Stories of Etrog Products;

Each one of Etrog confectionaries produced from citrus varieties, is inspired from history, different religions, myths, legends and folk stories. We have branded each Etrog Citrus Confectionaries after their names as a tribute. We would like to tell you the story and meaning of each brand.

CEDRO, 

Our Cedro confectionary is produced from Etrog Citron or Citron Diamente fruit. This fruit that resembles lemon and considered as divine has a very nice smell and taste. Etrog is a citrus variety consumed during spiritual ceremony held on the occasion of Sukkot holiday. 

Sukkot is one of the three Jewish Pilgrimage Festivals. According to Cabalist philosophy, Etrog represents human being both with good manners and have Torah knowledge. It symbolizes the heart which is the center of feelings in our body.  Sukkot explains 40 years wandering in the desert of Moses and his tribe living in booths after they left Egypt in the search of Promised Land. It is holiday that continues for 7 days and 7 nights when the love and the protection of god are felt and people pray for fertility and joyful feast celebrated in booths called sukkot. 

Our Cedro confectionary produced from fruits that harvested from our own plants is one of the most valuable pieces of our collection with its taste, flavor, smell and aroma. It is perfect gift for you and your loved ones. 
We wish that you will share our motto which is “Etrog creates time of happiness” and share this confectionary with joy in Sukkot spiritual ceremonies. 

VORTAN GARMİR,  

It is a paint used in different surfaces such as fresco handwritings in the religious texts of Vaspuragan Kingdom in Ani region after 7th century B.C. and textiles and this paint is hard to produce. This paint was used especially on the Easter Eggs, the ornament of religious days. Until 16th Century, it was common in red colored materials sold to Europe. It is an Armenian painting technique whose production was totally ended and forgotten after 1900s. 

This red paint was obtained from an insect that lived on the plant roots nearby the Aras River running through Turkey and Armenia and today it is under the protection of Unesco. 

Pesah / Easter is a Christian holiday when life and universe are identified with egg and people from different walks of life give each other egg as a present. Easter is a holiday of resurrection of Jesus as Messiah and symbolizes the opening of gates of heaven to human kind again. Armenians painted eggs with vortan garmir as a part of “Red is Divine” ritual and turned into an Orthodox and divine object. 
Vortan Garmir confectionary is based on the idea that, “colors reveal hidden history”. Recalling cultural values of Anatolia, Vortan Garmir confectionary tells the story of orange actually found by a priest and changed its color into red due to natural mutation. Vortan Garmir which is a vanished value of history, revived as a veggie taste both with its delightful forest fruit aroma and with its color which is bright red resembling purple and become a part of product collection.

HAGAR,

As we have inspired from Prophet İbrahim, his wife Hajar and his son İsmail, we have named this confectionary as Hagar and here is the short version of their story. 

Prophet İbrahim’s years long longing for a child during his marriage with Sara was ended when Hajar gave birth to his son İsmail. Due to pressure of Sara as well as revelation ordered him to do, Prophet İbrahim left Hajar and his son under a dry tree between Safa and Marwa mountains at the border of Mecca.

When Hajar who understood that she will be left with her son with little amount of dates and water asked, “Why do you leave us in this deserted place out of nowhere?”, İbrahim who was ordered not to look back responded her by saying, “This is the order.” Mother of Muslims, Hajar with full devotion said, “If this is what God ordered, then God will protect us.” When they ran out of food and water, her milk dried out. İsmail was crying while his mother was desperately running around. Her exam against hunger and thirst ended with the order of the Archangel Gabriel. Fruits fall from dried tree and Zam Zam water gushed out under the feet of İsmail. 

Hagar is produced from the smallest member of citrus family, the Fortunella Kumquat. It is a very special product with its shape similar to date and taste feels like happiness. Moreover, its hot and spicy flavor which can be consumed with its peel, offers ultimate taste. Hagar confectionary is a very delightful product for those who want to enjoy gusto flavors and share it or give it as a gift. 


