Aydın İnciri

Aydın İnciri is the name given to dried Sarılop figs produced in Aydın province in the Aegean region of western Turkey. Sarılop figs are a variety of Ficus carica domestica (female fig), a type of Ficus carica erinosyce, a subspecies of Ficus carica L. The European Commission entered it in the register of protected designations of origin on 17 February 2016, by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/215, published in Official Journal L 40. The application was submitted by Aydın Chamber of Commerce (Aydın Ticaret Odası), which is also the competent control authority. The EU application reference is TR-PDO-0005-01116, with an application date of 11 June 2013.

The Turkish government launched the national procedure by publishing the application in Official Gazette of the Turkish Republic No 26234 of 20 July 2006.

What makes it distinct

Aydın İnciri is a variety of dried fig. The ecological and human factors that characterise its ripening and drying process give it its thin skin, soft texture, and whitish-yellow skin colour. The method of drying used to produce Aydın İnciri distinguishes it from dried figs produced in other regions. The figs are dried in the sun, by skilled and experienced workers, using traditional methods and in a completely natural environment.

Physical characteristics:

• Shell: whitish yellow, thin and soft

• Seeds: filled

• Size: the number of fruit per kilogram must be at most 90

Chemical characteristics per 100 grams:

• Water: maximum 20%

• Energy: minimum 213 kcal

• Total sugar: minimum 50%

• Calcium (Ca): minimum 120mg

Organoleptic characteristics: The kernel is smooth in texture, quite honeyish and viscous; it leaves a particularly sweet flavour and has a sweet smell.

Production zone

The geographical area is all districts and villages of the province of Aydın. All processes from production through to harvesting and drying must be carried out within this geographical area. Major production districts in the Büyük Menderes valley include Sarayköy, Buharkent, Nazilli, Sultanhisar, Aydın, İncirliova, Germencik, Ortaklar, and Söke. Districts in the Küçük Menderes valley include Ödemiş, Tire, Bayındır, Torbalı, and Selçuk.

Soil and climate

The region where Aydın İnciri is produced is characterised by deep, sandy-clay soils enriched by organic materials and lime originating from gneiss or schist and gneiss parent rock. The sandy-clay nature of the soil limits the amount of water retained, preventing the growth of bacterial and fungal diseases and producing high-quality fruit. Approximately 90% of Aydın İnciri is produced on mountainous, sloping terrain. The groundwater level is below 2 metres. Soil pH value is 6–7.8.

Winters are warm and summers are hot and dry. The annual average temperature is between 18°C and 20°C. Temperatures of up to 30–32°C recorded during the ripening and drying periods are essential for drying the figs. Average annual precipitation is 625–675mm. It is important for the weather to be dry and cloudless during the ripening and drying season of August–September. The average rainfall in August and September is 41–98mm.

The wind systems prevalent in the Büyük and Küçük Menderes valleys are critical to producing high-quality dried figs and delimit the area where the figs can be grown. The north-east wind, which blows in the mornings, is important for the ripening and drying of the figs. The humid sea breeze blowing from the west in the afternoons makes the figs grow large and thin-skinned. The concurrent blowing of both winds from different directions means the figs are dried in such a way as to produce a high-quality product.

Harvest and drying

Figs ripened enough and sufficiently dried fall from the trees naturally. These fallen figs are picked one by one by experienced personnel by hand each day. Waste figs and high-quality figs are picked in separate containers. Figs are transported carefully in shallow baskets to wooden drying beds.

Harvested figs are spread on wooden beds in a single line in a continuously sun-soaked and airy place in the garden. The drying figs are checked by experienced personnel each day early in the morning and late in the afternoon. In the evening the figs are piled and covered with a thick textured cover for protection against insects and possible dew. They are spread again in a single line in the early morning. This process is repeated every day until the figs have dried to the correct level of moisture.

Dried figs are collected from the beds and stored, classified according to relevant quality classes. Aydın İnciri requires very careful workmanship during harvest and drying.

Caprification

As Aydın İnciri is consumed as dried figs, pollination must be applied. The bee Blastophaga psenes serves as the natural pollinator. For Sarılop trees, a caprifig fruit that ripens and reaches the size of a large nut between 5–20 June is picked from male fig trees and hung on the female trees. Caprification is one of the major factors increasing the quality of Aydın İnciri. Caprific markets are established in most districts of Aydın during the pollination season.

Human factors

Aydın İnciri has been produced in this area for thousands of years. Reference to figs being grown in Caria in west Anatolia by the botanical name ficus carica L. proves the antiquity and importance of fig-growing culture in the Aegean region. Fig production has become such an art for the people of the region that they teach the techniques to their children at an early age.

Control and certification

The competent control authority, as listed in the EU register, is Aydın Chamber of Commerce (Aydın Ticaret Odası). The Directorate of Fig Research Station (İncir Araştırma İstasyonu Müdürlüğü) in İncirliova, Aydın, is responsible for research and maintaining fig quality. Export companies must obtain a permit from the Directorate of Food, Agriculture and Livestock for each product shipment. Products are inspected through sampling for quality, physical characteristics, and presence of insects, fungi, and aflatoxin. Producers are inspected annually and products are subjected to pesticide analysis.