Burak Kesimoglu, trader, speaks to us about his latest olive harvest experience in Ayvalik.
Donuz: Let’s start with the “why” of your trip to Ayvalık? Why not Bodrum, Ibiza or some place else?
Burak Kesimoglu: I went to Ayvalık primarily because I was taking time off in a very inconvenient season to go to the beaches. Partly because of my business schedule and partly due to my personal preferences, I was taking two weeks off in mid-December. One of my dearest friends from my university operates an olive oil business in Ayvalık and at the time of my vacation he was heading the oil harvest there. I decided to pay a visit…
D: So, you actually witnessed a harvest while you were there…
B.K.: That is quite right. Though to be honest, the harvest was not my real motivation for travel at the time. I wanted to relax, unbrace myself and clear my head, go jogging in the mornings etc. The harvest came as a bonus.
D: Did you actually take part in the harvesting?
B.K.: Of course! I had no other choice really (laughing)… No, joke aside, harvest was fun and also very relaxing. I have always loved food and being part of its production was an overwhelming experience. Even nicer was when the day ended, my friend and I would take virgin olive oil in a small plastic bottle from the production site and go to a fish restaurant in Ayvalık. We would give the oil to the chef and ask him to season our food with that.
D: Wow, that’s enviable. I cannot imagine the delight of those dinners…
B.K.: Yes, indeed they were very delightful. Ayvalık to me is the best place in Turkey for “rakı-balık” (ouzo – fish). That’s a saying we have in Turkish to refer to long hours of delightful fish dishes and friendly conversations. One of those nights, we ended up eating, drinking and conversing until beyond midnight for hours. It didn’t help any of us the next day when we couldn’t wake up in time to join the harvest. It was especially bad for my friend :) He had to leave very early in the mornings to help the rest of his staff collect olives -like 6.00 A.M. in the morning or something. I was more privileged. I did not have to be at the harvest sharp at any time that early in the day.
D: Tell us your typical day then, when did you have to wake up, go to the harvest and all that?
B.K.: I would have slept longer probably, if it was a regular beach holiday, but in Ayvalik, I usually woke up around 8.30 or 9.00 A.M., went jogging for 30-40 minutes by the shore. While I would be out jogging, the housekeeper of my friend -a very nice and dear lady- would prepare me the loveliest breakfasts of all time. Virgin olive oil and oils as you would have expected :), homemade jams, off the garden tomatoes and cucumbers, fresh bread, fresh tea… I would devour the food. After breakfast, I would join the harvesters at around 10.30 – 11.00 A.M. In about an hour of my arrival, the harvesters would break for lunch and we would eat typical home food of Ayvalik with the villagers. Then until 4.00 P.M. in the afternoon the harvest would go on. Sometimes, I continued to work with them and sometimes I was given a guide who explained me the delicacy of olive harvests and oil making. Later, we went to the factory to cherry-pick the better olives from among a pool of olives. These ones that got picked became the table olives for consumption. The rest goes into side products -soaps etc. The work would end around 6.30 – 7.00 P.M. and that’s when we would go for raki-balik. Now, in the winter we could not enjoy the sunset of course. But, I’ve been to Ayvalik a couple of other times, so when in summer it is terribly nice to catch the sunset during or before dinner time.
D: You have definitely become an expert on Ayvalik :) You say you like food very much. What were some of those unique dishes that you ate there?
B.K.: I assume the name of the fish is angler or monk in English. Roasted monk fish at Nihat Restaurant is one of my favorites. I should caution people however of Nihat’s prices. He can be a bit overpriced sometimes. The crabs and shell fish of Yakamoz is also extraordinary at a very fair price. The appetizers of Gunay Restaurant are all very nice. And, I always love to gobble stuffed clams by the beach. I once had more than 18 pieces at once. :)
I should also mention of course the Armenian food in Ayvalik. Not by the beach, but in the inside of the Cunda island, there are some very typical Armenian restaurants. I cannot name one in particular, but those should also be tried.
D: Thank you Mr. Kesimoglu for joining us today and sharing your gourmet experiences with us.
The harvest that Mr. Kesimoglu has been to was that of Ayvada Olive Oil.
Contact information of Ayvada Olive Oil:
Headquarters:
Address : Kefeli Han Kat : 1 No : 19-20 Mahmutpaşa / İstanbul
Phone : (212) 519 00 10
Fax : (212) 519 03 08
Factory :
Address : İzmir Yolu Üzeri, Tellikavak Mevkii Ayvalık
Phone: (266) 312 15 95
Fax : (266) 312 83 73
Ayvalık Store :
Address : Atatürk cad. No : 60 Ayvalık
Phone : (266) 312 43 22
İstanbul Store :
Address :
Bagdat cad Tanzimat sok Kural apt No: 4-B Caddebostan.
Phone :
(216) 478 56 63 – (216) 360 87 39
You will find on Donuz, everything that is unique to where we have been and where you would want to be. Be it food, be it lodging, be it a special feet massage, a bottle of wine, a person… Be it for 7 days, a day, a week, 36 hours or a single moment. On Donuz, is everything, you will need to make your holidays special. We hope you share with us your experiences.
November 23rd, 2009 at 8:49 am
Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.