Humankind has switched from a hunter-gatherer society to a settled life and benefited from its milk during domestication. Although it is not entirely known, most sources state that cheese emerged between 8000 BC and 9000 BC, and there are estimated to be between 2,000 and 4,000 cheeses worldwide (Stanley, 1998). We can even say that cheese spread to the whole world from Mesopotamian lands and that the cheese paintings and figures in the temples of 7000 B.C. and 10000 B.C. supported this view (sünnetçioğlu et al., 2018). Between the 17th and 19th centuries, cheese production remained mainly limited to the production of farms. Later, the first factories were established in 1851, primarily in Rome and New York, and in 1870 in Derby. By 1876, these early beginnings helped introduce new dimensions to cheese and its development (Stanley, 1998). It is believed that cheese has been translated from the Persian word "paniir," which means "made from milk," into modern-day Turkish. While the words "benir, penir, and "beynir" were used for the first time in Mamluk Turkish, the famous "Divanu Lugati" by Kashar Mahmud is used as "udma or udhıtma" (Karaca, 2016), which means cheese. The Turkish Language Society (2023) defines cheese as "a multi-type food made from milk by solidification with yeast" (TLS, 2023).
A country or region's flavors are associated with that region's culture and image. Moreover, it represents the intangible heritage of the destination on a fundamental basis, and through the experience of these flavors, tourists can experience a truly authentic cultural experience (Okumus et al., 2007)
Geographical indications that contribute to the taste experience may be defined as the names of products created due to the combination of exceptional and non-repeatable characteristics of defined or defined locations with established quality and standards. This system is based on the belief that local products can be produced with a certain quality. In 1995, it gained international recognition after the World Trade Organization (WTO) signed the TRIPS agreement (Rippon, 2014). There are studies that certification practices are a quality indicator that helps the region increase the sales of cheese and help the region become a tourist destination (Fusté-Forné, 2016).
According to WIPO (2022), there are approximately 63,600 protected GIs worldwide. The current GI registrations put wine and alcoholic beverages at 51%, agricultural products and foodstuffs constitute 43.6%, and handcrafted products constitute 3.9%.
Gastronomy tourism can support economic development in the regions, especially in rural areas, contributing to the quality and quantity promotion of local products. This is because visits to farms, producers' markets, or participation in agricultural activities (fruit picking, vineyard juicing) bring significant economic benefits in rural areas (Chi et al., 2013; Genç & Akyürek, 2022)
Combining gastronomy and tourism, cheese tourism could offer visitors a rich experience. This experience can be consolidated via routes to explore the entire production environment, highlighting the destination as a tourist product (Fig. 1).
While the amount of raw milk collected worldwide in 2021 reached 872 million tons (Ataseven, 2022), 23.2 million tons of raw milk were collected in Turkey in the same year, with 10 million tons of cow milk (CLAL, 2022). Cheese production globally was 24.7 million tons (Ataseven, 2022), and 772,000 tons of cheese were produced in Turkey (CLAL, 2022). Country-specific analysis of cheese consumption per capita revealed the E.U. as 20.4 kilograms, the U.S. as 17.9 kilograms, Canada as 15 kilograms, and Australia as 11.8 kilograms. (Ataseven, 2022). In Turkey, per capita consumption is reported to be 16.5 kilograms (Erol, 2016).
According to the data obtained from TPTO, 32 cheese types are CI registered in Turkey (Table 1). There are also four types of cheese registered as "overseas ."These cheeses were listed initially according to the order of registered dates as "Hellim/Halloumi-Cyprus," secondly "Parmigiano Reggiano-Italy" (Parmesan cheese), then "Grana Padano-Italy" (third), and finally the "Gorgonzola" (TPTO, 2023a).
Again, there are 23 cheese applications processed in the "Cheese" product group (TPTO, 2023b).
