I can hear you saying pistachio belongs to Gaziantep… You are right, but you know food is geographical more than belonging within a city’s border. You may hear Gaziantep locals complaining about Urfalılar, claiming themselves as fıstık growers, sellers and exporters… Me, I had the chance to walk around the best pistachio fields known to men an Kilis, Gaziantep… Acres of beautiful trees, fertile soil, the owner literally sleeping there, just to take care of his trees…But that is another story…
While on our way to Urfa, I yelled to stop the car when I saw a bunch of teenagers on the ladders, picking the pistachios, part slightly tapping on the branches with sticks, letting the pistachios fall on the sheets laying under the trees… The elders came rushing, making me scared, soon to understand that they only want to give us handfulls -shirt full- of fresh pistachios…
Then, in the city, at night, the streets scattered with small carts on wheels, lit with two – 3 bulbs, selling piles of that beautiful pistachio, only 5-6 TL per kilo…
While devouring the grilled liver dürüm , shopping for pistachios, walking down to the hotel, catching a local wedding scene if you are lucky…