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LOVE OF MENEMEN, AYAŞ TOMATOES AND MARKETING COMMUNICATION

“We have love for our place.”
Everyone wants to put down roots, they look for a homeland. You want to give roots, you want to be a tribe. You want to branch out, you want to be a lineage. You also want to be loved. You come from a foreign land and put down roots in Ayaş. When you came to Anatolia, sorting through nine thousand varieties, you didn’t even know that you would make this place your home/love your place.
 
“We have to make spice.”
Before dawn, a rush had started in the house. It was time to hoe. In order to get to the field in time and finish hoeing before the sun rose, the head of the house was waking the family and children from their warm beds. The lady of the house had made preparations the night before. They had set out, reached the field by putting on the tools. But they had to wait until noon for the meal. When the smell of menemen started coming from the fire lit in the willow grove by the stream, the children's hoeing voices started to decrease. It was time to stop working, they said "for the best" to the remaining evening coolness. Quietly. Ayaş was shared. There is no spoon anyway; it is also shameful in our table tradition to make such a big meatball. This is what happened, in the Ayaş steppe, menemen was eaten like this without onions.
 
"We have arguments."
 
How else can one explain menemen "with or without onions" arguments. It is impossible for another nation to understand this gastronomic phenomenon that has become a philosophical problem for us Turks. It is no longer important for us what it comes with, whether menemen comes to the table in a pan/pan/pot; an argument begins among us. Serving menemen on a plate is an insult to us. Everyone eats it with their meatballs, you won't make it that big and you will eat my meatballs with a brush. If you are very hungry, you can eliminate your opponents at the table by asking, “How is it brother, tell me again, I didn’t understand this”. This is what happens to us. Slow eaters also clean up the table.
 
The basis of what is explained above should be Ayaş Tomato. In addition to these features of Ayaş Tomato, which has a thin skin and is very juicy, when you bite into it, it tastes a little salt and lemon; this is the biggest feature that distinguishes it from all tomatoes. Don’t pay attention to the tomatoes sold in the markets using its name. It is very interesting that we met tomatoes and tomato paste, which are indispensable to Turkish cuisine. Tomatoes, which entered our palace cuisine in the nineteenth century, were used green. Tomatoes that started to turn red were distributed to the poor because they were spoiled. Later, tomato paste emerged by using red tomatoes, which were crushed and salted so that they would not spoil, in dishes.
Ayaş district of Ankara, where the only all-inclusive tomato in the world is grown, also draws attention with its historical past. Ayaş, which has Hittite, Phrygian, Galatian and Roman civilizations in its history; It bears the traces of Turkish civilizations since 1073. Ayaş, an important stop on the Istanbul-Mesopotamia caravan route; is a production base in terms of agriculture and animal husbandry. Ayaş, which has approximately fifty thousand acres of agricultural land; produces tomatoes in four thousand acres of it. Seven hundred registered farmers work hard to bring this special tomato to our tables; both for the district economy and to pass this unique seed on to future generations.
 
Ayaş Tomato's Geographical Indicated Product Journey
This geographical indication numbered 1236, whose geographical borders are the borders of Ankara Ayaş district, was registered as origin by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office on October 05, 2022 with the application of Ayaş Chamber of Agriculture. In addition, it was accepted as origin (PDO) by the European Union as the 15th product on November 29, 2023.
 
