Ethnic Value Matching & Agri-Food Branding Project

ETHNIC VALUE MATCHING & AGRI-FOOD BRANDING PROJECT

MKTG 301, Fall 2005

Instructor: Dr. Carter

Valeriya Baybekova & Holly McQuillan

PROJECT OBJECTIVE “A” People Values

"Water is a Turkmen's life, a horse is his wings, and a carpet is his soul"[THIS CITE IS GREAT! ADD NAME/DATE]

EARTH

a) This links contains the geographical map of Turkmenistan and the world map. It very important to understand where is Turkmenistan in the world because it can say to us a lot about roots of Turkmen people. This culture was formed during long period of time. And it was created by people who were wandered from Turkey to the Central Asia. It gives us detail understanding why all cultures on this way have some similar values in theirs culture. And we can prove it today by looking at Turkmenistan border neighbors.

c) To understand ethnic identity we should start from the basis which is geographical situation in the world and how it was formed. Also we should compare it with neighbor countries because it can give us the key how this culture was influenced by others. Finally it gives us understanding why this people became independent country with its own values.

a) This link gives us general information about Turkmenistan. We found such interesting facts us territory, terrain, population, area, location, climate, raw materials, major corps, and other information that helps us to be deep in thought about how this factors predisposed history, culture and values. This information gives us moderate imagination about what this culture is.

c) Finding interesting facts such as that Turkmenistan have good opportunities to cultivate plants and raise animals. How climate and geographical area influenced on the choice of specific plants and animals. This makes us understand why this culture has particular food.

a) In order to understand it will not be enough just look at geographical area. We should also study people of this area. This information can give us more understandings, who they are and how they appear as separate culture that have something share with others and something unique. Also we found that majority of people are Turkmens, but still others ethnic groups somehow have a little influence on them.

c) The information about people helps us understand Turkmen ethnicity and give framework about what they look like and how we can study this ethnicity more deeply. We found that they have Muslim religion and somehow belong to other neighbor cultures because they have a lot of common.

a) Finally in order to underline what food was popular we will say that many Turkmens use a lot of vegetables in their cuisine and the main dish was plov. Also they use dried fruits. Rise was one of the most frequently used corns.

c) This link makes us to found the traditional food that was valued by Turkmens and give us consideration about it. Why this food was chosen by this culture and why it is significant and valuable for it. Additionally it makes us go to details about it.

HISTORY

a)This link contains detail description about Turkmen history from the beginning till nowadays. Understanding it we found that it was a long period to mould values of this particular culture. This culture was influenced by Persian Empire, particularly that Alexander the Great plays important role in this culture, Arabs, Oguz Tribe, Seljuk Empire, Mongols, Russian Empire and many other cultures. Actually Turkmenistan now situated where the Provinces of Parthia and Margiana were. What was interesting that in that time Persians were dominated on the trade through the whole Central Asia.

c)Going trough the whole history we found facts that helps us understand Turkmen culture. We found why the Turkmenistan among with others cultures have some same values and that Turkmen culture has roots in such a great empire as Persian Empire. Also we understand know why Turkmen food has some features from many of that great Empires. So know it becoming clearer about how this culture was shaped.

a)It will not be write not to study Turkmen people. Amazing that all Oghuz Turks were called “Turkmens” or “Turcoman”. The further we go the more we found that turkmens are strongly related with Turks. The proof is that if we will translate the word “Turkmen” which means “I am Turk”.

The origin of the word Turkmen. So as it said that word Turkmen originally come from “Turkoman”what means “Turk-like”. Originally the root “Turk”comes from such languages as Turkish, Byzantine Greek, Persian what means “strength”, and “beautiful youth”.

c)This link give us more understanding that Turkmen ethnicity has roots in Turkey culture and gives keys to emphasize why this both culture have the same traditional food – plov, and that origin was in Turkey and Greece, but it was long time when this tradition came to the Turkmen culture. Now it seems clear why it is important to study ethnicity and root, because it helps us understand values.

a)Today Turkmen of central Asia use this word as their nationality, but long time ago it was used as a designation for the Muslim-Oghhuz Turks (Azerbaijanis, Turks of Turkey, and Central Asian Turks). So in Turkey it refers to the specific Turkish tribes.

