THE TRANSFORMATION OF GRAPE JUICE INTO LOCAL FLAVORS FROM PAST TO PRESENT: GAZIANTEP EXAMPLE

Abstract

Anatolian lands have been one of the homelands of grape fruit since the prehistoric times. Grapes produced as table, dried and wine, offer a great wealth in terms of varying quality and variety from region to region. Therefore, traditional flavours made from grape and fermented grape juice (Şıra) have a great importance in Turkish cuisine.
In this study, the local tastes of Gaziantep, one of the most significant cities in Turkish cuisine, which are completely made using traditional production and preservation methods with fermented grape juice, have been studied. The place of solid molasses (pekmez), walnut sausage (cevizli sucuk), fruit leather (pestil), triangle shaped dried fruit pulp (muska) and Antep kahke (traditional cookie) in folk culture, ingredients used in their production, production stages and their photographs have been included. The data has been collected from the local population who were born in Gaziantep and who have lived in Gaziantep. The importance of the study is the popularity and consumption of the fermented grape juice and the productions made from the fermented grape juice in Gaziantep cuisine which has more than 400 dishes.