In Amasya, autumn is recognized as much by the grape harvest as by the yellowing of the gardens along the Yeşilırmak. Part of the crop is set aside as table grapes, part is pressed into must (şıra), and the largest share goes to pekmez, the grape molasses that is the most valuable item among the winter provisions. A portion of the pekmez then passes through a second process and becomes pestil, a dried fruit leather. Together the two form the backbone of the region's winter preparations, and in many homes, especially in the villages, they are still made in the same sequence and with the same heavy labor.

In Anatolia pekmez is a product shared by every region that grows grapes. Even so, Amasya counts among the places known for good pekmez. In Aslı Uçar's survey of Turkish pekmez, quality production is said to take place in the districts of Zile in Tokat, Amasya, Kırşehir, Kastamonu, Sivrihisar in Eskişehir, Balıkesir, Kayseri, Afyon, Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep and Hatay. According to the same survey, these pekmezes differ from one another in color, taste, aroma, consistency and keeping quality, and their names vary by region. The firm, sweet kind is called Zile pekmezi in Zile, bulama in Balıkesir, and çalma or masara in Kırşehir.

Vines and Grapes in Amasya

Grapes, the raw material of pekmez, have been grown in this region since very early times. A Byzantine-period door leaf in the Amasya Museum, reported to come from a monastery in Gümüş, a town in the Gümüşhacıköy district, is one concrete example of this antiquity. Worked in relief, the leaf shows intertwined vine branches forming circles, and the inside of the circles is filled with vine leaves and heavy-berried grape clusters. The records describe this ornament as a motif symbolizing abundance.

In the Ottoman period viticulture was a real source of income for the region. According to the 1844 temettuat registers of Gümüşhacıköy, the district had 525 dönüm of vineyards, and viticulture was the most profitable activity in the records. The temettuat registers are official documents drawn up to record the property, livestock and land holdings of households; this figure therefore rests not on a story constructed later but on the period's own census. In the economy of the Merzifon district, too, vineyard and garden produce is still listed today alongside wheat, sugar beet, barley, sunflower and lentils.

What decided the fate of the grape in Anatolia was how it was put to use. Fresh grapes spoil quickly. Because winemaking was forbidden to the Muslim population, grapes were dried, and the must was turned into pekmez, bulama, pestil, köfter and sucuk (orcik). The range of ways grapes are put to use in Anatolia goes far beyond table, drying and wine grapes; grape juice, verjuice, papara, pepeçura, köme, köfter, dilme, bastık, kesme, çek çek, vinegar, pickles and tarhana are counted among examples of this variety. According to Uçar, viticulture reached a brighter period under the Ottomans than before, precisely thanks to these uses. A firman of Süleyman the Magnificent dated 1557 shows this tendency. In the document sent to the kadi of Üsküdar, it was requested that in the old vineyards varieties suited to the table, to pekmez and to drying be grown instead of wine varieties. The firman concerns the area around Istanbul, and no comparable document has been reported for Amasya; even so, using grapes for pekmez, pestil and drying was a widespread practice across the country at that time.

The Grape Harvest

The picking of grapes ripened on the vine is called bağ bozumu, a term for the time when the vineyard is emptied of its fruit, that is, when the harvest is complete. Because of differences in climate and altitude, the ripening and picking of grapes in Anatolia can be spread over three months, from August to mid-November. Common accounts place the harvest between late summer and mid-October; no recorded calendar has been passed down for Amasya. The vine-grower decides the moment: when the unripe grapes turn glossy and the juice sweetens, the time has come, whereas grapes picked too early stay sour. Cutting is done with a vineyard knife or shears, and the bunches are put into baskets, crates and the küfe carried on the back.

In Anatolia the grape harvest is, locally, a form of communal work. The owner of the vineyard invites neighbors and the notables of the area to cut grapes, and everyone takes a place at a vine with a vineyard knife in hand and a basket on the arm. Among the women, mani contests (improvised rhyming quatrains) are held; when the cutting is done, an animal is slaughtered and a meal is eaten. Grapes taken in sacks are crushed in basins or in hollows carved from tree trunks. Treading with the feet is said not to break the grape seeds and so to keep the must from turning bitter. On the days when must and pekmez are made, young people dance the halay and sing türkü at home or in the vineyard at night, by the light of the pekmez hearth. Girls and brides who have helped with the harvest are given gifts, and grapes are sent to neighboring houses. Part of the custom is başaklama: after the harvest anyone who wishes may gather the grapes left in the vineyard. Başaklama is recognized as the neighbors' and especially the children's right of the eye over the produce of vineyards and gardens, and it is applied to wheat and hazelnuts as well. The sacrificial meat at the harvest is called kencer, and in some accounts the harvest is for this reason spoken of as a kind of Feast of Sweets and Feast of Sacrifice.

