recalled only by elderly individuals and older butchers who had heard it from their fathers and masters. Methods such as burying meat underground, lowering it into wells, storing in underground cellars (zerzembes), drying, rendering (kavurma), and suspending it in cool storage areas (kabaltı) were among the main techniques used before the advent of modern refrigeration. This study emphasizes the significance of liver kebab in the gastronomic culture of Şanlıurfa and highlights how this tradition, carried from the past to the present, reflects both dietary practices and the cultural value of culinary tourism.