The Unextinguishable Cauldrons: From Eskişehir's Foundation Kitchen to Global Goals

In the socio-economic fabric of the Ottoman Empire, the institution of waqf (endowment) served as a fundamental mechanism for ensuring social welfare and food security without the need for direct state intervention. Imarets, the concrete manifestation of this system, were not merely charitable institutions feeding the poor; they were also public nutrition centers where logistics, agricultural production, and public diplomacy intersected. Due to its strategic location, its position on a military supply route, and the spiritual centers it houses, Eskişehir offers a unique case study for examining the evolution of this ancient culinary culture. The main objective of this study is to analyze the historical functioning of waqf kitchens in the Kurşunlu and Seyyid Battal Gazi complexes in Eskişehir through archival documents and to establish the conceptual link between this tradition and contemporary global goals (GNGs). The methodological framework of the study consists of qualitative content analysis of 16th and 17th-century cadastral registers, waqf deeds, mühimme records, and inheritance registers located in the Ottoman Archives of the State Archives Directorate and the Archives of the General Directorate of Foundations. The 1525 Kurşunlu Complex Endowment Deed, examined as part of this research, reveals the hierarchical structure of the kitchen (head chef, cook, pantry keeper, kitchen manager) and the menu contents (soup, grains, zerde - a sweet rice pudding). The Matbah-ı Şerif (Sacred Kitchen) in the Seyyid Battal Gazi Complex, with its enormous architectural capacity, served not only the local population but also pilgrims and dervishes, fulfilling the function of a rest stop. Technical inventory records in the archives show that the tools and equipment used, from copper cauldrons to boxwood ladles, were meticulously recorded, that local production (foundation villages) was prioritized in food supply, and that a food discipline was established around nân-ı aziz (bread). With the Republican era, this traditional structure underwent a modern transformation with legal regulations in 1924 and 1925. The soup kitchens established by the social aid branch of the Eskişehir People's House and subsequently within local administrations have shifted the foundation's charity-focused structure to a secular foundation of social citizenship rights. This transformation has ensured that food becomes not merely an object of aid, but a standard of public service. The soup kitchen tradition in Eskişehir exhibits a complete alignment with SDG 2 (Ending Hunger) directly, and with SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 17 (Partnerships). The aşure (a traditional Turkish dessert) tradition, in particular, from the variety of ingredients to the inclusiveness of its distribution, has been identified as a gastronomic reflection of the foundation's spirit, supporting social peace (SDG 16). In conclusion, this study argues that Eskişehir's foundation culinary heritage constitutes a historical and applicable model for modern food policies, sustainable gastronomy, and social resilience strategies. Further studies could visualize the food logistics and supply chain of 16th-century Eskişehir by processing archival data using geographic information systems. Recipes like "nân-ı aziz" (sacred bread) found in endowment deeds can be reconstructed in light of archaeometric data to create historical datasets. The master-apprentice hierarchy in the foundation kitchen can be compared with the modern dual education system on a pedagogical level, serving as a model for vocational ethics training. The waste management and local production-focused structure of the soup kitchens can be quantified using SDG indicators to develop a historically referenced sustainable gastronomy model for modern soup kitchens.