Gaziantep: The Turkish City Built on 'Green Gold' and Legendary Baklava

Gaziantep: Where 'Green Gold' Fuels a Culinary Legacy

For centuries, the vibrant green pistachio has been more than just a nut in Gaziantep; it's the very soul of this ancient Turkish city, celebrated as the nation's culinary heart. Known affectionately as "green gold" by locals, this prized ingredient isn't merely an economic cornerstone but the secret behind Gaziantep's world-renowned baklava and a cherished symbol deeply woven into the city's identity.

As late summer arrives, the bustling bakers of Gaziantep trade their kitchens for the sun-drenched pistachio orchards that crisscross Turkey's southeastern plains. This isn't just a harvest; it's a meticulous quest for perfection. While September marks the general harvest, some pistachios are carefully hand-picked nearly a month earlier. At this stage, the "nut-like drupes" are still small, boasting an exquisite emerald hue and an extraordinary flavor profile.

“Bakery owners go around to all the trees, tasting as they go,” explains Aylin Öney Tan, editor of the definitive cookbookA Taste of Sun and Fire. “When the harvest is nearly ready, they’ll buy an entire orchard’s worth on the spot.” This early-season selection is indispensable for crafting iconic sweets likekatmer(creamy breakfast pastries) and the legendary baklava, which draw dessert aficionados on a pilgrimage to Gaziantep. Here, these delicacies transcend mere sugary treats; they are a vital thread in the fabric of one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities.

Sweets That Mark Life's Milestones

In Gaziantep, sweets are far more than after-dinner delights; they punctuate nearly every significant life event. “Sweets go beyond desserts here – they mark nearly all of our milestones,” shares Hatice Pekmez, an associate professor at Gaziantep University specializing in gastronomy and culture. From the joyous trays of syrupy pistachio baklava shared to welcome a new baby, to the comforting spoonfuls of soft semolinahalvaserved to mourners, these culinary traditions span life from "cradle to grave."

“Sharing these dishes is a way we strengthen community bonds,” Pekmez emphasizes, underscoring the deep social role of these cherished recipes.

The Morning Ritual of Katmer: A Taste of Sweet Beginnings

Before the first rays of dawn touch the city, bakers begin kindling their oak-fired ovens, revered for their pure, smokeless heat. Their early rise is dedicated to creatingkatmer—delicate envelopes of thinly stretched dough, folded around a luscious filling of sweet pistachios and clotted cream. By 8:00 AM, the century-old, family-run bakery Katmerci Zekeriya Usta is already abuzz. Locals gather around small wooden tables, passing chilled milk among plates ofkatmer, served hot and crisp-edged straight from the ovens.

“Newlyweds have katmer as their first breakfast,” reveals Mehmet Özsimitçi, the bakery's third-generation owner. “The idea is that they will eat sweetly and talk sweetly in their new lives.” Özsimitçi, who began his apprenticeship as a child, still starts his day withkatmerat 65. He explains that replicating Gaziantep's distinctivekatmerwould be impossible without its local flavors – the exquisite pistachios from nearby orchards and clarified butter sourced from mountain-grazed herds.

“In Gaziantep we have great respect for the ingredients,” Özsimitçi affirms, highlighting the deep connection between the land and its culinary heritage.

Tracing the Ancient Roots of Gaziantep's 'Green Gold'

The enticing aroma from Katmerci Zekeriya Usta’s ovens weaves through the labyrinthine streets of Gaziantep’s old city, a place some researchers believe emerged as a Neolithic settlement over 10,000 years ago. The city’s profound connection to pistachios is further illuminated at the small, free-to-visit Pistachio Museum. Housed fittingly in a pistachio-shaped building nestled among pistachio trees, the museum showcases pistachio remains dating back to the 3rd millennium BCE, discovered at Oylum Höyük, an archaeological site south of Gaziantep with continuous habitation since 3400 BCE. This rich history solidifies Gaziantep's claim as a trueTurkish city built on 'green gold'.

An Unofficial Pistachio Trail Through the City

Today, visitors can easily spend days exploring an unofficial pistachio trail throughout Gaziantep. In the city's ancient covered markets, pyramidal mounds of pistachios tempt passersby—from fresh nuts still encased in their blushing, petal-like skins to perfectly roasted versions ideal for snacking. Stalls at the Bakırcılar Çarşısı (Coppersmiths’ Bazaar) offer pistachio-dusted Turkish delight and sweet rolls of pistachio paste. Neon signs outside bakeries boldly flash "fıstık" (pistachio) in eye-catching lime-green letters, an ever-present reminder of the city's defining ingredient.

Beyond its culinary significance, "fıstık" holds a special place in local endearments. To tell a friend they are beautiful, one might say "fıstık gibisin" – literally, "you are like a pistachio." Calling someone "fıstığım," or "my pistachio," is a heartfelt term of affection, demonstrating how deeply ingrained this "green gold" is in daily life and language.

The Celebrated Harvest and Terroir

The annual GastroAntep Festival each September celebrates the pistachio harvest with workshops and pop-up dinners. This region still accounts for over 70% of Turkey's pistachio crop, where the rocky soil forces trees to develop deep roots, and the intense summer heat bakes the nuts to perfect ripeness. “Gaziantep pistachios are sweeter and greener than those grown elsewhere,” notes Mustafa Özgüler, executive chef of the Gaziantep bakery-restaurant Orkide, famous for its pistachio cookies and baklava.

Chef Özgüler and his son, Emir, led a visit to a hilltop pistachio orchard near Orkide, its 500 trees decades old, deeded to the city after the devastating 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquakes. “Many people have abağ evi, a house with pistachio and walnut trees where you spend the weekend,” Emir shared, as fallen leaves crunched underfoot. “In earlier times, wealth in Gaziantep was measured in the pistachio lands you had.”

Baklava: The Uncontested King of Gaziantep's Pastry Pantheon

Despite the incredible variety of Gaziantep's pistachio desserts, baklava reigns supreme. Founded in 1871 within the historic Elmacı Bazaar, the humble shop Güllüoğlu proudly claims to be the country's oldest continually operated baklava bakery. Its display window gleams with classic square-shaped baklava, turnover-likeşöbiyet, and slim wedges ofhavuç dilimibaklava, each spilling with brilliant pistachio filling.

The Güllüoğlu legacy traces back to its founder, Güllü Çelebi, who, during a mid-19th-century pilgrimage to Mecca, was captivated by the walnut baklava in Damascus and Aleppo. Returning home, he ingeniously adapted the recipe, substituting walnuts for the abundantly available local pistachios—a culinary stroke of genius that irrevocably transformed his city’s sweet traditions.

The Art and Dedication of Master Baklava Bakers

“There’s a huge pride in baklava production,” states Filiz Hösükoğlu, a gastronomy expert from Gaziantep. “It’s like the sense of workmanship that Michelangelo brought to Florence. It’s the same with baklava in Gaziantep.” This deep-seated reverence for the craft is evident throughout the city. Hösükoğlu fondly recalls her father buying trays of pistachio baklava to mark the end of Ramadan, sharing it with every guest—a tradition that exemplifies the enduring allegiances families hold to their preferred bakers.

For visitors, exploring this variety is a delight. After sampling Güllüoğlu's creations, a journey to Koçak Baklava, in a newer part of the city, reveals a palatial dining room filled with patrons savoring meticulously plated confections. An early morning visit to the upstairs workshop of İmam Çağdaş, a bakery-restaurant founded in 1887, offers an even deeper insight. Here, white-coated bakers move with fluid precision, using slender wooden batons to roll dough into sheets so transparent they are almost ethereal. They slide metal trays into stone ovens, where orange coals from morning fires radiate intense heat, as syrupy liquid bubbles in vast vats, ready to be ladled over the freshly baked baklava.

Burhan Çağdaş, the bakery's fourth-generation owner, who joined the family business at just 12 years old, shared that some of these master bakers have dedicated over 50 years to their craft, starting as young as eight or nine. “It takes a minimum of five years to educate a great baklava master,” he emphasizes.

Çağdaş, now 63, joined me over a plate of baklava, offering a simple yet profound instruction: eat each piece upside-down. This way, the syrupy bottom touches the palate first, preventing the flaky top layers from sticking to the teeth. For him, the family business transcends mere food; it's inextricably linked to Gaziantep’s rituals, from births and marriages to religious celebrations and funerals. “It is a culture, a whole way of life,” he concluded with a smile. “There is air, water and baklava.”