Taste of Heritage: Gaziantep’s Iconic Tastes Secure EU Protection
EU’s Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status was granted to Gaziantep Baklavası in 2013, cementing its reputation as a delicious dessert made with high-quality Antep pistachios, locally produced butter and expertly crafted thin layers of pastry.
Then, equal recognition has recently been given to the region’s traditional coffee substitute. Gaziantep Menengiç Kahvesi is made from wild pistachios, earning it the EU’s Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status in 2024.
This year, Gaziantep Fıstık Ezmesi has been granted EU PGI status.
EUROPEAN UNION, 2025
Burhan Çağdaş, a baklava chef
Baklava chef Burhan Çağdaş, who was part of the team that prepared the Gaziantep Baklavası recipe for EU registration, highlights the rigorous process. “The EU carried out a very detailed examination, from the proportion of ingredients and the use of natural materials to the packaging and finally recognised our baklava. The EU’s GI has played an important role in standardising Gaziantep Baklavası. Since the registration, demand has soared, especially from Europe, America and the Middle East.”
EUROPEAN UNION, 2025
The EU’s GI has played an important role in standardising Gaziantep Baklavası
Selim Bağcı, who with his father produces both Menengiç Kahvesi and Antep Baklavası in Gaziantep, sees the EU recognition as a game changer. “Our culture and flavours will now reach a new audience. Menengiç Kahvesi and Baklavası complement each other perfectly; I recommend guests to try them together to experience the essence of Gaziantep”.
Urban planner Anıl Kaygusuz, who spent part of his childhood in Gaziantep, agrees. “I absolutely love them both” he says. “They are essential elements of the city’s intangible heritage and embody the rich traditions of Gaziantep.”
EUROPEAN UNION, 2025
Ambassador Thomas Ossowski, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye
Ambassador Thomas Ossowski, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye, says: “The EU’s Geographical Indications system celebrates the distinctiveness of local products, ensuring they are preserved and appreciated. Turkish treasures like Gaziantep Baklavası, Menengiç Kahvesi, and Gaziantep Fıstık Ezmesi embody centuries of tradition and craftsmanship, and we are delighted to see their authenticity safeguarded for generations to come with the EU’s registration.”
EUROPEAN UNION, 2025
Adnan Ünverdi, President of the Gaziantep Chamber of Industry
Pistachio: the heart of Gaziantep’s cuisine
At the heart of all three products is the Antep pistachio, a symbol of Gaziantep’s culinary identity.
Adnan Ünverdi, president of the Gaziantep Chamber of Industry, the applicant institution for Gaziantep Baklavası, underlines its importance. “The quality of Antep Baklavası is rooted in the excellence of our pistachios and other local ingredients.”
Gaziantep Menengiç Kahvesi, made from the seeds of terebinth (wild pistachio) trees, offers a caffeine-free alternative to traditional coffee. Hilal Aysal, president of the Ezogelin Women's Cooperative, the applicant organisation for Menengiç Kahvesi, explains its meticulous preparation: “The seeds are collected, washed, roasted and ground into a paste or powder.”
EUROPEAN UNION, 2025
Hilal Aysal, President of the Ezogelin Women’s Cooperative
A legacy of authenticity
Gaziantep Baklavası and Gaziantep Menengiç Kahvesi have a rich history. The tradition of baking baklava dates back to the 1870s. And, according to legend, the origins of Gaziantep Menengiç Kahvesi go back even further. References to its consumption are found during Sultan Murad IV’s Baghdad campaign in the 1600s.
EUROPEAN UNION, 2025
Mehmet Hilmi Bağcı, a coffee and baklava producer
Selim’s father, coffee and baklava producer Mehmet Hilmi Bağcı, owns an historic coffee house that has served as a meeting place for almost 400 years. He is proud of the place’s heritage: “In Türkiye, we say ‘a cup of coffee is remembered for 40 years’. But because of the history of our place, our coffee has a memory of 400 years.”
“This is not only the oldest coffeehouse in Gaziantep but also in Türkiye. We are famous for our Menengiç Kahvesi, which is a regional delicacy. When we were children, our mothers would boil Menengiç and make us drink it, believing that it would soothe a sore throat.”
“As Gaziantep, we highly value our regional flavours and want to develop them further. With EU GI registration, we also hope to introduce Menengiç Kahvesi to the world.”
EUROPEAN UNION, 2025
The historic coffee house still stands today and has served as a meeting place for almost 400 years
Mustafa Zor, an 85-year-old coffee producer, recalls his connection with the drink. “I learned about Menengiç Kahvesi from my grandmother. I started making and selling it in Türkiye in the 1970s. Now, I’m still producing it, but there are so many products called with the same name in the market, which are not actually Menengiç Kahvesi. I hope the EU PDO registration will help put an end to this,” he says.
EUROPEAN UNION, 2025
Gaziantep Menengiç Kahvesi, made from the seeds of terebinth (wild pistachio) trees, offers a caffeine-free alternative to traditional coffee
Another Menengiç Kahvesi producer, Yusuf Tekin, believes that EU recognition is crucial for promoting the product. “With the registration, the authenticity of Menengiç Kahvesi will be protected,” he notes.
It should be noted that Gaziantep’s “Araban Sarımsağı” for a variety of garlic was also granted PDO status by the EU in 2024.
EUROPEAN UNION, 2025
The EU has awarded PDO or PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status to the following products from Türkiye: Antep Baklavası/Gaziantep Baklavası, Aydın Kestanesi, Aydın İnciri, Bayramiç Beyazı, Malatya Kayısısı, Milas Zeytinyağı, Taşköprü Sarımsağı, Giresun Tombul Fındığı, Antakya Künefesi, Suruç Narı, Çağlayancerit Cevizi, Gemlik Zeytini, Edremit Zeytinyağı, Milas Yağlı Zeytini, Ayaş Domatesi, Edremit Körfezi Yeşil Çizik Zeytini, Maraş Tarhanası, Ezine Peyniri, Safranbolu Safranı, Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı, Araban Sarımsağı, Bingöl Balı, Osmaniye Yer Fıstığı, Bursa Şeftalisi, Hüyük Çileği, Bursa Siyah İnciri/Bursa Siyahı, Söke Pamuğu, Manisa Mesir Macunu, Gaziantep Menengiç Kahvesi / Gaziantep Melengiç Kahvesi, Silifke Yoğurdu, Aydın Memecik Zeytini, Aydın Çam Fıstığı, Afyon Pastırması, Afyon Sucuğu, Gaziantep Fıstık Ezmesi, Kırkağaç Kavunu, and Mut Zeytinyağı.
