Berlin is a city shaped by movement—of people, ideas, and flavors. From bustling street markets to late-night döner kebab stands, Berlin’s food culture tells a story of migration, adaptation, and identity. Students explore these connections on the ground at NYU Berlin in Food, Culture, and Globalization, a course taught by Burcu Serdar Köknar. With a background in architecture and landscape design, Serdar Köknar offers a unique perspective on how food not only nourishes communities but also transforms urban spaces, creating a dynamic dialogue between culture and place.

Food as Culture

Serdar Köknar’s interest in food started as an architecture student in Istanbul. While conducting her studies, she worked in professional kitchens and became fascinated by the way food shaped communities. Now based in Berlin, she continues to investigate how food production and consumption define a city’s character.

“This course puts food at the center of the conversation, using it as a lens to explore culture and globalization,” Serdar Köknar explains. “Berlin offers an incredible opportunity to experience the city through taste, smell, and atmosphere. Its diverse food scene—shaped by history, migration, and globalization—offers a unique environment to explore the connections between food, space, and identity.”

Students document their experiences in the course with a sensory urban food diary, recording their personal food experiences and analyzing how food shapes the city’s social and physical environment.

Berlin’s Culinary Identity

Berlin’s most famous street food, the döner kebab, is one of the course’s focal points. Believed to be brought to Germany by a Turkish Gastarbeiter or ‘guest worker’ in 1972, the döner has become an essential part of Berlin’s identity, reflecting the city’s multicultural character.

“Berlin’s food culture thrives on diversity, with immigrant influences shaping not just restaurant menus but also the city’s urban identity,” says Serdar Köknar. “The first thing that comes to mind, of course, is döner kebab—a Berlin icon. But there’s so much more!”

The course also explores other immigrant-influenced foods, such as Levantine manakish, Vietnamese phở and bánh mì, and hummus and falafel from Lebanese, Syrian, Israeli, and Palestinian cuisines. These dishes, once considered foreign, have become local favorites and are now integral to the city’s food culture.

Berlin as a Living Classroom

The city itself is a key part of the learning experience. “Berlin is at the heart of this course,” she emphasizes. “It serves as both a case study and a living laboratory.”

Students visit various food spaces—street markets, community kitchens, and immigrant-owned restaurants—to analyze how food fosters community and reclaims public space. A key field visit takes students to Prinzessinnengärten, a well-known urban garden and social space where students explore community-driven food initiatives.

For Serdar Köknar, food is more than sustenance. It’s an experience that layers memory, identity, and place. “Food has the power to bring people together and shape spaces,” she says. With its rich and diverse culinary scene, Berlin offers an unparalleled opportunity to study food not just as a cultural product, but as a force that shapes the urban landscape. 

Written by Kristin Maffei