Until the beginning of the great river regulations in the mid-1840s, most of the lowland areas were temporarily or permanently covered by water due to the expansive water network of the Carpathian Basin. This natural environment served as the basis of floodplain farming or ‘fok’ agriculture from the age of the Hungarian conquest, which also determined the settlement and economic structure in the Central Tisza region. The present study analyses from the perspective of research history the conditions and role of this multifaceted farming method in the Central Tisza region that can be considered as a floodplain farming area, taking into account the most significant research results to date. Interdisciplinarity is strongly emphasized in the research of the topic: In addition to written sources, topographical, geographic, hydrographic, environmental, legal and local history studies, ethnographic and archaeological studies of the region are also indispensable to answer issues related to floodplain farming.