Adana Şalgamı

Adana Şalgamı is a fermented beverage with a purple-red colour, cloudy appearance, and sour taste, produced in the city of Adana in southern Turkey. The European Commission entered it in the Union register of geographical indications on 12 March 2026 by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/545, published in Official Journal L series. The application was submitted by Adana Ticaret Odası (Adana Chamber of Commerce). The Turkish domestic GI registration number is 489, recognised on 6 March 2020.

The product is made from black carrots (Daucus carota), turnips (Brassica rapa), and drinking water, fermented with the addition of bulgur (dried cracked wheat) flour, sourdough starter, and salt. No colouring agents are permitted. Unlike most beverages associated with a geographical indication, none of the raw ingredients are grown in Adana itself — the link to the geographical area rests entirely on the human factor: the accumulated craft knowledge of Adana's producers, transmitted through generations and expressed in sourdough preparation, fermentation judgement, and ingredient balancing.

What makes it distinct

Three interlocking craft skills define authentic Adana Şalgamı and distinguish it from generic şalgam produced elsewhere in Turkey:

Sourdough preparation: The starter culture is made from bulgur flour, water, salt, and a portion of previously fermented dough, fermented for several days to develop a balanced microbial culture of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts. This starter gives the product its characteristic acidic yet slightly bitter taste. An incorrectly prepared or different starter produces a fermentation that does not develop the traditional flavour and aroma.

Determining the end of fermentation: Producers monitor fermentation through sensory observation — aroma, colour, and gas release — and by measuring pH, with the optimal range of 3.3–3.8. Premature interruption produces an underdeveloped product; excessive fermentation creates over-sharp acidity and flavour imbalance.

Balancing ingredient quantities: Proportions of black carrot, turnip, bulgur, salt, and water are adjusted with precision. Insufficient black carrots produce a faded colour and weak aroma; too many cause bitterness. Salt concentration directly affects microbial development and product safety.

The specification records that the oldest producer in Adana has been producing and selling Adana Şalgamı continuously since 1930.

Analytical characteristics

The PGI specification defines the following mandatory analytical parameters:

Ingredients and proportions

Industrial method (per 100 litres of water):

• Black carrots: minimum 18 kg, cleaned, processed with rasp or steel-wire brush, cut according to thickness (thin carrots longitudinally; thick carrots with woody cores cut laterally with ligneous core material discarded)

• Turnips: 3 kg chopped taproot pieces, placed in cloth pouches

• Salt: 1–1.2 kg (October to April) or 1.5 kg (May to September), rock salt preferred; refined salt not permitted

• Sourdough: bulgur flour kneaded with water to dough and placed in porous cloth pouches

• Optional additions: hot capsicum (dried under shade, chopped to chickpea size) and garlic (mould-free, skinned)

Traditional method (per 250 litres):

• Black carrots: 40–45 kg

• Rock salt: 3 kg

• Turnips: 7 kg

• Sourdough: 1,250–1,500 g bulgur flour

Production method

Industrial: Settled and strained salt water is placed in a food-contact container. Black carrots and sourdough pouches are distributed evenly. The container is sealed and left at room temperature. After 10–15 days the container is opened; any surface film (resembling top milk) is mixed in; if green or blue-green it is sieved out completely. Turnip pouches are then added. Garlic may be added optionally at this stage. Hot capsicum, if used, is separately fermented with a portion of near-complete turnip juice. Total fermentation takes 20–45 days depending on season. The product is strained and bottled in glass or plastic bottles; permitted preservatives (benzoic acid — benzoates) may be added. If no preservatives are used, pasteurisation or cold-chain delivery is required. Recommended shelf life is one year from production date.

Traditional: A wooden or plastic cask is used. Sourdough is prepared separately with bulgur flour, fresh yeast, and brine, then added to 100 litres of water in the cask and strained after 1–2 hours. Black carrots and salt are added and mixed. Turnips are placed in the cask. The mixture is stirred at 4-hour intervals for 5 days and surface lees removed through cheesecloth. Fermentation continues approximately 20 days in winter and approximately 10 days in summer.

All steps — ingredient preparation, fermentation, and bottling — must take place within the city of Adana.

Geographical area

The production area is the city of Adana, located in central Cilicia on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Adana is the administrative seat of Adana province and home to 79% of the province's residents.

Historical and cultural record

Adana Şalgamı has been sold as a street drink throughout the city for decades, traditionally consumed alongside Adana Kebabı and with rakı. Its association with the Adana Conference of 30–31 January 1943 — at which British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was served the beverage during talks with Turkish President İsmet İnönü — has become a well-known anecdote cited in all local and national sources. The Adana Kebab and Adana Şalgamı Festival has been held annually for more than 20 years. Research published in academic sources (Göçhan, 2009; Say and Balli, 2012) identifies Adana Şalgamı as one of the leading gastronomy tourism products of the Adana region.

Control and certification

The competent control authority named in the Register Extract is:

• Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, General Directorate of Food and Control (Gıda ve Kontrol Genel Müdürlüğü) — Eskişehir Yolu 9. Km., Lodumlu, Ankara — carries out official controls under Law No. 5996 on Veterinary Services, Plant Health, Food and Feed

Inspection is also carried out locally by a multi-member authority chaired by the Adana Chamber of Commerce, including representatives of the Adana Şalgamı Producers Association, Adana Metropolitan Municipality, Seyhan and Yüreğir district municipalities, and Adana Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry.