Trip to Adana: An Orange-Scented Festival in April

In April, when Istanbul's weather alternates between hot and cold, we made a rather warm decision by going to the Adana Orange Festival. I had heard about this festival from news reports and friends, but when I read about the festival's details in an airline magazine, I became genuinely interested. I looked into accommodation and flight options at the first opportunity, but there was so much demand that planning turned out to be more difficult than I expected. Let me mention this while I'm on the subject: if you want to attend this festival next year, I advise you to plan your transportation and accommodation well in advance. I cannot say the same about flights. Although we found a return flight, unfortunately we had to take a 14-hour bus ride for the outbound journey. The festival took place between 3-7 April, but concerts, parades and other events were mainly scheduled for the weekends, so our plan was also for the weekend. Before going to Adana, I had noted some of the famous places based on articles I had read and recommendations from friends. As soon as we arrived in Adana, we decided to have breakfast at Levent Börekçisi, which has become very famous in the last 4 years. Not knowing Adana beforehand didn't really matter much because Google Maps is a wonderful application for places you don't know. As soon as we arrived in Adana, our first task was to find this famous börekçi (borek shop). Located in Adana's industrial area and incredibly famous, it has grown to 45 branches in 14 cities across Turkey. We had a brief conversation with Levent Tamtürk, who gave his name to these boreks and is the architect of these delicious pastries. First of all, for a place that has become so famous, quite a modest venue awaits you; you might be a bit surprised when you first see the plastic chairs, mismatched tables and the auto repair shop right next door. Levent Börekçisi was founded when Levent, the master, learned the borek recipe from his father Kemal (who had been making it since 1968) and specialized in it, opening a separate place and starting to make only boreks (the Levent Börekçisi in the industrial area is the first branch and has passed the 20-year mark). He said that his boreks sell out early in the day and are always appreciated, but his sudden fame began with the discovery by someone who was doing a food tasting on a television channel. After that came the bloggers and tourists following their posts... "These days, many people who come to Adana don't pass by without stopping, but I think there are still locals who don't know about us." How are the boreks? I had eaten this borek in Istanbul before, of course, but the taste doesn't feel that different. As for varieties, there are pastırmalı (cured meat), kıymalı (ground meat), and peynirli (cheese), with the cheese being the most popular; my favorite was definitely the cheese. When Levent learned the recipe from his father, he explained that traditionally white unsalted cheese was used in making su böreği (water borek), He was the first in Adana to produce su böreği with kashar cheese, that the cheeses are specially produced, and that he worked hard to make the cheese stretch without breaking like in künefe and the dough crispy like in baklava.

Adana Flavors

I can honestly say that this delicacy is produced with great effort. By the way, how the boreks arrive at the tables is equally modest, in the true street-vendor style, coming on special papers or self-service without plates. Tea is ordered from nearby tea stalls, thus providing income to neighboring businesses; you can see the "guild brotherhood" spirit that Levent emphasized here among the tradespeople. Both the taste is good and the prices suit every budget; moreover, you can easily get full with one portion of borek and tea. We were satisfied with the taste, the conversation and the friendly service. When we took our first step in Adana and encountered such positive energy, we immediately forgot the fatigue from the 14-hour journey. We immediately headed to the festival area. We weren't sure where to start, but by downloading the #nisandaadana application created for the festival, we followed the details of our 2-day plan. The Orange Festival, which is referred to as Turkey's largest street festival, really impressed us with both its size and the incredible crowd.

Entertainment and Flavor Combined

Booths were full, long queues at food places, concert areas quite crowded, everywhere decorated with orange-themed decorations, people in colorful and different styles, entertaining music, people dancing... Yes, there was definitely a festival atmosphere. The organization takes place in four different locations, so you can be wherever you want to be. On the first day, with kebab smells from the festival areas, we couldn't smell the orange trees. Of course, this didn't bother us. Various kebab vendors took their places in the festival area. We made our choice from Zeki Usta and found it successful. There are competitions announced months in advance at the Orange Festival. Recipe competitions, clothing design competitions, parade costume competitions and such. And they have nice prizes. While activities continued, we also watched the parade procession, which we had heard much about. I can say it was a colorful procession and I believe there will be more participants as time goes on. Our next destination was Kazım Büfe, which again we were told we must visit. Since Kazım Büfe is on the road where the festival booths are located, we managed to reach it by navigating through quite a crowd, and again there was incredible congestion. Kazım Büfe is famous for its "Banana Milk." Of course, we tasted it right away. It's definitely not like the banana milk in supermarkets. As you drink it, you taste the banana along with a cold flavor here and there, a refreshing drink served in eye-pleasing large glasses, I would say. There's also a strawberry alternative. If you don't go during busy times, I suggest you try both varieties.

