Some fruits take the name of a region and in time become its emblem. The Amasya apple is foremost among them. In markets across Anatolia, beside apples that are red on one cheek and green on the other, the word "Amasya" is spoken like a mark of quality. This fame was not earned quickly. A Roman-era floor mosaic found in a village near the city shows that apple growing here reaches back some two thousand years, and the geographical indication granted in 2019 has secured that inheritance in law. The fruit's botanical features, the climate it grows in, its cultivation methods and today's production figures can all be read as continuations of that history.

The Apple Mosaic at Yavru Village

The most tangible evidence for the apple's history in Amasya came to light at Yavru village in the central district, at a place called Küp Deresi. In July 2013 illicit digging took place there, and the Hittite University Black Sea Archaeology Application and Research Center then carried out a rescue excavation. The dig reached the floor of a structure dated to the Roman period, a floor covered with stone tesserae in the form of a mosaic. In the central medallion stands an apple tree about one and a half metres in diameter. Four apples hang on its branches and three partridges stand beneath it. Various geometric ornaments extend around it.

The sources differ somewhat on the mosaic's age and dimensions. The registration text held by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office places it about two thousand years ago, in the Roman period, while press reports and governorate statements speak of 1,700 to 1,800 years. The area is given as twenty square metres in some accounts and twenty-four in others. Whether the building was a temple or a chapel is also unsettled; some reports say temple, others chapel. According to Güngör Duran of the Amasya Tourism Association, the structure, whose walls and foundations survive in sound condition, may first have belonged to a landowner, then been converted into a church and finally abandoned; this is a conjecture and rests on no document. A scholarly article on the apple-tree mosaic from the Yavruköy rescue excavation has also been published (Keskin, 2017).

After it was uncovered, the mosaic was lifted by specialists, brought to the Amasya Archaeology Museum and kept in storage for a time. Once the missing pieces had been completed and the technical preparations finished, it went on display about seven years after the excavation. Museum Director Celal Özdemir says it is the only mosaic in the world with a misket apple tree worked into it. He also recalls his first impression during the dig: "We were delighted that we had found the Amasya apple." The observation of the Tourism Association is more detailed: the apples in the mosaic are not entirely red, but red on one side and green on the other, and this appearance matches the colour of today's misket apple. The colour choice in a stone mosaic cannot settle the variety of an apple with certainty; even so, it shows that apples were grown in the area and that the fruit was familiar enough to become a subject of floor decoration.

The mosaic was later carried into public space through a project run by Amasya University. Overhead images of the mosaic in the museum were digitised, and a reproduction spread over an area of about eighteen square metres was rebuilt from roughly one hundred and eighty thousand pieces of black, white, green, red and yellow natural stone gathered in Amasya and its surroundings. The work has been mounted on the wall in the courtyard of the Historic Taşhan, which is still under restoration.

Botanical Description

The Amasya misket apple belongs to the species Malus domestica of the genus Malus in the rose family (Rosaceae). Its flowers open together with the leaves. The white flowers are usually light pink when they first open, have five petals and measure 2.5 to 3.5 centimetres across. The fruit stalk is short. When the apple is cut, a five-chambered, star-shaped core is seen; each chamber holds two seeds, and the seeds are glossy brown and plump. This star shape is the sign most often used to recognise the misket apple.

The fruits are medium-sized and broad at the belly. The skin is thin, firm and waxy; the side facing the sun turns dark and glossy red, the other side stays light red, and here and there the bright green ground colour shows. According to the measurements in the registration file, fruit weight varies between 100 and 165 grams, width between 60 and 74 millimetres and height between 54 and 66 millimetres. The proportion of red lies between 30 and 50 per cent, soluble solids (the Brix value, which indicates the concentration of sugars and similar substances) between 10 and 14 per cent, and total acidity at 0.200 to 0.240 grams of malic acid per 100 millilitres. The flesh is pale greenish white, sweet, juicy and crisp. These measurements were made on samples sent to the Eğirdir Fruit Research Institute, collected from orchards in the Merkez, Taşova, Suluova and Hamamözü districts.

