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Farmers in the Mut district of Mersin, having harvested their grapes, are preparing pekmez, a traditional grape molasses, using time-honored methods.
In the Alacam neighborhood of the district, located at an altitude of roughly 800 meters, producers gather their grapes at a cooking site known as a "sihrana" after the grape harvest.
Once washed, the grapes are crushed and then mixed with "white pekmez soil," a type of clay used to remove the sourness and adjust the consistency of the mixture.
The pekmez, obtained by boiling the grape juice in cauldrons over wood fires, is consumed by the local population.
Pekmez has long held a central place in Turkish cuisine, particularly in rural regions, where it is used as a natural sweetener, spread over bread, or mixed with tahini to create a popular breakfast dish.
The production process, which relies entirely on natural ingredients and traditional equipment such as wood-fired cauldrons, has been passed down through generations of families in villages like Alacam.
For many residents, the annual pekmez-making season also serves as a communal activity, with neighbors often taking turns using the shared sihrana and assisting one another throughout the labor-intensive boiling process.
Havva Ors, a resident of the neighborhood, said that making good pekmez requires experience. Noting that she has been producing pekmez for about 20 years, Ors said the secret to good pekmez lies first in the quality of the grapes and then in the skill of the person boiling it, adding that the consistency needs to be gotten just right.
She said the grapes are boiled for a long period of time. As they near the point of becoming pekmez, she explained, they start to boil differently.
"We drip a few drops of pekmez onto the soil," she said. "If the soil doesn't absorb the pekmez and the pekmez holds its shape, we say, 'That's it, this pekmez is ready.'"
She added that the pan is then taken down and the cooking process is stopped. According to Ors, villagers take turns boiling their pekmez, with the process sometimes continuing day and night for an entire month without letting the sihrana fire go out.
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