FREYA, 

Mythological heroine Freya is Celtic Pagan and Viking goddess. Freya is the goddess of love, beauty, fertility and celebrations. Freya means lady in various different languages. In North European languages, name of the goddess, Friday is accepted as divine day. Freya with her golden hair decorated with scented flowers whose teardrops turn into gold and amber is a beloved goddess. 
Celtic mythology is the Iron Age mythology of Celtic polytheism. Scandinavian myths are about supernatural creatures and events.  Vikings are the ones that came to mind when we talk about Medieval Pagan philosophy. Geographic journey of Celts from Ireland to Iceland, from Gaul to Iberian Peninsula, from Germen to Anatolia (Galat, Ankara Castle and finally Adana), force that unites after Christianity is the product of culture that evolved due to destruction of culture and belief due to pressures of Roman Empire army. 
Freya confectionary is a very exclusive product with its impressive and charming smell and aroma as well as freshness in its taste that come from the peel of Bergamot. Being an important part of multi-colored richness of Anatolia and also an important part of Celt Culture in the hidden passages of history, Freya is the story behind the name of our confectionary made from bergamot. 

EL CAMİNO,

El Camino De Santiago is the way of St. James, one of the twelve Apostles of Christ. After he was beheaded in Jerusalem and his body was put in a boat that came ashore in the east border of Iberian Peninsula, his body was transferred to Compostela on the shoulders of four monks and buried in a tiny cathedral. Grave which was forgotten for centuries was reinvented when a worker coincidentally witnessed a meteor shower in 1879 during the restoration of cathedral and today this tiny temple is known as the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral. 

It takes 45 to 50 days to walk on approximately 800 kilometer Pilgrim’s route considered as divine by Catholic Christians located in Galicia Autonomous Region and route ends with devotion ritual in Santiago Cathedral. Pilgrims take this way either slow or fast, alone or in groups, during spring or fall.

Pilgrims rested in hostels two times a day and people serve bread, fruit confectionary-jam, cheese-butter and wine. Symbol of this route taken by eating humble food and devotion is seashell. El Camino confectionary with its 3D shape similar to seashell produced from tangerine is inspired from Compestela pilgrims. It is produced as a gift to honor this very special journey.


MIRYAM,

There was Amran and Yochebet’s children Moses, Aaron and their sister Miriam. When Pharaoh order to murder all new born male babies, Holy Miriam ensure the safety Moses by placing him in a wicker basket a straw basket and changed the course of the world. 

There was another Miriam known as the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus born in Nazareth (Nasira) after the archangel Gabriel told her that the Son she was to conceive and give birth to is holy and save his people from sin. Virgin Mary carrying “Holy Spirit in her womb” responded how can she have a child when she was virgin. 

And there was reddish yellow haired and greyish green eyed Kır Miriam who lost her husband at a young age and struggled in the rocky paths of life on her own, made all the sacrifices possible for the future of her children and became the symbol of faith and will. 

3 nurturing women who were devoted to God and made sacrifices for the people who need protection.  They have inspired the story of our product. Most common rootstock of citrus; Aurantium became the godmother of our Miryam confectionary. Double processed Miryam is a very exclusive and rare confectionary that will give you the chance to distinguish the difference between good and perfect.  

TEMERIS,

Herodotus defined Scythian and nomadic Turkish tribes that ruled between 800-300 BC, İÖ.800-300 as they are the people who do not have no cities or castles, all are riding horse and fighting with arrows. They carry their homes with them; they do not involve in agriculture and make their living as animal breeders. 

Persian King Cyrus attacked Turks in 600 B.C. and captured south regions of western land. Son of Temeris was killed during one of these attacks. Cyrus wanted to marry the female commander of Pechenegs Temeris and he attacked the land as his request was rejected. He was not only asking Temerisi to marry him but also want her give her land as a gift of marriage. After hand to hand fighting, Temeris won the victory. Due to heroism, courage and victory she displayed in this battle, Temeris became the star in the skies of Turkish history and first female Turkish hero. Temeris is the godmother of Tomris, a common female name in the country. Temeris confectionary produced from Feminello Siracusano lemons tastes like lemonade. It has a special place with its refreshing flavor. It is produced on the honor of Temeris Hatun.