The three flavors of Erzurum are at the European door for registration.

After Gaziantep and Konya, Erzurum has the highest number of geographically marked products in our country and is counting down the days for registration of 3 products with the European Union.

In recent years, geographical indications, which are quality marks showing and guaranteeing the source of the product, its characteristic features, and the connection between these characteristics and the geographical area, have gained popularity among consumers. In our country, the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office carries out the registration of geographical indications, ensuring the protection of products that have gained a certain reputation based on their quality, traditionality, local raw materials, and local characteristics.

Three products for a European examination

With 58 geographically marked products, Erzurum ranks third in the country, while 16 products are waiting in line for registration. Erzurum’s position among the top three cities in this regard is strengthened by the city’s rich culture, ancient history, geographical location, and the rapidly rising star of Palandöken Ski Resort. The Erzurum Commodity Exchange has made an application to the European Union for 3 products in the intensive efforts carried out regarding geographical marked products.

“Water Borek from the skillful hands of ladies”

Hakan Oral, the President of the Erzurum Commodity Exchange (ETB), which acts as a locomotive in the geographical indication studies in Erzurum, stated that they have applied to the European Union (EU) for Erzurum Water Borek, Erzurum Civil Cheese, and Erzurum Göğermiş Cheese products, saying, “We believe that the applications we have made to the European Union regarding these products will yield positive results and that their registrations will take place. We applied for European Union registration for Erzurum Water Borek three years ago. Of course, obtaining these registrations for food products at the European Union level is an important preparatory phase, and there are correction phases to work on. Our team is continuously monitoring and working on it. This is also a topic closely followed by our President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey, Rıfat Hisarcıklıoğlu. Currently, we have a significant number of products in Turkey that have received EU registration. There are examples like Malatya Apricot and Aydın Fig. We have also applied with three products. They are Erzurum Water Borek, Erzurum Civil Cheese, and Göğermiş Cheese. The most important of these is Erzurum Water Borek. One of the main features of Water Borek is Erzurum Butter. It is made with geographical indicated butter and civil cheese. Therefore, these are also our registered products. When you combine the richness of our region’s vegetation, endemic plant structure, and flora with these ladies, you get a delicious taste. These ladies skillfully bring Erzurum Water Borek to life,” he said.

“The Turkish world will get to know the Erzurum cuisine”

Emphasizing that Erzurum being declared the 2025 OIC Tourism Capital is a very important development, Oral said, “In 2025, we will host the Turkish World in Erzurum. We will host an international organization. We will spare no effort to highlight our gastronomic richness here. Under the leadership of the 2025 OIC Tourism Capital Coordination, we, as the Erzurum Commodity Exchange, are involved in efforts to promote Erzurum, especially in gastronomy and exhibition sectors. Erzurum is progressing steadily towards becoming a gastronomic city in Turkey and the world. We will have a successful 2025 Tourism Capital organization.”

“Here are the defining features of Erzurum Water Borek”

The most important ingredient that gives the “Erzurum” identity to Erzurum Water Borek is the civil cheese used as the filling of the borek. Civil cheese, one of Erzurum’s registered products, adds a unique taste to the water borek with its characteristic flavor and special texture. Thanks to the low-fat structure of the cheese, the taste does not change even when the borek is reheated after cooling. Butter is very important for the flavor of the water borek. In the traditional recipe of Erzurum, only butter is used as fat. The quality and purity of the butter are also significant factors determining the flavor of the borek. The butter is first melted and separated from its sediment, thus allowing the flavor and aroma of the butter to be better transferred to the borek. Traditional ovens are not used in cooking water borek. Due to the lack of stoves large enough to hold trays in homes nowadays, electric ovens are used instead of traditional cooking stoves like stoves or tandoors. However, the water borek gets its true flavor when cooked on the stove, slowly frying both sides. Each side needs to be fried for at least 30 minutes. Water borek is made with 13 layers of dough, and even in this form, the borek never becomes too thick. Only eggs are used to hold the dough together, and it is kneaded for at least 40 minutes. Then, very thin layers of dough are made from this dough. Compared to other water boreks, Erzurum traditional water borek has the highest amount of egg. The absence of water, the kneading time, and the amount of egg are factors that differentiate this borek. Additionally, the lemon juice squeezed over the eggs before they are cracked prevents the eggs from darkening and keeps the dough layers of the water borek light-colored. After the layers are prepared, they are boiled before being placed in the tray and undergo a cold bath. An essential technique here is to arrange the layers in the tray not as flat layers but in a wavy manner to hold air. This technique allows the hot air trapped between the layers to cook all layers evenly, preventing the borek from becoming doughy. Additionally, the first and thirteenth layers are closed without boiling. The water borek with civil cheese and parsley is registered as a geographical indication and is produced in each tray in accordance with the standards mentioned above.