c)So we found enough proofs that Turkmen and Turkish people are interrelated. They have

a lot of common so it makes us focused on Turkish ethnicity too. This will help us understand both cultures.

a)Greece was apart of Ottoman Empire for a long time. Greek cuisine and Islamic cuisine have many similarities. They existed before the appearance of Turks. Then after many periods of wars between Turks and Greece both cultures acquire some similar food values. Turkmen cuisine was very simple before Turkish, but after long time pressure of neighbors, Turkmen food gets some new specific changes.

c)This link gives us explanation why Turkmen dishes have similarities with Turkish and Greek cuisines. During long time period Turkmen cuisine was form by influence of foreign food values. Which also approved by the origin of the name “Turkmen”

a)Turkish cuisine comes from 14th century and was specific for Mediterranean part, Middle East and influenced by Ottoman Empire. Many Turkish cuisine elements were brought to Central Asia, which were previously adopted by such cultures as Greece, Armenia, Georgia, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. This comes to the fact that Turkey shares its cuisine with countries of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, Russia, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

c)This is information give us detailed understanding that many people have the same values because of historical influence. It is really interesting how one culture can share values with others. Finally give a birth to another culture with its own view, but still have something in common because of the roots.

3. CULTURE

a)Describing national clothes which help us understand that sheep wool, cotton and silver are most popular and usable materials in Turkmenistan. Sheep plays a big role inTurkmen culture, it was celebration food.

c)This link gives us opportunity understand that how important for Turkmens was sheep. They use its wool for doing any kind of clothes. And we can say that geographical area of Turkmenistan is really good for raising this kind of animal.

a)Turkmen people can be identified by traditional “telpec” hat which is very large black sheepskin hats. This hat is traditional part of Turkmen culture.

c)Again we see that sheep was used for everything. This animal plays important part in Turkmen life.

a)Here we are talking about Turkmen poetry, and specifically famous authors as Makhtumkuli, Kemine, Molanepes. The lyrics were popular for its wisdom and simplicity.

The only furniture Turkmens had, was carpet. It was easily transported and was used for making yurt and decorate their houses. All carpets were made from the animals wool. Most of them were camel and sheep wool.

a)Turkmen carpets another important thing for Turkmens. Form century to century the art of making excellent carpets were given from mother to daughter and stayed in the family. By looking at the carpets you can say from which region was this family and many other things. Ornaments are geometric and rich red is an artistic tradition of this carpets. The popular material for making carpets was wool.

c)It important found that the shortage of materials help develop good skills for making carpets and understand importance why people use sheep wool.

a)Turkmens famous for theirs Akhalteke horses. It was the most easiest and comfortable transport in the desert. This makes people breed the Akhalteke horse which was very similar and at the same time very different from Persian Arab horse. The life of the owner depended on horse.

c)We found that horse also played important role in Turkmen culture. And people were breeding them, because it helps them survived in those conditions.

4. VALUES

a)It was surprising how this culture survived using minimum of recourses. For them being rich only means have enough sheep, goats and the wood, that will help them to survive. Sheep give them wool and meat, while goats give them milk and they use wood to prepare their food. Not much, but for them it was everything.

c) The more information we found about Turkmens the more we understand, how they were depended on sheep. Sheep was the first source for meat, wool that means a house also.

a)Turkmen cuisine is famous for such dishes as plov, shashlyk, manty, shurpa, ka’urma, churban churpa, ishkiylikli. Most of them made of sheep meat and particularly mutton. Almost all the dishes have analogues in other Central Asian cuisines. According to this web page the eastern part the part of Turkmenistan near the Caspian Sea, seafood became substitute of mutton. But in the west the specialty is mutton is roasted in a clay and oven fired with aromatic woods. The famous drink is hot tea. There is a verity of fruits that can be dried for winter period.

c)Again we found that sheep play important role not only for making clothes but also cooking traditional food. As we see almost all the dishes contain this kind of meat.

a)Passing through the time of developing Turkmen culture many customs and traditions were born. One of the important and famous is the ransom for the bride, which is kalom. The bride’s family can demand much money from the groom. And one kinds of the payments long time ago was amount of sheep. Sheep used to be money in Turkmenistan. Also they celebrate the harvest day, the watermelon day, the day of the Turkmen horse, the day of Turkmen carpet, and many others.

