HALİL İBRAHİM SİNCAR/EMİN KAVAK – In the Savur district of Mardin, producers manually harvest coriander, which adds flavor to local dishes and pickles.
Producers go to the fields early in the morning to harvest coriander, which is grown on approximately 1,500 acres in 7 rural neighborhoods in the district and known as “Gızbara” in the region.
Coriander, an indispensable product for farmers with small land holdings, is harvested by hand after maturing in the fields for 3-4 months and left to dry in clusters.
Coriander, from the parsley family, is kept in the sun for 3 days, then separated from the plant with a thresher and its grains are dried by spreading them out in the sun for a while longer.
Coriander, which is ready for sale as a spice and is used in irok (fried stuffed meatballs), ikbebet (boiled stuffed meatballs), lentil meatballs, stuffed vegetables, salads and pickles with its unique aroma, is in demand from neighboring provinces.
The increase in yield from approximately 110 kilograms per acre last year to approximately 150 kilograms this year has pleased producers.
Yahya Araz, the headman of the rural Başkavak Neighborhood in Savur district and a producer, told AA that their neighborhood is one of the places where the most coriander is grown in the district.
Noting that they produce on approximately 1000 acres of land per year, Araz said:
“We plant coriander in February. We harvest in the summer months. Coriander is a very beautiful product and is in great demand in the region. It is used in cooking and pickling in the region. Coriander spice is also a good income for the villagers. We usually send it to neighboring provinces such as Mardin, Diyarbakır and Batman. It is consumed a lot.”
“This year the yield and quality are very good”
Producer Emrullah Baskı also noted that they clean the coriander they collect with a thresher, leave it to dry at home and then make it ready for sale.
Stating that the best and highest quality coriander in the region is grown in the Başkavak Neighborhood, Baskı said, “We have been producing coriander for 6 years. They come from neighboring provinces and buy all the products. We send them everywhere. This year, the yield and quality are very good.”
Living in Izmir and coming to her hometown to harvest coriander whenever she has the chance, 67-year-old Kadriye Beyaz said that she loves the coriander they have produced since her childhood.
Beyaz said, “We have been producing coriander for as long as I can remember. The coriander here is very good. We usually use it in meals.”
Ayetullah Bayram stated that they were producing coriander using traditional methods on land inherited from their fathers.
Producer Veli Araz stated that they went to the field early in the morning and harvested the coriander by hand.
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2024-08-16 22:45:04