The most often mentioned quality of the apple is its fragrance, before its taste. The word "misket" in its name also points to this strong musky scent. The registration text stresses in particular that the same variety does not show these qualities when grown in climates outside Amasya. A grower who has raised apples in Suluova for many years voiced the same view at the harvest ceremony: he says that the misket apples grown in Niğde, Konya and Isparta are redder and more showy than those of Amasya, but when bitten they do not give the taste of the Amasya apple.

Climate and Soil

The altitude of Amasya province ranges from 411.69 metres to 1,150 metres. The land is mostly on slopes; the soils are well drained, deep in profile and rich in nutrients. The city lies in a transition zone between the Black Sea and Central Anatolian climates. Summers are hot and winters mild, though cold at higher elevations; in the lower areas temperatures range from minus 3.7 to plus 36.1 degrees. According to the registration file, the Yeşilırmak Valley adds a microclimate to this transitional climate: the valley creates a gorge breeze in the city, and this breeze plays an important part in forming the apple's distinctive scent and aroma.

The climatic requirements of the variety are set out in detail in the registration file. The misket apple is a temperate-climate fruit and needs a great deal of winter rest. Its chilling requirement is 2,536 hours, while the average chilling period for Amasya in 1970-2014 is 2,526 hours. Since the chilling requirements of varieties grown in the country range from 400 to 2,600 hours, this variety is among the most demanding. During winter dormancy the woody parts withstand down to minus 40 degrees; open flowers can tolerate minus 2.2 to 2.3 degrees and small fruits minus 1.1 to 2.2 degrees without damage. When the temperature rises above 40 degrees, growth stops. For regular yields, 400 to 600 millimetres of precipitation per year are needed over the growing season; the average rainfall in Amasya between 1961 and 2016 is 460.1 millimetres.

Dew also has a large share in the formation of colour. The period in which colour and firmness become pronounced runs from 15 September to 30 October, and in those dates an average of 7.26 days of dew fall in Amasya; over the whole year there are on average 40.34 dew days, the heaviest months being October (8.12) and September (6.41). That dew falls on the apple and sunlight follows is what produces the bright red colour. The fruits on the outer branches, in the sun, turn red while those inside the tree stay green; so even the apples of a single tree can differ in colour. The registration text states that, thanks to full flowering in Amasya, the average yield per tree over the last five years was 92.4 kilograms, whereas for similar varieties such as Kaşel 37 and Kaşel 41 the Turkish average remains 49.6 kilograms.

Orchard Establishment and Care

The Amasya misket apple is mostly grafted onto seedling rootstocks or onto MM111 and MM106 rootstocks. The scions are taken from certified trees known in Amasya as misket apple trees. Because the tree has a tall and spreading habit, planting distances in classical orchards are kept at 8x8 or 10x10 metres. With the spread of clonal rootstocks, orchards set up on semi-dwarf rootstocks have also increased, and in them the spacing between and within rows is 5x4 metres. Orchards established with saplings on seedling rootstocks begin to bear at about seven or eight years of age, and their economic life is between 35 and 50 years. The variety is more resistant to diseases and pests than other apples and is a late variety harvested in October.

The trait that troubles the grower most is biennial bearing: the tree gives a heavy crop one year and a light one the next. In the off year, yield pruning is applied to young trees and rejuvenation pruning to old ones; heavy pruning is avoided in the on year because it can damage the buds that form the crop. The main branches of trees that have completed their economic life are pruned hard, and within two years the tree regains the same form. Golden Delicious is used as the pollinator, though old orchards have none. Each bud produces five or six fruits, and the tree drops about half of them by itself, so no fruit thinning is done. The harvest season is the second half of September to early October.

Biennial bearing is among the leading factors explaining why production in Amasya has remained limited. In a project run at one time by the Amasya Governorate, it was stated that this trait had led growers to reduce misket apple production and that this asset was in danger of dwindling; the aim was set at establishing misket apple orchards of one hundred decares each year, a thousand decares in ten years. It was announced that the costs would be met by the Special Provincial Administration, that the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture would give technical support, and that sapling production had also begun. At the 2019 harvest day, the Governorate announced that a misket apple action plan had been put into effect as part of the programme run under the name "Tarım Şehr-i Amasya" (Agricultural City Amasya).

