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The Turkish pantry

Oğuzeli pomegranate molasses

Gaziantep

Oğuzeli pomegranate molasses is the registered nar ekşisi of Gaziantep’s Oğuzeli district: the juice of the local Oğuzeli pomegranate, boiled for hours with nothing added, for salads, kısır and the sour side of Gaziantep cooking.

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Oğuzeli Nar Ekşisi is registered with TÜRKPATENT as an indication of source (no. 615, 2020) for the Oğuzeli district of Gaziantep. It may be made only from Antep Oğuzeli pomegranate, itself a registered variety with yellowish-white arils and a sweet, non-astringent taste, and its juice is boiled for three to three and a half hours with no sweetener or additive. The registration records about 70 percent soluble dry matter, an acidity of about 7 percent as citric acid, a pH of 3.4 and no sucrose, so the molasses is thick and sour from the fruit alone. Turkish food law allows nothing but pomegranate, pomegranate juice, concentrate and water in any product sold as nar ekşisi.

Dark pomegranate molasses in an İznik-style patterned bowl beside a glass bottle, a whole pomegranate and a cut piece with pale arils on a sunlit stone table.

Types & forms

Oğuzeli nar ekşisi (registered)

Made in Oğuzeli from the local registered pomegranate by the registered method and checked yearly by an inspection body coordinated by Oğuzeli Municipality. The name on the label is the product’s identity; a bottle that only says Gaziantep is not the same thing.

Pomegranate molasses from other regions

Hatay, the Aegean and other producers make nar ekşisi from tarter varieties. It serves the same kitchen role, but it is a different product with its own character, and some are registered under their own names.

What to look for when buying

  • Look for the full name Oğuzeli Nar Ekşisi and an Oğuzeli or Gaziantep producer on the label; a geographic-indication mark shows the product was inspected.
  • Read the ingredient list: pomegranate only. A product with sugar, glucose syrup or flavoring is a sauce, not nar ekşisi, and since 2024 may not be sold under that name in Türkiye.
  • Choose a sealed glass bottle with a best-before date. Darkness and thickness are normal; they do not prove origin on their own.

Prepare & cook

  • Use it a spoonful at a time: it is concentrated and sour, so taste as you go in dressings, kısır, piyaz and dips.
  • Whisk it with olive oil, lemon and salt for a salad dressing, or drizzle it over grilled meat, roasted vegetables and eggplant dishes at the end.
  • If a recipe names only pomegranate molasses, use the amount it gives; the regional product does not change the quantity.

Store it well

  • Keep the bottle tightly closed in a cool, dark cupboard away from the stove.
  • Once opened, close it well after each use; it thickens when cold, so let it stand a few minutes before pouring.

Substitutions depend on the dish

Another additive-free pomegranate molasses

Any Turkish nar ekşisi made only from pomegranate fills the same role in a recipe. This substitutes the cooking ingredient, not the Oğuzeli product name.

Lemon juice with a little grape molasses

Gives sourness and a touch of fruit depth when no pomegranate molasses is at hand, without its color or body.

Nutrition

Nutrition varies by producer and batch. Use the label on the bottle you buy for its nutrition values.

At the Turkish table

Nar ekşisi is a basic seasoning of the Gaziantep table. In Oğuzeli the pomegranate harvest starts in September; families press the fruit and boil the juice for hours in large cauldrons, skimming the foam, and the district makes around fifty tons of molasses a year.