Oguzeli Dried Vegetables Protected Geographical Indication
Friday, July 8, 2022
No: 715 – Protected Geographical Indication (PGI)
OĞUZELI DRIED VEGETABLES
Registrant
OĞUZELI MUNICIPALITY
This geographical indication was registered on 08.04.2021 to be protected as of 02.05.2017 under the Industrial Property Law No. 6769.
Registration Number : 715
Registration Date : 08.04.2021
Application Number : C2017/028
Application Date : 02.05.2017
Name of Geographical Indication : Oğuzeli Dried Vegetables
Product / Product Group : Dried eggplant, zucchini and bell peppers / Processed and unprocessed fruits,
vegetables and mushrooms
Type of Geographical Indication : Protected Geographical Indication (PGI)
Registrant : Oğuzeli Municipality
Address of Registrant : Oğuzlar Mahallesi Alparslan Türkeş Bulvarı No:1 27900 Oğuzeli / GAZIANTEP
Geographical Boundary : Oğuzeli District
Usage Format : The geographical indication phrase is used together with the brand name and not
smaller than the brand phrase, in compliance with whichever vegetable or vegetables
are included in each package, and the name of the vegetable or vegetables in
question is written under the name of the geographical indication.
Product Description and Distinctive Features:
Oğuzeli Dried Vegetables is a product obtained by drying the eggplant, zucchini and bell peppers that are grown in the geographical border starting from the provincial borders of Kilis in the south, continuing from Akbez to the province of Osmaniye in the west, encompassing the provincial border of Kahramanmaraş towards the north, continuing in the southeast direction until the districts of Pazarcık, Yavuzeli and Birecik towards the east, also encompassing the districts of Nizip and Oğuzeli towards the west. Each type of eggplant, zucchini and bell pepper to be dried is called Oğuzeli Dried Vegetables by itself.
Oğuzeli has gained special importance in terms of processing vegetables, thanks to the contribution of the climatic characteristics and geographical structure of the district to the drying process. The production method has been passed down through generations unchanged by the local people for many years. Oğuzeli is known as the drying warehouse of Turkey and drying fruits and vegetables has been an important source of income for the people of the region.
The eggplant is fit for stuffing and has the following characteristics.
- It is a mid early, standard eggplant suitable for open field cultivation.
- It is round/slightly oval shaped, ribbed, shiny, blackish purple in color (called lump in the region).
- It is thick-skinned, white-fleshed, seedless.
- It is 10-12 cm long, 6-8 cm in diameter, 300-400 g at harvest.
- It is harvested 70-77 days after planting.
The zucchini is summer squash and has the following characteristics.
- Two types of squash grow in the region. The first and most frequently used one is zucchini, and the other is gourd, the local name of which is haylan zucchini or acur, with clinging stems.
- It is small, ellipse shaped, white-fleshed and yellow-greenish in color.
- The zucchini is 10-15 cm long, 6-9 cm in diameter, 350-450 g at harvest.
- Harvest is 80-90 days after planting. The soil pH should be between 6-7.
The bell peppers have the following characteristics:
- Depending on the number of lobes in the peppers, they are either round, blunt or shaped like cherry and tomato with a slightly pointed bottom.
- They are red and greenish to red in color.
- The bell peppers are 8-9 cm tall and 7-9 cm in diameter.
- The thickness of the pepper is 1-2 mm for thin-fleshed ones, and 3-6 mm for thick-fleshed ones.
- The maturing period from seed to vegetable is 100-150 days.
In the development stages and in the drying stages of the eggplant, bell pepper and zucchini, temperate climate and continental climate characteristics should be present, respectively. Since the region has the ideal humidity and sun exposure for the process, it has a positive effect on the quality of the products. In addition, due to the fact that the Oğuzeli district is located on a high plain, the drying process is efficient thanks to appropriate wind in the region. Drying is not done indoors.
In Oğuzeli, the annual average humidity rate is 15%, and this rate drops to 10% in the drying seasons, spring and summer.
Oğuzeli district is located on a high plain and its altitude is 750 m. Thus, it receives the perfect wind for drying during the drying seasons, namely during the months of spring and summer.
Table of Wind Directions and Rates of Intensity
The average temperature in the drying period is 19.5 oC in May, 25.7 oC in June, 29.9 oC in July, 29.7 oC in August, and 24.4 oC in September.
The moisture contents of the dried bell pepper, eggplant and zucchini should be between 1% and 6%, 6% and 12%, and 4% and 8%, respectively.
Dried products must be whole, sound, resistant to hand touching and handling. The product should not contain foreign taste and odor. It should not be spoiled or moldy.
Production Method:
The eggplant, zucchini and bell pepper grown in the production area described above are planted at the end of March. The zucchini is harvested in May, and the eggplant and pepper are harvested at the end of July.
The insides of the harvested products are scooped out. The outer skin of only the squash is peeled off. The eggplant is carved 1 to 4 mm deep, and the zucchini 2 to 4 mm deep.
50 carved eggplants are strung on a cotton thread with a long and thick needle called "giyik". Then a large bowl is filled with potable water and the eggplants are dipped in and out. The purpose of this process is to clean the residues left from the carving of the vegetables and to slow down the drying process and to prevent the openings of the dried vegetables from shrinking. The threads are tautly tied to a special hanging scaffold called the "stuffing roof".
The carved and peeled zucchini are salted with iodized salt inside and out. After salting, sticks of 15 to 20 cm immobilized on a table are mounted vertically. Then the zucchini are placed on the sticks without being pierced. They are left to dry in direct sunlight. The purpose of salting the zucchini is to accelerate drying, as it is a moist vegetable, and to make it last longer.
The eggplants are also subjected to the same process.
50 carved bell peppers are threaded from somewhere near the tip by a cotton thread. Then, a large bowl is filled with portable water and the peppers are dipped in and out. The ropes are tautly tied to the hanging scaffold.
In order to prevent the drying vegetables from sunburns, the upper part of the stuffing roof is shaded with tree branches or leaves. The product is not dried by direct sun rays and since Oğuzeli district is located on a plain, the wind also contributes to drying.
The eggplants and the zucchini dry in about 3 days, and the pepper in about 10 days. After the vegetables are dry, the harvesting phase may be started.
Oğuzeli Dried Vegetables is put up for sale by hanging it in a nylon transparent package, strung on a rope and not in direct contact with the wall.
The Production, Processing and Other Operations to be Performed within the Geographical Boundary:
Thanks to the intensity of sunlight and the amount of wind in the Oğuzeli district, ideal drying conditions are already present. In addition, due to the imparted knowledge on the drying method, Oğuzeli Dried Vegetables should be dried in the Oğuzeli district.
Inspection:
Those engaged in using the phrase Oğuzeli Drying will be inspected at least once a year by a distinguished staff appointed by the Oğuzeli Chamber of Agriculture, Oğuzeli Agricultural Credit Cooperative, Oğuzeli District Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry and Oğuzeli Municipality, to ensure that the product is produced in compliance with the registration certificate.
The supervisory authority may benefit from or purchase services of public or private institutions, or natural or private entities in charge, during the execution of the inspection. The registrant carries out the legal processes for the protection of rights.
Original text from ci.gov.tr.