Ayaş Tomato as a Geographical Indication Product
Ayaş Tomato is a thin-skinned and very juicy tomato grown using local ecotype seeds and seedlings in Ayaş district of Ankara province. Ayaş Tomato has been grown in Ayaş district since the 1960s. Ayaş Tomato is large-bodied and quite fleshy, weighs 250-300 g, and has a dull pink-red color tone. There are pits on the outer surface of the tomato that make it look sliced. Ayaş Tomato is not hard-bodied and its surface collapses when touched with a finger. One of the most important physical characteristics of Ayaş Tomato is the whiteness in the flesh of the fruit in the form of frost when it is cut in two. It has a slightly salty and lemony aroma due to its high acidity. The lycopene content of Ayaş Tomato, approximately 5916 mg/100 g, is one of its distinguishing features.
The fruit shape and structure of Ayaş Tomato depends on local seeds and seedlings transferred from generation to generation within the geographical border. The leaf feature is narrow and the plant type is a ground-dwelling (dwarf) structure. The plant is approximately 120 cm tall and shows late season development. The top of the tomato leaves are covered with hairs that give off a tomato smell, just like the stem. The flowers are yellow and usually clustered. The leaves of Ayaş Tomato are compound leaf-shaped. Despite the high level of sunlight in the region, Ayaş Tomato does not get sunburned on its fruits due to its large leaf blade and abundant leaves. Typical characteristics of continental climate are seen in Ayaş, with cold winters and hot and dry summers. The altitude is 910 m. The annual average temperature is 11.4°C, and the average relative humidity is 54%. The lowest average temperature is 0.5°C in January and the highest average temperature is 22.2°C in July and August. The highest rainfall is 57.2 mm in December and the lowest rainfall is 9.6 mm in August. Ayaş Tomato is open-pollinated and shows late development. Tomato flower pollens can be fertilized by germinating as desired at 10ºC and above, and when the temperature drops below 15ºC, the fruit formation percentage decreases. The most suitable temperature for pollen germination and fruit formation is 18-26°C, 50-80% air relative humidity. At low temperatures, very little pollen dust is formed, and partially fertilized, deformed fruits are formed. When the temperature rises above 17°C, flowering begins and the fruit develops after 25 days. The temperature should also be between 18-26°C during the fruit ripening process. Color substances and therefore lycopene are synthesized best at this temperature. The climate of Ayaş district provides the most suitable conditions for fruit development. The sparse planting of producers increases the yield and therefore the fruit size by providing air circulation and sunlight.
 
Ayaş Tomato Production Method:
The planting area is plowed in advance and the soil is aerated. This process is usually done in April. Ayaş Tomato seedlings are ready for planting when they have 2.5 leaves after the cotyledon leaves (approximately 5-10 cm). Seedling planting can be done in two ways, machine and hand. Seedling planting in Ayaş Tomato starts as of May 1st and is done until the end of May.
 
Seedlings are planted with a 50-60 cm row spacing for table tomatoes, 25-30 cm row spacing if the product is to be given to the industry, and a distance of 1.8-2.0 m between the two rows.
The first hoe is done 15 days after planting, and the second hoe is done after the first month. If the land is too weedy, the third hoe can also be done. If drip irrigation is preferred, drip irrigation is done once a week for 12 hours. If fertilizer is to be given, it is given after the soil analysis. If necessary, mono ammonium phosphate can be given to increase flowering, and potassium can be given after the fruits start to form.
 
Harvest starts at the beginning of August and continues until November. Tomatoes reach harvest maturity in a period of 60-80 days from planting seedlings in the open field to harvest. The fruit is harvested by taking it in the palm of your hand and gently turning it around the stem to tear it off without damaging it.
 
Ayas Tomato and Marketing Communication
Considering the strategic superiority of Ayaş, a caravan city, in the geography where it is located, as well as its proximity to a hinterland like Ankara; it should reposition itself in the context of marketing communication. Considering the indispensable superiority of agriculture and food, Ayaş, which positions its brand identity and values ​​according to the sociology of nearby places; is one of the most advantageous cities for regional superiority. Considering the agricultural production capacity, it is clear that the communication to be made for Ayaş Tomato to maintain its place in the ‘mind guards’ and the communication to be made for the ‘repositioning’ of the city will be different. The level of storytelling in city branding and the difference in the storytelling language of our agricultural products are the biggest obstacles in sales and marketing. Ayaş Tomato, which experiences this obstacle/mental fracture in terms of its target audience, has the potential to overcome with the strategic concepts it will create. In order to convey the historical taste that this local tomato leaves on our palate in the regional and national depth of cultural events held in Ayaş to our future generations, you should definitely visit these lands.
 
Kemal ÇİFÇİ
Advertisement and Brand Consultant
General Secretary of the Geographical Signs Association
July 30, 2024 Akpınar-Ankara
Reference:
1- Ayaş Tomato Registration Certificate
2- Ahmet Okan Demirci / Ayaş District Agriculture and Forestry Director
 

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