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In Cubuk, a farming district of Ankara in central Türkiye, generations of producers turn locally grown vegetables into pickles known regionally as "green gold."
The tradition spans from small home kitchens to a dedicated production facility, yielding 45 varieties that now reach markets across Türkiye and 15 countries abroad.
Production begins each summer at the Cubuk Home-Type Pickle Production Facility, built through a partnership between the municipality and the Ankara Development Agency.
Toros-type cucumbers grown in Cubuk's fertile soil are combined with local spring water, salt, vinegar, bay leaf, dill, and garlic, a formula producers credit for the pickles' distinct character.
Cucumber accounts for roughly 80 percent of Cubuk's pickle production, followed by cabbage, tomato, and eggplant among 45 registered varieties.
The product earned geographical indication status from the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office in 2008, formally linking the pickles to their place of origin and setting the stage for further international recognition.
For the Benli family, pickle-making is a fifty-year tradition. Hasan Huseyin Benli, who heads the Cubuk Pickle Producers and Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Production Cooperative, expanded the family's offerings from 38 to 45 varieties this year, introducing fish and knotweed pickles for the first time to meet demand from Black Sea and Central Anatolian customers.
At the production facility, staff member Salih Kocalak cultivates 90 varieties of produce from heirloom seeds, planted each May and harvested by August.
Students from Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University's Food Technology Program receive hands-on training there, while producer Aysel Mercan relies on fully natural methods as part of a broader effort to pass the craft to a new generation.
Cubuk's pickles now travel far beyond Ankara, exported to 15 countries, including the United States, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
An application for European Union registration is also underway, part of local officials' stated goal of establishing the pickles as a recognized product in markets worldwide.
Every September, the International Cubuk Culture and Pickle Festival draws visitors to the district for four days of celebration.
This year's edition, scheduled for Sept. 3 to 6, will include nearly 350 stands, folk dances from seven regions of Türkiye, and, for the first time, participants from nine countries, along with pickle-making competitions and gifts for attendees.
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