c)This link tells as a lot how many things during centuries become very important in Turkmen life. After experiencing and estimating the important thing in the live, culture develop their value.

a)During the year turkmens celebrate many Muslims holidays. These are the days when people visit each other, give donations. Some of people slaughter an animal and share the meat with the family and the poor. Frequently the cut a sheep for these holidays.

c)Rising the sheep become not only tradition but also and value in Turkmen culture. That is why it is very important understood what sheep means for this ethnic group.

a)Plov came from the same family of Turkic rice-based dishes. There are many variations of the plov in different cultures. It was famous in history because it was served to the Alexander the Great. After that plov became his favorite dish. Also depending on local cuisine it can be served with different kinds of meats and vegetables. Turks introduce theirs plov which has the name pilaf to the Balkans and Greece during Ottoman Empire.

c)This is good example how from one culture national dish was transformed to another. And during time this dish gets specific features that characterize the new culture but still have some similarities from another.

The Turkmen People’s ETHNIC IDENTITY” Values Template

PROJECT OBJECTIVE “B” Product Values

1. FORM

a. Plov is a dish consisting mostly of rice, carrots, onions, cumin, salt, pepper, paprika, barberries, cottonseed oil, and some type of meat…often lamb or beef. There may be minor additions to Plov, but most varieties of plov contain the aforementioned ingredients according to Wikipedia.com:

This link is used because it describes exactly what goes in to creating a dish of Plov. It also explains how Plov can differ to some degree in surrounding countries, but that there are some basic, essential ingredients all Plov recipes have in common.

Plov is traditionally cooked in a deep metal skillet or pan, called a kazan as seen in the picture below:

Grains and beef are 2 of the major foods grown and raised in Turkmenistan on a wide-scale. Therefore, Plov is the perfect traditional dish for Turkmenistan and surrounding areas.

According to the USDA, rice currently accounts for $1-$1.5 billion a year in U.S. income. The per capita consumption of rice has increased greatly over the past 25 years.

This link also discusses how rice has continued to become increasingly popular in the US in recent years due to our “melting pot” of cultures. Not only have Americans started eating more rice at home, due to microwaveable and stove-top rice and pilaf products, but in 1999, a survey by the USA Rice Federation showed that 38% of Americans order a rice dish with their meal when eating at restaurants. This link and these conclusions are vital in understanding the transition of how plov will be received and used in America.

This link shows the various forms used today in packaging rice. Whether it’s pre-cooked, frozen, parboiled, or some other form, there are many options when it comes to packaging and selling rice in the U.S. This is important to know because when it comes to marketing Plov, we can package the rice-portion of our Plov package in a box using parboiled rice, similar to the style of the “Near East” pilaf products seen here:

According to the U.S. Census Bureau there are currently 10 million Asians living in the United States. There is no detailed information on Turkmen specifically – they probably fall into the “other Asian” category, which is a small percent (less than 5%) of the total American Asian population. The Census Bureau also projects that the Asian population will continue increasing and make up 8% of the American population by the year 2040. This link, also from the Census Bureau, shows how many people living in the U.S. are of certain ancestries. According to these data, there are very few people here who report being of Turkish decent (117,575) or Armenian decent (385,488). There are slightly more people of Greek decent (1,309,766) and moderate number of people from Russian ancestry (3,016,988). These people and their families would make up a majority of our product’s target market.

b. Because various forms of Plov are found throughout the Middle East and its origin appears to be from Asian Pilaf, Plov can be marketed both as Central Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines. Also, as mentioned in the first section of this report, Plov has roots in Greece and Turkey as well. It may also have a market with Russian-Americans since Turkmenistan and some of its surrounding countries used to be part of the Soviet Union. There are still numerous Russians living in Turkmenistan, and undoubtedly, Plov has made its way to hearts and stomachs of many Russians.

According to this link, Asian cuisine is a fast-growing market here in the US. This link - - claims that both Middle Eastern and Asian foods are becoming increasingly popular in the US: These links are included in this section because they support the idea that there is a market in the U.S. for a packaged Plov. This market, although not huge, will continue to grow in the near future.