Storage and Processing

The fruit's long life gives great convenience to its trade. Apples picked in the second half of September or at the start of October can last until May under good storage conditions. The reason is that the apple oils its skin, forming a waxy layer and so prolonging its own storage life. In cold stores it does not need much humidity; it is not put in the same room as other apples, and separate rooms are prepared for the misket apple. Farmers, for their part, traditionally keep the apple in compartments on the lower floors of their houses, called "kara depo" (dark store).

The registration file also contains an assessment of drying. Before slicing, the moisture content of the apple was measured at an average of 85.7 per cent. A difference of six to eight times emerged between the soluble solids ratios of fresh and dried apples, while dipping in a 2 per cent citric acid solution raised the acid value of the dried slices and gave them a more tart taste. The aim of this kind of processing is to make the apple edible throughout the year and to increase the producer's income. Producers today also make cologne, apple tea, molasses and vinegar from the apple; in traditional cooking, apple hoşaf (a fruit compote) is well known.

The Geographical Indication

To protect the apple, on 8 January 2016 the Amasya Provincial Directorate of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (today the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry) applied to the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office; the aim, in the words of the application, was to protect the Amasya misket apple, to look after it, to promote it and to give marketing a dynamic strength. The file was taken into processing on 5 February 2016 under number C2016/004. The process was carried out in cooperation between the Central Black Sea Development Agency and the Amasya Governorate. The finalised announcement text was published on 1 August 2018 in Bulletin No. 34 of the Official Bulletin of Geographical Indications and Traditional Product Names, and after the six-month objection period ended, "Amasya Misket Elması" was registered on 14 March 2019 as a designation of origin under No. 424.

The registration ties use of the product to a defined geography. The geographical boundary comprises the districts of Amasya Merkez, Suluova, Merzifon, Gümüşhacıköy, Hamamözü, Taşova and Göynücek; apples grown outside these limits cannot be sold under the name. The name of the indication may be used on the product together with a trademark. Inspection is carried out by a three-member control body coordinated by the Amasya Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, made up of two experts from the Black Sea Agricultural Research Institute and one from the Amasya Chamber of Agriculture. This body inspects every stage from production to storage, marketing and sale; inspections are made at least once a year, in the flowering (20-30 April), development (20-30 July) and harvest (10-30 October) periods, and reports are sent to the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office every year.

Osman Varol, then governor, said that with the registration the province's brand value would rise, imitations would be prevented and producers would be protected, adding that he hoped the apple would hold an important place in export revenues and development. That the registration does not solve every problem is seen in a study carried out with producers. The study, based on interviews with one hundred misket apple producers in Amasya, found that the greatest problem in production is biennial bearing and the greatest problem in marketing is the sale of other apple varieties under the name of the Amasya apple. Price fluctuations and market uncertainty are also among the difficulties listed. The researchers made recommendations such as variety improvement, training of producers, lower costs, spreading unions and cooperatives to reduce middlemen, and stricter inspections.

Harvest Festivals

The harvest of the geographically indicated apple is opened with a ceremony in autumn. At the festival held on 13 October 2023 in Kutu village in the central district, Governor Yılmaz Doruk was joined by the deputy mayor, political party officials, heads of public institutions, village headmen and farmers. Gürol Çetin, Director of the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, spoke about agricultural support and crop figures, and the producer Ahmet Bütüner expressed thanks for the support. In his speech Doruk said that apples have been grown on these lands for centuries and that it is valuable that symbols of the apple appear in civilisations that predate the Turks' arrival in Anatolia; he cited the roughly two-thousand-year-old mosaic at Yavru village as an indication of this. He offered, only as a possibility, that Amasya's standing as a centre of learning may have helped such a product develop here. After the speeches Governor Doruk performed the first harvest. He also said that the Governorate wished to give special support to the misket apple and to work on processing it into derivative products.