The roots of this tradition in Anatolia are very old. Among the Phrygians and Lydians, Dionysos was also regarded as the god of the grape harvest. It is reported that harvest festivals were held every year at the end of September in the land of Urartu, that Hittite laws valued vineyards above other land, and that the king and the notables took part in the harvest festivals. In debt notes from the Assyrian Trade Colonies period, the debt is stated to be payable "until the grape harvest" or "after the grape harvest"; the harvest was then a seasonal marker that fixed the payment calendar. These accounts belong to Anatolia in general, not to Amasya. No written record exists of a festival or ceremony specific to the grape harvest in Amasya, so the details above should be read as general Anatolian practices that may also hold for the region.

The harvest is a time of learning for children. They learn to cut bunches, to crush must and to wait beside the cauldron by watching their elders. It is said that knowledge of pekmez and pestil is passed from generation to generation within this shared work.

How Pekmez Is Made

Making pekmez is a long process that demands patience and effort. In the traditional method the grapes are pressed in various ways to obtain must. The must is sweet, but it is also sour and cloudy. For this reason the first task is to reduce its acidity and clarify it. Pekmez soil (pekmez toprağı) is used for this. According to the survey, this soil contains between 50 and 90 percent lime; it is added to the must to clarify it, to ease filtering and to remove its sourness. The amount of soil varies between one and five kilograms per 100 kilograms of must. The must with soil is heated at a gentle temperature until it partly foams, and is then left to settle. For the waiting time the compilation gives at least four to five hours; other accounts say the must is left to rest for a night and transferred the next morning without disturbing the sediment. In either case sediment gathers at the bottom of the vessel. The clear part of the must is taken off and transferred to the boiling cauldron.

The clarified grape juice is boiled for hours in large cauldrons. The cauldrons are wide and shallow, because the aim is for the water to evaporate quickly over the direct fire and for the must to become pekmez without darkening too much. At the start of boiling, foam called kef forms on the surface and is skimmed off with broad ladles so that the pekmez stays clear. As the boiling advances, the must reddens from within, turns porous, and gives off its characteristic pekmez smell. Old measures are used to tell whether it is done. When pekmez lifted with a wooden spoon is allowed to run slowly, the consistency is right if the drops fall not from a single point but from two places side by side. Producers call the large bubbles that form during boiling "öküzgözü" (ox eye), and their appearance also shows that the pekmez is cooked. As the water evaporates and the mixture thickens, the natural sugar of the grape concentrates and dark, glossy, sweet pekmez emerges. Taken off the fire, the pekmez is poured into wide trays or vessels to cool; in some regions it is said to be left in the sun for a few more days to have its air taken, which helps it keep longer. Once cooled and set, it is stored in a dry, cool, lightless place in tightly closed glass jars or earthenware jars. Choosing sound grapes matters from the start: rotten, bruised or spoiled berries are sorted out, because varieties high in sugar, fleshy and juicy, especially dark ones, are considered the best for pekmez.

The brown color of pekmez comes from the sugars and acids in the must reacting with other substances when boiled at high heat in an open cauldron, that is, from caramelization. Pekmez obtained by this method is very clear and very dark. In modern facilities the must is concentrated in vacuum kettles below 60-70 degrees, so there is no caramelization and the pekmez comes out lighter in color. At home and in the village, by contrast, the cauldron over an open fire has been used for centuries. The must has to be stirred constantly so that it does not catch on the bottom; this is regarded as one of the pekmez master's most important skills.

Pekmez Soil and the Şeyhcui Rock Face

Pekmez soil is a familiar material in Amasya too. Clarifying grape pekmez with a clayey soil is a practice that has continued in the region for many years, and it is said that without the soil the pekmez does not set to the desired consistency. A report carried by İHA in December 2025 drew attention to one of the visible traces of this tradition today. In the Şeyhcui neighborhood of the city center, at a spot known as the forest road, holes dug with pickaxes into a rocky area beside the road had aroused the curiosity of passersby. Taken at first for a landslide or a natural formation, these caves turned out to have been dug to extract the clayey soil used in grape pekmez.