Festival Flavors...

The festival continued into the late hours of Saturday. Unfortunately, environmental pollution was at peak levels. No matter how many nature-loving people we saw adorned with oranges, wearing crowns, earrings, necklaces and colorful clothes, the thoughtless throwing of trash everywhere upset us. On Sunday morning, after breakfast, as we drove past it, we tried the "Şalgam and Simit" duo from Ali Göde's (one of the most famous şalgam places), which we had heard much about. Get your şalgam from Ali Göde whether spicy or mild, then immediately get your hot simit from the neighboring shop and you have a wonderful pair... To be honest, I didn't think we would enjoy it. But it turned out differently than I expected. We bought 3 bottles of şalgam and drank them with great pleasure. You should especially try the spicy şalgam. If your path takes you to Adana in the winter months rather than during the festival, people say you should also try the "Şeker Kamışı" (sugar cane) at Ali Göde's. Our next destination was Adana Central Park. Central Park is quite large, again a lush area where festival celebrations continued. We could also call it Kite Park. Interest in the kite festival was great and many people were trying to fly kites. We tried too but it's not that easy. Central Park, where both sales took place and entertainment happened, music played continuously, people relaxed on the grass, children played ball, and people from seven to seventy flew kites, was full of orange trees and its best aspect was that it smelled wonderful. In this respect, it lived up to its name. Leaving Central Park, we decided to visit the Adana Cinema Museum, which was within walking distance. You can see an impressive museum both in terms of its building and its entrance. Again, when Adana is mentioned, the Stone Bridge is something that must be seen. And we headed toward the Stone Bridge. The Stone Bridge is over the Seyhan River, in the center of Adana, connecting the Adana and Karşıyaka shores. Considered a symbol of Adana, the bridge is a work from the Roman period. It is 319 meters long and 13 meters high. Of its 21 arches, 14 are standing. Two lion reliefs are seen on the large central arch. It is known as one of the oldest still-in-use bridges in the world. I don't think almost anyone who comes to the festival passes by without visiting here. It's the first address for those who want to take photographs. Don't forget to take a photo at the Stone Bridge.

Adana Means Flavor

While we snacked here and there, for dinner we preferred to eat kebab at the famous Cik Cik Ali. Again, it's one of the places you'll hear a lot about and among the top recommendations. Easy to reach, a half-hour walk from the city center, on the roadside, one of those modest places. Don't expect eye-catching decoration, but don't worry—the delicious flavors will make you forget about it. Its appetizers, spices and kebab won't stuff you; in fact, if you were hungry, you could easily eat several portions. Despite not being a big meat eater, I really liked this kebab. By the way, there's no menu in this place so don't ask. It seems a bit strange to me to have a place without a menu. When you go to eat, don't you want to see a menu right away? Fortunately, you don't get hung up on that here, and after eating you go on to eat tea with pistachio dessert. I'm sure you'll enjoy the dessert. This is a busy operation—while we were eating, 4 people passing through from Iskenderun couldn't keep up with the kebabs. Another recommended place is Ciğerci Mahmut in the industrial area; also known as Isimsiz or Kaburgacı Yaşar Usta. Although I heard praise for the "Adana Şırdan" (a local sausage dish) that I haven't mentioned until now, it didn't really appeal to me. If you want to try it or if you enjoy eating it, Şırdancı Naci Dayı and Şırdancı Bedo should be on your list. As Sunday evening approaches, packing up begins. If you're heading home, don't forget to buy festival-specific orange-flavored Turkish delight, spicy şalgam, orange-scented cologne, and an orange-themed Adana magnet. If you want information about the Adana Orange Festival beforehand, you can follow the @nisandaadana account on Instagram. If you want to experience an unforgettable festival with Adana's warm Mediterranean people, you should definitely attend this festival next year. And of course, don't forget your orange-themed accessories.

Prepared by: Gayenur Musluoğlu