Taşköprü Sarımsağı

Taşköprü Sarımsağı is a garlic of the species Allium sativum var. sativum (softneck garlic) grown in the Taşköprü administrative district of Kastamonu province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. The European Commission entered it in the register of protected designations of origin on 16 April 2021, by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/615, published in Official Journal L 131. The application was submitted by Taşköprü Belediye Başkanlığı (Taşköprü Municipality). The EU application reference is PDO-TR-02217, with an application date of 9 January 2017. The Turkish domestic GI registration is No: 135, protected as of 15 June 2010.

Local farmers call the product 'white gold'. The International Taşköprü Sarımsağı and Culture Festival has been organised annually in September for approximately 30 years, held at the ancient city of Pompeipolis in Taşköprü.

What makes it distinct

The three defining specificities of Taşköprü Sarımsağı, as identified in the PDO specification and Single Document, are its bitterness due to high selenium content, its particularly strong and persistent smell, and its long conservation time.

Taşköprü Sarımsağı is a late bloomer with a long cultivation period. The head has an oval cross section, elliptic longitudinal section, white shell, diameter of 30–40 mm, and weight of 15–60 grams. The cloves are tight, not all identical, randomly ordered within the head, distorted in form, and tend to generate outer cloves. Clove weight is 2–3 grams. The shell is pink and the interior creamy-yellow.

Physical and chemical properties

The following values are taken directly from the PDO specification and Single Document:

Head characteristics:

• Diameter: 30–40 mm

• Weight: 15–60 g

• Shell colour: white

• Shell separation from head: difficult

• Protective layers: 5–10

• Average number of cloves: 12

Chemical parameters:

• Dry matter content: 31.2–44.1%

• Minimum selenium content: 3.535 mg kg⁻¹ on dry matter

• Volatile organic sulfur compounds (dry): 0.089–0.214%

• Minimum Allyl Propyl disulfide (C6H12S2) content: 0.0147 mg kg⁻¹ on dry matter

• Essential oil: 0.147–0.370%

• Total sugar: 35.17–49.67%

Storage: Can be stored up to 10–11 months under appropriate conditions.

The selenium content of Taşköprü district soils averages 22.34 mg kg⁻¹ — the highest of all Turkish garlic-growing provinces measured in the comparative study referenced in the specification. The high selenium content of the soil directly determines the minimum selenium content of the garlic and is the primary driver of its characteristic bitterness.

Production zone

The geographical area is the Taşköprü administrative district of Kastamonu province, covering 1,811.31 km². All processes from planting through to harvesting and drying must be carried out within Taşköprü district. The plain where Taşköprü district lies extends along the Gök river; the alluvial soils of this plain are well suited to garlic cultivation.

Climate and growing conditions

The Black Sea climate influences Taşköprü district. Annual average temperature is 9.7°C. The lowest average winter temperature is 1.2°C and the highest average summer temperature is 20.1°C.

The growing period runs from the end of February to the last week of July. Average temperatures are 4.2°C when cultivation begins in February, rising to 14.1°C in May, 17.4°C in June, and 20.1°C in July at harvest. These temperatures from May to July are ideal for accelerated growth and increase the number of cloves due to the late blooming of the plant. Growth decelerates when temperatures exceed 25°C.

April, May, and June are the rainiest months, with averages of 51.4 mm, 74.1 mm, and 65.3 mm respectively. This rainfall is sufficient that Taşköprü Sarımsağı can generally be cultivated without irrigation. July and August are dry months (28–30.4 mm on average), and this drought is necessary for drying the garlic and maintaining head structure and storage quality.

The annual average humidity is 70%, which enables the high dry matter content and the long post-harvest storage life. During the harvest period in July and August, humidity is approximately 60% — ideal to allow field drying while protecting against mould.

The soils of Taşköprü are predominantly loamy to sandy loamy, with pH of 7.15–7.86 and low to medium organic matter content. The high average selenium content of these alluvial soils directly produces the garlic's minimum selenium specification and its characteristic bitter taste. The high Allyl propyl disulfide content, which gives the garlic its particularly strong smell, is also linked to these soil parameters.

Production method

Planting takes place at the end of February and in March. Cloves are selected by the grower from the previous year's harvest and stored until planting. Heads are separated into cloves by hand — a critical step, as hand separation avoids crushing that reduces germination quality. Cloves are planted by hand at 10–12 cm intervals with the root part down and the sprout upward, ensuring regular spacing and correct orientation. Machine planting places seeds obliquely or upside down, delaying germination by 5–10 days compared to hand planting.

Weed control and soil ventilation are performed manually throughout the growing period. No irrigation is made after 20 June.

Ripening is indicated by yellowing of the leaves, typically in early July. Once ripe, the above-ground parts are laid flat with equipment to accelerate head development without damage. After approximately two weeks of field drying, garlic heads are carefully removed.

Field drying is critical for storage quality. Harvested garlic is laid on the soil surface in small bunches called elba and dried in the sun for approximately two weeks, turned upside down once per week for even drying. The specific climatic conditions of the district — dry July heat with controlled humidity — make this field drying technique possible. Garlic is then transported to cool dry warehouses before dawn to prevent moisture-induced clove separation.

Garlic is classified into three grades by head size and quality during the şeaf (sheaving) process before market. Sales are either in bond form (knitted bunches) or in packed and labelled form.

Approximately 3,500–4,000 families in the Taşköprü region produce 20,000–25,000 tonnes of garlic per year.

Control and certification

The competent control authorities, as listed in the EU Register Extract, are the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture (Saraçlar Mahallesi Bayındır Sokak No: 2, 37820 Merkez/Kastamonu) and the Agricultural District Directorate (Tekke, Şht. Cevdet Üstündağ Sk., 37400 Taşköprü/Kastamonu). Compliance with the specification is verified twice per year and on each occasion a complaint is received by a commission of at least three people drawn from Taşköprü Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture, the Agricultural District Directorate, and the Atatürk Horticultural Central Research Institute of Yalova. The leading authority coordinating controls is Taşköprü Municipality.