According to the report, the diggings, small pits at first, had over time grown wide enough for several people to fit in comfortably. Residents of the neighborhood said the area had expanded especially over the last three years and that from time to time people took soil away from it. A local resident remarked that the rocks were being dug away in a way reminiscent of the legend of Ferhat. The report opened by recalling that the legend of Ferhat and Şirin is set in Amasya. The same text also pointed to a danger: the roots of some trees had been exposed, and if the digging went further they might fall onto the electric wires beside the road. This old partner of pekmez has thus also come onto the agenda in terms of the environment and safety.

From Pekmez to Pestil

A portion of the pekmez is set aside to be turned into pestil. According to the method described in the survey, starch crushed in a little lukewarm must is added, at 5 to 12 percent, to the boiling must at a stage close to pekmez. The mixture is cooked over low heat with stirring and brought to a flowing consistency. It is then spread in a thin layer over clean cloths or trays lined with greaseproof paper. Sometimes crushed walnut is sprinkled on top. The trays are left in the sun and wind for a drying that lasts days. In the recipes of those who make grape pestil at home, this time is given as about four days; the actual time depends on the weather and the thickness of the layer.

A simple method is used to tell when drying is complete. A finger that is not wet but slightly damp is touched to the pestil, and if it sticks at once the pestil has not yet dried. This check matters, because an error in either direction is costly. Pestil that is dried too long hardens and becomes difficult to eat. Pestil that is folded and put away before it has dried molds because of the moisture trapped inside, and the layers stick together. To release the pestil from the cloth, the back of the cloth is moistened, left for a few minutes, and the pestil is lifted by one end.

The released pestil can be cut into pieces the size of a book page, folded in two or three to make it smaller, and dusted with starch so it does not stick. In this way the abundance of summer becomes a durable, nourishing snack that can be carried into the long winter months. Pestil takes the name of whatever fruit it is made from; one made of grapes is called grape pestil, one made of mulberries mulberry pestil. Fresh grapes can also be used for grape pestil. In that case black grapes are crushed and boiled, rubbed through a sieve once cool to separate the skins and seeds, and the remaining pulp is cooked again with starch. Pestil made from ready pekmez and pestil made from fresh grapes are therefore two routes to the same product. Pestil enriched with walnut is an energy source loved by children and adults alike.

The relatives of pestil are also made with pekmez and starch. If the same mixture is cooked to a custard consistency, fresh walnuts previously strung on a thread are dipped into it and hung to dry, the result is walnut sucuk, that is, köme. Almonds, pistachios or hazelnuts can be used in place of the walnut. If pestil, while still fresh, is cut into strips and spread with a mixture of crushed walnut, pistachio or almond and then rolled, it takes the form called muska. In Gaziantep, pestil cut to the size of a book page is called "bastık çukası". The names vary by region; the common point is that pekmez can easily be turned into durable winter snacks.

Communal Work and the Seasonal Calendar

This work often exceeds the strength of a single household, so it is carried out by imece, communal labor. Boiling the cauldrons, laying out the trays and turning the pestil are done through the shared effort of neighbors and relatives. Cooking pekmez and pulling helva are activities woven together with customs, conversations and legends that occupy a wide place in Anatolian folklore. Making pekmez and pestil is therefore not merely a food preparation but a seasonal ritual in which neighborliness and solidarity are lived. No written source gives Amasya-specific details, that is, in which village, on which days and with how many people the work is done; what is described is a custom that fits the general Anatolian framework.

Pekmez at the Table

Pekmez is used across a wide range, from the winter breakfast table to desserts, from sherbets to spoonfuls taken as medicine. Since the Seljuk period it has also been among the principal sweeteners of helva. The survey notes that before sugar, the sweetening ingredients of Turkish desserts were honey and pekmez. In the helvas of mulberry, kavut, millet, flour and starch made in the helva kitchen of Topkapı Palace, pekmez was likewise used as the sweetener. The Seljuk saying "he who has kavut adds it to pekmez, he who has sense takes advice" shows the place of pekmez in making helva. Kavut is the name given to roasted wheat flour mixed with butter or pekmez.

In periods when the sugar industry was not sufficiently developed, pekmez was produced to meet the need for sugar. The hours spent over the pekmez cauldron thus meant, in a way, preparing the sweetness of a whole year.