Table 1
Turkey GI Certified Cheeses
Rank
|
Cheese Name
|
Registration Date
|
Registration Type
|
Rank
|
Cheese Name
|
Registration Date
|
Registration Type
|
1st
|
Erzincan Province
Tulum Cheese
|
29.08.2001
|
PDO
|
17th
|
Antakya Carra Cheese
|
18.02.2021
|
PDO
|
2nd
|
Ezine cheese
|
10.04.2007
|
PDO
|
18th
|
Gümüşhane Boreme Cheese
|
17.03.2021
|
PGI
|
3rd
|
Edirne White Cheese
|
23.10.2007
|
PDO
|
19th
|
Circassian cheese with Pinarbaşı and Uzunyayla
|
14.04.2021
|
PDO
|
4th
|
Erzurum String Cheese
|
11.09.2009
|
PGI
|
20th
|
Maraş Finger / Crushed Cheese
|
17.04.2021
|
PGI
|
5th
|
Erzurum (Mold) String Cheese
|
30.11.2012
|
PGI
|
21th
|
Sakarya Abkhaz (Abaza) Cheese
|
03.05.2021
|
PGI
|
6th
|
Diyarbakır Knit Cheese
|
22.02.2013
|
PGI
|
22th
|
WaxOne Cubes Cheese
|
25.05.2021
|
PGI
|
7th
|
Kars Kashar cheese
|
12.10.2015
|
PDO
|
23th
|
Urfa Cheese
|
27.07.2021
|
PGI
|
8th
|
Malkara Old Kashar Cheese
|
06.12.2017
|
PDO
|
24th
|
Çankırı Cubed Cheese
|
01.10.2021
|
PGI
|
9th
|
Karaman Divle Oblique Tulum Cheese
|
08.12.2017
|
PDO
|
25th
|
Kargi Tulum Cheese
|
26.10.2021
|
PDO
|
10th
|
Yozgat Bowl Cheese
|
18.12.2017
|
PGI
|
26th
|
Izmir Tulum Cheese
|
24.01.2022
|
PGI
|
11th
|
Antakya Scourer
|
26.02.2018
|
PGI
|
27th
|
Antakya Masonry Cheese
|
22.12.2021
|
PGI
|
12th
|
Antep Extra Compressed Cheese
|
04.06.2018
|
PGI
|
28th
|
Ivrindi Kelle Cheese
|
09.02.2022
|
PGI
|
13th
|
Antakya Curly Stir Sticks
|
12.06.2018
|
PGI
|
29th
|
Yüksekova Çirek Cheese
|
18.04.2022
|
PGI
|
14th
|
Van Herb Cheese
|
31.12.2018
|
PDO
|
30th
|
Malatya Cheese
|
06.07.2022
|
PGI
|
15th
|
Manyas cheese
|
16.12.2020
|
PGI
|
31th
|
Çayeli Coloti Cheese
|
24.08.2022
|
PDO
|
16th
|
Kırklareli White Cheese
|
23.12.2020
|
PDO
|
32th
|
Atlanti Dededağ Tulum Cheese
|
26.01.2023
|
PGI
|
Source compiled by www.citurkpatent.gov.tr (March 20, 2023).
A powerful platform that provides information on local tastes and authentic restaurants, TasteAtlas has ranked the best cheese on Earth, describing itself as a taste encyclopedia. The first place is the mozzarella cheese of Italian cuisine. Turkey’s feta cheese ranked 77th, and Tulum cheese ranked 81st in the top hundred cheese list (Tasteatlas, 2023).
Therefore, Turkey has significant potential in terms of GI-certified cheese diversity. Various regions stand out in this sense. Erzurum ranks fourth among the cities with 46 GI registrations, and two cheese types have registrations.
Geographically located in the Eastern Anatolia Region, Erzurum is an important crossroads on the Silk Road and links Asia and Europe like a bridge. With a long history, it can be said that the cuisine was also influenced by Russian, Iranian, and Caucasian culinary cultures. The long winter and the short snow cover caused animal products, mainly protein, to gain importance in the local cuisine. Along with aromatic herbs, beautiful landscapes are shown in Fig. 2 on the hills with high altitudes (MİL & Denk, 2019).
Gerz and Dupont (2006) studied France's famous GI registered Comte cheese. In their study, they determined that cheese is well-known in the market, rural producers have increased revenues, have a positive effect on rural development, the GI registration has added value to the product both locally and in exports, created new employment areas, and contributed to tourism by preserving the natural landscape. A different study was conducted in Russia, and the dynamics of Russia's cheese production centers were determined. A study that highlighted 11 regions in Russia for cheese production revealed that the Altay and Voronezh regions produce four-quarters of the total Russian cheese production. Other obtained results include private cheese tourism farms, natural scenery, cheese festivals, and the cheese museum in the Altay region (V. A. Ermolaev et al., 2019). Data has been collected through visits to cheese production facilities at Fusté-Forné (2020a) Valle de Roncal, a mountainous area in northern Spain. The results revealed that cheese producers in rural areas have historical ties with the terrain and natural landscape. The rural lifestyle creates attraction through cheese and develops tourism in the region, creating a niche market. Other studies by the efforts mentioned above include (Dumas et al., 2006), who helped design a new gastronomy-based tourism destination by cheese on the cheeses of Quebec, Canada. De Myttenaere (2011) is working on the registered PDO (Origin) cheese in Herve, Belgium, and has named the region a unique agricultural area. Thomé vd. (2015) is in central Mexico and works on the cheese and wine route in Serro, Brazil (Thomé-Ortiz et al., 2015). In addition, there are other studies demonstrating that certification is essential in products such as cheese and that local registration improves tourism with the trust it gives consumers (De Myttenaere, 2011; (Marcoz et al., 2014)Fusté-Forné, 2016 (Fusté-Forné, 2020b). Awareness of GI concepts and practices has been low among manufacturers registered with different GI (Jose & K B, 2014; Marcoz et al., 2014; Sepúlveda et al., 2010) and some of the projects that found this awareness has been high (Canbolat et al., 2021; Glogovețan et al., 2021; Mancini et al., 2019)