A pickled, cubed bonito called “sinop lakerda,” has become the first seafood product to earn a geographical indiciation status in Turkey.
The declaration by the Turkish Patent and Brand Agency was officially made 29 May, according to the Sinop Ticaret Ve Sanayi Odasi (Sinop Chamber of Commerce and Industry). Local producers in the Sinop region of Turkey are planning a marketing and distribution push in the coming weeks on the back of the announcement, the organization said.
“Recently, as the interest in geographical indications has increased, we have registered sinop lakerda with the belief that we have to protect these values. In the coming days, we will hold a workshop with experts, and after this workshop, we will go through a certain process regarding the placement of these products on national market shelves,” Sinop Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Salim Akbaş told the Hurriyet Daily News.
The application and approval process took more than two years – longer than normal since the product required laboratory studies to identify its unique qualities, Akbaş said. Sinop lakerda is a pickled dish prepared by slicing toric, a large bonito native to the Black Sea, into cubes and pickling it. It was originally a dish made in poor households that has since become popular throughout the country.
“It was a product that our elders made in our homes. The process is very long,” Akbaş said. “We prepared the application to the Turkish Patent Institute … in order to both brand it and protect its quality. Recently, as the interest in geographical indications has increased, we have registered sinop lakerda with the belief that we have to protect these values. In the coming days, we will hold a workshop with experts, and after this workshop, we will go through a certain process regarding the placement of these products on national market shelves.”
Akbaş said he expects the geographical indication status improve recognition and demand for Turkish seafood domestically and internationally, and that it also will raise the profile of the Sinop area of Turkey. He pointed to similar efforts elsewhere in Europe and globally, such as with wild salmon in Scotland or Wugong Mountain Grouper in China.
“Works have been started to obtain geographical indications for local products to gain higher added value in our country. Currently, 11 geographical indications have been taken in our province so far. We are proud to include the sinop lakerda [as one],” he said.
Photo courtesy of Sinop Ticaret Ve Sanayi Odasi
