Abstract
Introduction and The Purpose of the Study: Functional foods play an important role in the health of individuals and reduce the risk of disease. Gastronomy refers to the cuisines of the country or region, the foods of a country or region, eating and drinking habits, food cultures and food preparation techniques. With this study, we aimed to determine the importance and role of functional foods and their components on gastronomy.
Conceptual/Theoretical Framework: Due to the increasing number of diseases in recent years, besides the nutritional properties of foods, their positive contributions to human health are emphasized. Studies on functional foods clearly show that a diet containing fruits, vegetables and dietary fibers reduces the risk of some chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, and has a positive effect on human health. For this reason, it is of great importance to determine the interaction of new gastronomy approaches, which have the power to change the nutritional habits of societies, with functional foods.
Methodology: A literature review was conducted to determine the factors that determine the importance of functional foods and their components on gastronomy. Content analysis was applied to the obtained knowledge and themes consisting of new synthesis results were determined.
Results: As a result of the analysis of the literature, the importance and role of functional foods in gastronomy have been categorized under three main titles (1) healthy meals, (2) trending dishes and (3) new fusion dishes and six sub-titles (1) presentation of fresh fruit and vegetables, (2) fermented dishes, (3) trending menus prepared with functional foods, (4) food formulations that increase functionality, (5) bringing old recipes to functional foods and (6) combining different functional food styles.
Conclusion: Overall, it has been revealed that functional meals prepared with a conventional or modified procedure have an important role in gastronomy as well as their effects on human health. We think that the results of this study will contribute to the creation of new trends with further studies in the field of gastronomy.