Antep Fıstık Ezmesi

Appearance & taste

The pistachio paste is rolled out 3 to 4 cm thick and cut into pieces. It contains at least 45 % pistachios, at least 45 % sugar and 8 to 10 % water; its fat content is 25 to 30 %. The specification sets measured values for the colour.

The Boziç pistachios of which the paste is made are lighter than fully ripe pistachios; their kernels are less developed and dark green inside.

Production

Early-harvested pistachios from Gaziantep, called Boziç, are used, among others of the varieties Uzun, Nizip, Urfa or Barak Yıldızı, with at most 5 % moisture. They are harvested between the end of July and the first half of August, 30 to 40 days before the regular pistachio harvest; the producers select regularly shaped fruits. According to the specification, the selection of the pistachios is the decisive point of production.

The pistachios are dried, shelled and ground. Sugar and water are boiled into a syrup, which is mixed with the pistachios. The mixture is cooled and kneaded: too little kneading means the pistachios do not blend properly into the paste, too much kneading makes them lose fat. The dough is then rolled out and rolled up on a marble slab, which must be covered with exactly the right amount of oil, and portioned. All steps from harvest to portioning take place in the area.

Origin & history

The area is the province of Gaziantep, whose city was admitted to the UNESCO “Creative Cities Network” in 2015. According to the specification, the oldest known reference to the pistachio paste dates from 1963, in the journal Türk Coğrafya Dergisi. According to the journal of pistachio research, it was offered as a sweet in 1970. In 1995 it is mentioned in a poem about the cuisine and desserts of Gaziantep. A 2001 publication of the Pistachio Research Institute in Gaziantep, according to the specification the earliest scientific study of the product, records that it is sold in very large quantities at home and abroad. The producers’ knowledge is passed on from masters to journeymen and from generation to generation.