Nutritional Value and Folk Belief

In the region pekmez is seen not only as a sweetener but also as a food that gives strength in winter. On cold days a spoonful of pekmez was given as a source of energy and vigor, especially to children and the elderly. Across Anatolia there is a deep-rooted folk belief in the beneficial effects of pekmez on health, and scientific studies support part of this belief.

According to the studies Uçar compiles, pekmez is a good source of carbohydrate and energy because of its high sugar content. In grape pekmez the amounts of fructose and glucose are almost equal. Since these simple sugars need no digestion, they are said to give the body energy within about 30 minutes. Two tablespoons of pekmez (20 grams) are reported to contain about 2 milligrams of iron, 80 milligrams of calcium and 58 kilocalories. Pekmez is also rich in potassium and magnesium, and is cited as one of the best sources of calcium after milk and dairy products. The same study recommends pekmez in the diets of pregnant and nursing women and of people in convalescence, because of its high mineral content and good absorption.

These claims have limits. Vitamins are lost in significant amounts while the must boils, so pekmez is not counted as a source of vitamins. Its protein content is low, and it is considered appropriate to eat it together with protein-rich foods such as tahini and walnut. Because the simple sugars in pekmez enter the blood quickly, people with high blood sugar must avoid pekmez just as they avoid sugar and honey. Taking pekmez as a remedy is a traditional habit and is no substitute for treatment.

Declining Consumption

Pekmez was once one of the staple foods, but with changing conditions it has become a less consumed product. According to data cited in the survey, in the 1960s 37 percent of the fresh grapes produced in the country were processed into pekmez. This ratio fell to 35 percent in the 1970s and to 18 percent in the 1980s. Pekmez was replaced mostly by sugar-rich foods such as marmalade and jam. According to the same source, pekmez is consumed most in winter, and some pregnant women turn to pekmez to prevent anemia.

Judging the consistency of pekmez by eye and spoon, testing whether pestil has dried with a fingertip, and knowing which soil to add in what proportion are kinds of knowledge learned more by hand and eye than from writing. The families who still practice this knowledge hold an accumulation as worth preserving as the product itself.

Chronology

3500 BC: According to archaeological excavations, viticulture in Anatolia goes back to this date.

Assyrian Trade Colonies period: In the debt notes of Anatolian natives the time of payment is given as "until the grape harvest" or "after the grape harvest".

9th century: It is recorded that the Uyghurs grew grapes in Turkestan and referred to both pekmez and wine as "bor".

1557: Süleyman the Magnificent, by a firman sent to the kadi of Üsküdar, requests that varieties for the table, for pekmez and for drying be grown in the old vineyards.

1844: The Gümüşhacıköy temettuat records show 525 dönüm of vineyards, with viticulture as the most profitable activity.

1960s: 37 percent of the fresh grapes produced in the country are processed into pekmez; the ratio falls to 18 percent in the 1980s.

2007: The Turkish Food Codex communiqué on grape pekmez comes into force.

2025: The digging of pekmez soil in the Şeyhcui neighborhood reaches the press.

Sources

Academic studies

  • Cangi, Rüstem. "Eski uygarlıklardan günümüze kadar yaşayan gelenek: Anadolu'da bağ bozumu", Türk Tarım Orman Dergisi, September-October 2018. turktarim.gov.tr

Official sources

  • Gümüşhacıköy District Governorship, "Gümüşhacıköy'ün Tarihi" (1844 temettuat records and the Gümüş door leaf). gumushacikoy.gov.tr
  • Amasya Governorship, Merzifon district page. amasya.gov.tr

Other sources

  • Uçar, Aslı. "Geleneksel Türk Tadı: Pekmez", Ankara University School of Home Economics, Department of Nutrition Sciences.
  • "Ferhat diyarı Amasya'da bu kez pekmez aşkı dağı deldirdi", Timeturk (İHA), 20 December 2025. timeturk.com
  • "Üzüm pestili nasıl yapılır?", Hürriyet Lezizz, 2022. hurriyet.com.tr
  • "Üzüm Pestili Nasıl Yapılır?", Pestil.net.
  • "Bağ Bozumu ve Pekmez Kültürü", National Vlog.
  • "Bağbozumu nedir? Bağbozumu şenlikleri", Yemek.com.

Online sources