The celebration continued in 2026. At the ceremony held on 24 September 2026 in an orchard at Kurnaz village in the Suluova district, it was announced that a crop of 6,462 tonnes was expected from the geographically indicated misket apple produced on 2,220 decares across the province. Together with the other varieties, Amasya's total apple production was forecast to reach 35,000 tonnes. Governor Önder Bakan, speaking at the ceremony, described the apple as a cultural value identified with the city. Member of Parliament Hasan Çilez said that the apple in the mosaic looks the same as the apple on the branch today, and that the genetics and quality of the Amasya apple have been preserved for thousands of years. The producer Neslihan Yapar stressed that the apple bears every other year and that this demands great effort.

Production Figures

According to figures released by the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry in 2019, in 2018 Amasya produced 9,319 tonnes of misket apples on 4,345 decares, supplying 4.3 per cent of Turkey's misket apple production and ranking third after Niğde and Kayseri. The same statement gave the province's total apple production as 35,000 tonnes on about 15,000 decares, equal to 1 per cent of Turkey's output. That Turkey ranks third in the world with 3.6 million tonnes of apples and that 6.6 per cent of the apples produced are exported are also mentioned in the same speech. The Governorate also announced that about 7,700 tonnes of apples were produced in the province in 2022, placing it third in Turkey; because figures vary by year and by the measure used, this value should not be compared directly with those above.

Chronology

Roman period: A floor mosaic with an apple tree, apples and partridges is laid in the building at Yavru village; different values such as 1,700, 1,800 and 2,000 years are given for its age.

2013 (July): A rescue excavation is carried out after illicit digging at the Küp Deresi site, and the mosaic is uncovered.

8 January 2016: The application for a geographical indication for the Amasya misket apple is made.

1 August 2018: The announcement text is published in Bulletin No. 34.

14 March 2019: Amasya Misket Elması is registered as a designation of origin under No. 424.

Around 2020: About seven years after the excavation, the mosaic goes on display in the Amasya Archaeology Museum.

13 October 2023: At the harvest festival in Kutu village, Governor Yılmaz Doruk picks the first apple.

24 September 2026: The harvest opens with a ceremony in Suluova, and a crop of 6,462 tonnes is forecast.

Sources

Academic studies

  • "Üreticilerin Coğrafi İşaret Tescilli Amasya Misket Elması Üretim ve Pazarlamasında Yaşadığı Sorunlar ve Çözüm Önerileri", Gaziosmanpaşa Bilimsel Araştırma Dergisi (DergiPark). amasya.gov.tr
  • Keskin, E. (2017). "Amasya, Yavruköy Kurtarma Kazısında Bulunan Elma Ağacı Mozaiği", Avrasya Sanat ve Beşeri Bilimler Dergisi, 7, 36-45.

Official sources

  • Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Kültür Portalı, "Amasya Misket Elması" and the Geographically Indicated Products page. kulturportali.gov.tr
  • Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Amasya Provincial Directorate, "Amasya Misket Elması İçin Coğrafi İşaret Tescil Belgesi Alındı", 25 March 2019.

Other sources

  • Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, Geographical Indication Registration Certificate No. 424, Amasya Misket Elması (Designation of Origin).
  • Central Black Sea Development Agency, "Amasya Misket Elması Coğrafi İşaret Tescili", 25 March 2019.
  • Amasya Governorate, "Elma Ağacı ve Keklik Figürü Tasviri" and "Amasya Elması Üretimini Arttırmak İçin Proje Geliştiriyoruz" pages; "Valimiz Yılmaz Doruk, Amasya'mızın Simgesi Coğrafi İşaret Tescilli Amasya Misket Elması'nın Hasat Şenliğine Katıldı", 13 October 2023.
  • İHA, "Üzerine misket elma ağacı işlenmiş bin 700 yıllık tek mozaik", 20 August 2024; DHA, "Kaçak kazıda ortaya çıkan 1800 yıllık elma mozaiği sergilenmeye başladı"; AA, "Amasya'da misket elması hasadı başladı", 24 September 2026.

Online sources