Gaziantep's pistachio harvest kicks off with early-season variety

In Türkiye's Gaziantep region, farmers and agricultural workers have begun harvesting "Boz Fistik," the gray pistachio variety that marks the first crop of the season for the region's world-renowned Antep pistachio.

Workers start their shifts in the early morning hours to avoid the heat, hand-picking pistachios from the trees and gathering them on cloths spread across the orchard floor before loading them onto tractor-trailers bound for processing facilities.

At the facilities, the harvested pistachios undergo cleaning, cracking, and peeling before making their way into Turkish kitchens, where they are used in a wide range of dishes and desserts, most notably baklava.

Harvested roughly a month earlier than the standard Antep pistachio, the oily, green-colored boz fistik is known for its sharp, distinctive aroma, which adds flavor to both sweet and savory Turkish dishes.

Near the rural Ikizceli neighborhood in the Oguzeli district, abundant rainfall this year raised groundwater levels and helped boost pistachio production, despite a hailstorm and tornado that struck parts of the growing region earlier in the season.

Local farmers and seasonal workers alike described a sense of satisfaction during the harvest, with many expressing relief and pride at seeing their season-long labor finally pay off in the orchards.