Newsletters
Trabzon ice cream, now registered with a geographical indication (a label that ties a product's name and quality to the region where it is made), is expected to boost gastronomy tourism in the Black Sea city, which welcomes large numbers of visitors every year for its natural beauty, history, and cultural heritage.
Made from full-fat cow's milk, salep, a flour made from orchid tubers, and sugar, the ice cream stands apart from similar products because it is cooked for a long time. After registration, authorities aim to standardize production under a common recipe in the city and promote the product in Türkiye and abroad.
Local producers also vary the ice cream with regional products such as hazelnut and ligarba, a type of Black Sea fruit leather. It is expected to raise Trabzon's gastronomy brand value and contribute to milk producers, employment and the city's economy.
About two years ago, research by Assoc. Prof. Mehmet Akif Sen of the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department at Sakarya University of Applied Sciences was followed by an application from the Trabzon Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TTSO) to the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office.
The product received a geographical indication certificate under the name "Trabzon ice cream." Joining gastronomic values such as Akcaabat meatballs and Trabzon kuymak, a cornmeal and cheese dish, it became the city's 10th geographically registered food product.
1 min read
TTSO President Erkut Celebi said that Trabzon has 16 registered products in total, 10 of them in the food sector. He said efforts continue to obtain certificates for Arakli Aho cheese, cornbread baked in a tin in Surmene, and sari kurabiye, a type of shortbread cookie.
Calling ice cream an important product in terms of economic and added value, Celebi said infrastructure work has begun to carry it first to Türkiye and then to other parts of the world for sale and export.
He said the product's history dates back to the 1800s and that the aim is to promote it under a common brand. "We will try to unite many ice creams under the Trabzon ice cream name and create a brand in the world," he said, adding that it will add value to gastronomy.
Sen said the ice cream, made with full-fat cow's milk, may be the first in world literature to be produced by cooking for at least eight hours. He said the long cooking gives the milk a yellowish color.
According to Sen, sensory tests showed consumers are satisfied with both its taste and appearance, while the high dry matter, resulting from long cooking, leads to high protein and fat, high nutritional value, and a viscous texture. He stressed that registration during the city's bid to become a UNESCO City of Gastronomy is important.
Ice cream producer Bekir Akturk said they aim to reach wider audiences after registration. He said the product has no additives, is made with the milk's own fat, and is produced in line with hygiene rules.
Akturk said the sector will open to Türkiye and the world from Trabzon, making villagers' milk more valuable, contributing to the economy, and creating jobs. He added that his business also combines the ice cream with hazelnut and ligarba to add value.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
