Pontic Recipes: Preserving Cultural Heritage and History

Abstract: The cultural elements that define the identity of an ethnic group, are really important for its preservation through the ages. Language, traditions, costumes, dances, as parts of the cultural heritage, have a crucial role in it. Pontic Greeks, belong to a minority group that came to Greece after 1923. They struggled to stand on their feet again, and preserve their unique cultural characteristics.  Cuisine, as an important aspect of our everyday life, is easily conveyed from one to another. In this thesis, we examine the Pontic cuisine, as an element of the intangible cultural heritage and due to its importance regarding the preservation of the Pontic identity.  The most original recipes of Pontic cuisine, were gathered in their primarily form, through an interview with a local expert. Then they were digitized and transcribed in Omeka database. Further data were attributed in the Dublin Core metadata scheme in that database. Finally, the main discussion was focused on how preserving culinary traditions can help to preserve history and cultural identity altogether.