Regional specialities are foods that bring a region's climate, cooking habits and production methods handed down through generations to the table. In WeNatur's Regional Specialities collection you will find selected cheeses, butters, meat products, pastes, dried vegetables and pickles from different regions of Turkey, from the Black Sea to the Aegean and from Eastern Anatolia to Antep. In this guide we introduce the products region by region and explain what to look for on the label, how to use them in the kitchen and how to store them.
For many families living in Europe, a block of Ezine cheese, a jar of Antep paste or a pack of Aydın tarhana is a reminder of the taste of home cooking. We ship these specialities from our warehouse in Germany, so you can enjoy familiar flavours without having to travel far.
What are regional specialities?
Regional specialities are foods made according to the traditional recipes of a particular city or region, using methods typical of that area. Examples include pulling cheese curd into strings in Erzurum, salting and drying meat and coating it with çemen spice paste in Kayseri, and making paste from sun-dried peppers in Antep. The city name in the product name often refers to a way of making it and a flavour character, for example "Kayseri style" or "Rize style".
What these products have in common is a short ingredient list. The labels of many products in our collection list only a few ingredients: peppers or tomatoes and salt in the homemade Antep pastes, pomegranate juice and rock salt in the pomegranate sauce, and cow's milk, salt and rennet in Ezine cheese.
Regional specialities at WeNatur, region by region
Below we have grouped the regional specialities in the collection by the regions they come from. The ingredient list, allergen information and storage conditions for each product can be found on the product page and on the label.
Black Sea: butter, kuymak cheese and kavurma
- Trabzon Village Butter 500 g: made using traditional methods handed down through generations on the Black Sea coast, with its own distinctive texture and taste.
- Trabzon Kuymak Cheese 400 g: a traditional cheese that melts and stretches when heated, which is why it is preferred for kuymak (muhlama) and künefe.
- Rize-Style Kavurma 500 g: 100 percent beef is cut into small cubes and slowly cooked in its own fat; a halal breakfast product.
Central and Eastern Anatolia: pastırma, sucuk and cheeses
- Kayseri-Style Pastırma 200 g: carefully selected beef is salted, dried and matured with a coating of spicy çemen paste.
- Kayseri Butcher's Sucuk: known for its distinctive spice aroma; supplied as a single ring of about 500 g.
- Erzurum Çeçil Cheese 500 g: the cheese curd is pulled into long strings and braided; known for its texture that pulls apart in strings.
- Erzincan Tulum Cheese in Skin 500 g: matured using traditional methods and stands out for its intense aroma and crumbly, semi-hard texture.
Aegean and Marmara: Ezine cheese and tarhana
- Çanakkale Ezine Cheese 600 g: a white cheese made from cow's milk, salt and rennet that no breakfast table should be without.
- Homemade Aydın Tarhana 700 g: wheat flour, yoghurt, tomatoes, red peppers, onions and spices are kneaded in season, dried in the sun and ground into a powder.
South-East (Antep): pastes, dried vegetables and pickles
- Antep Homemade Tomato Paste 1 kg and Antep Homemade Sweet Pepper Paste 1 kg: thick pastes containing only tomatoes or peppers and salt.
- Antep Homemade Hot Pepper Paste 1 kg: hot peppers are crushed, salted and thickened by drying in the sun using the traditional method.
- Antep Dried Peppers for Stuffing and Antep Dried Aubergines for Stuffing: in packs of 45–50 pieces, dried on strings and ready for kuru dolma.
- Antep Acur Pickles 1 kg: acur, known for its ridged skin, is pickled with drinking water, salt and vinegar and matured using the traditional method.
Kitchen essentials
100% Pomegranate Sauce Without Additives 330 g is made by slowly simmering the juice of ripe pomegranates and contains only pomegranate juice and rock salt. Natural Farm Butter 1 kg is made in the traditional way from fresh milk cream, contains at least 82 percent milk fat and has no additives.
Choosing regional specialities: what to look for on the label
- Ingredient list: In traditional recipes the ingredient list is usually short. In paste you can expect tomatoes or peppers and salt, in pomegranate sauce pomegranate juice and salt.
- Milk fat and type of milk: For butter, check the milk fat content; for cheese, check which milk it is made from.
- Net quantity: For products such as sucuk the weight may be given as an approximate figure; for dried vegetables the number of pieces is stated.
- Allergen information: Tarhana contains wheat flour and yoghurt, while cheese and butter contain milk. Always read the allergen section.
- Storage conditions: For products that need to be kept chilled, pay attention to the storage temperature on the label.
Kitchen ideas with regional specialities
Regional specialities can be used in many recipes, from everyday meals to weekend breakfasts. Here are a few ideas:
- Black Sea breakfast: Melt kuymak cheese in Trabzon village butter and make kuymak with cornmeal; serve with Rize-style kavurma.
- Winter table: Mix Aydın tarhana with water, bring it to the boil and drizzle hot pepper paste sizzled in butter over the top.
- Kuru dolma: Soften the dried Antep peppers and aubergines in hot water and fill them with a mixture of rice, paste and spices; season with pomegranate sauce.
- Egg pans: Eggs with pastırma or sucuk are a weekend breakfast classic.
- Salads: Make a refreshing salad with Ezine cheese, pomegranate sauce and acur pickles.
If you are looking for more ideas for the breakfast table, take a look at our Breakfast Products sub-collection, which brings together cheese, butter, olives and sweet spreads.
Storage tips
Because most regional specialities have a simple composition, proper storage is the most important step in keeping them fresh. Keep cheese, butter, sucuk, pastırma and kavurma in the fridge at the temperature stated on the label; after opening, wrap them airtight and use them up quickly. Pouring a thin layer of olive oil over the surface of the paste is a practical method when using an opened jar; keep the jar in the fridge. Store tarhana and the dried peppers and aubergines in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place, away from moisture. For pickles and pomegranate sauce, also follow the after-opening storage instructions on the label.
Frequently asked questions about regional specialities
How are the regional specialities shipped within Germany?
All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Germany with DHL or DPD. Within Germany, shipping is free for orders over 100 €. For details, please see our shipping policy.
Where can I find the ingredients of the regional specialities?
The ingredient list, allergen information and storage conditions for each product are on the product page and on the label.
Which products should I start with?
If you are new to regional specialities, Ezine cheese and Trabzon village butter are a good start for breakfast, and the Antep pastes and tarhana for dinner.
Conclusion
From Black Sea butter to Antep paste, from Erzurum çeçil cheese to Aydın tarhana, regional specialities bring the variety of Turkish cuisine to your table in Europe. By reading the label, storing the products properly and trying traditional recipes, you can enjoy these flavours to the full. You will find all products in the Regional Specialities collection. If you have any questions, you can reach us via our contact page.
Source: Wikipedia – Turkish cuisine
