The international Slow Food movement has added two traditional products from eastern Türkiye — Erzincan’s tulum cheese and the Cimin grape — to its Ark of Taste catalogue, a global inventory designed to safeguard endangered foods, seeds and livestock breeds.
Founded in 1986 in Italy by Carlo Petrini and his colleagues, Slow Food emerged as a response to the spread of industrial food systems, fast-paced consumption and the erosion of local culinary traditions.
The movement advocates for environmentally sustainable production, protection indigenous seeds and methods and equitable conditions for small-scale producers, while promoting biodiversity through organic agriculture.
The inclusion of Erzincan tulum cheese — a distinctive, cave-aged sheep’s milk cheese — and the region’s aromatic Cimin grape follows an application by Kuzeydoğu Anadolu Kalkınma Ajansı (KUDAKA), a Turkish regional development agency.
The listing underscores the cultural and ecological value of the products, both of which are deeply rooted in local knowledge and traditional production practices.
Lokman Altınbilek, coordinator of KUDAKA’s Erzincan investment support office, said the recognition marks a significant step in elevating the province’s gastronomic heritage on a global stage.
Local producers also welcomed the development. Cheesemaker Mehmet Kaya described the growing international recognition as encouraging, while grape producer Ömer Kaya emphasized its potential economic and cultural benefits, expressing hope that Erzincan’s regional specialties will reach broader markets.
