1. Small and sweet: The Aydın fig
The first item on our list is the Aydın fig. With a taste resembling honey, the fig grows in Aydin, which is a major center of fig production in both Türkiye and worldwide.
The Aydın fig, also known as the yellow lop fig (from Sarı Lop ( Calimyrna) fig trees) is a small, sweet pale-yellow fruit. The trees grow in both the mountains and on the plains and require a relatively dry climate. The figs can be eaten fresh but are also an immensely popular dried fruit.
To read more about Aydın’s other beauties, check out our blog on the many charms of Aydın!
2. The most regal of traditional desserts: Gaziantep baklava
Antep baklava, among the most special traditional Turkish desserts, is an EU-registered Turkish product. Baklava making is taught in Gaziantep via a master-apprentice relationship, from generation to generation. The pastry and its preparation methods have a significant place not only in Gaziantep but throughout Turkey.
Gaziantep baklava is differentiated from other versions of the dessert by the quality of its ingredients, its preparation, and its taste. Made with between forty and forty-five layers of paper-thin filo dough, the pastry filling includes pistachios, butter and sherbet. The pastry is then baked in stone oakwood-fired ovens until it turns a golden yellow. Syrup is poured over the baked product.
Gaziantep baklava is truly sublime. If you haven’t tried it – or you’re now craving it – click here for information about Gaziantep flights! For more information on making the most out of a short trip, see One city, three days: Gaziantep.
3. Fresh and dried: The Malatya apricot
According to historical sources, the apricot was first cultivated in China and in Central Asia. In Turkey, Malatya is considered the homeland of the apricot, and the Malatya apricot is an EU-registered Turkish product due to its distinctive flavor, aroma and quality.
Apricot trees, which are partial to long, cold winters and hot summers, come in many varieties, including Hacıhaliloğlu, Kabaaşı, Çataloğlu, Soğancı, Çöloğlu and Hasanbey. Though they are all sweet, they differ in shape: Hacıhaliloğlu, Kabaaşı and Çataloğlu are oval, Soğancı and Çöloğlu are round, and the Hasanbey apricots are heart shaped.
Eaten fresh or dried, the Malatya apricot is a common ingredient in desserts as well as regional dishes. Visit Malatya (you can click here for tickets to Malatya) and sample the fruit where it grows – you can also pick up some dried apricots to take home.
4. Full of flavor: Milas olive oil
Milas olive oil is one of the most important products in Turkey to be registered with a geographical indication! Milas olive oil is cold pressed from early harvest olives, picked from the Memecik olive trees that grow within the district’s borders. Distinguished by its intense aroma and rich in polyphenol and oleic acid, Milas olive oil is also known for leaving a slight burning sensation in the nasal passages.
Milas olive oil also holds historic significance, as it met the olive oil needs of the region up to Izmir during the pre-Ottoman and Ottoman periods.
Book a ticket to Bodrum and head to nearby Milas, where you can purchase the olive oil from local producers. You’ll also enjoy discovering the beauties of Milas!
5. Incredibly tasty: The Aydın chestnut
Most of the fragrant roasted chestnuts sold on the streets of Turkey’s cities come from Aydın. This EU-registered Turkish product is distinguished by its size and shiny appearance, as well as its easy-to-peel skin and soft fleshy fruit.
The Aydın chestnut, which grows in a temperate climate on plateaus irrigated by the Büyük Menderes River, is an excellent value for Türkiye with its taste and quality.
6. A healing vegetable: Stone Bridge Garlic
Kastamonu Taşköprü is the key address for garlic in Türkiye. Related to the onion, the vegetable adds flavor to food – and has a rich nutritional content renowned for its healing qualities! Taşköprü garlic is distinguished by its color – the heads are white, while the creamy yellow cloves are covered in a pinkish shell. The garlic is also known for its pungent aroma and unique bitterness.
Taşköprü garlic has a long growing period but is durable and easily transported. To explore the homeland of this distinctive garlic, you can fly to Kastamonu, which is less than an hour’s drive from Taşköprü.
7. From the foothills of the Kaz Mountains: The Bayramiç beyazı nectarine
This fragrant fruit is a small nectarine variety grown in the Bayramiç district of Çanakkale. Distinguished by its petite size, its taste and its color, which ranges from pale green to pink, the fruit cannot be grown in other soils.
The Bayramiç beyazı is grown on the slopes of the Kaz Mountains over three periods: early, middle and late. It is known to be resistant to drought and the harvest begins in June and ends in September.
To sample this delicate nectarine on its native soil, you can check out Çanakkale flight tickets. The region’s other natural beauties are also worth a visit!
