Afyon Pastrami Product Description and Distinctive Features: Afyon Pastırması (Afyon Pastrami) is produced using beef or buffalo carcass meat. The meat pieces taken from the carcass undergo suitable curing and washing processes, followed by pressing and drying after seasoning, and then they are dried again. Afyon Pastırması is a cured and dried meat product. The seasoning of Afyon Pastırması is prepared in accordance with the Turkish Food Codex by mixing ground thyme seeds, powdered red pepper, and garlic with salt and water, forming a dough. Production Method: Afyon Pastırması is produced using the carcass meat of cattle or buffaloes that have been raised in open and closed farms within the borders of Afyon province for at least 3 months. The drying process, carried out during the spring and summer seasons, is also conducted in climate-controlled rooms. Resting of the Meat: The meat of slaughtered animals is separated from the bones in block form. Subsequently, this meat is further divided into fascia, tendons, lymph nodes, fat, and irregular meat pieces to give shape to the pastirma meat. Carcasses of cattle or buffaloes are left to rest for a minimum of 24 hours after cutting, and then pastirma muscles are extracted. Salting: After attaching strings to the pastirma meats, the salting process begins. Before starting the salting process, cuts (incisions) are made with a knife on the surface of each meat piece. During salting, ensuring that the salt penetrates well into the inner parts of the meat through these cuts. Pastirma meats are laid in large containers called "tekne," and excess salt is shaken off, with the knife cuts facing upwards as they are stacked on top of each other. Salted and stacked meats are left to rest for at least 24 hours at a temperature not exceeding 4°C. At the end of the salting process, the meats release bloody fluids. First Drying: Pastirma meats that have completed the salting period are rinsed by first shaking them in clean water-filled tubs and then keeping them steady in the tub to remove excess salt. The drying process is carried out in controlled conditions, either in open areas with at least three sides open, where high, breezy environments prevent flying insects from entering, or in climate-controlled rooms (with 65-70% relative humidity and equipped with fans that allow the intake of clean air, at a temperature of 20-22°C) for an average of 3-5 days. First Equilibrium: The dried meats are cross-stacked on a flat surface, not exceeding a height of 1 meter. The meat mass is pressed by placing a weight on top of this balance. After these processes, the meat mass is left at room temperature for at least 6 hours, depending on its thickness. Second Drying: The meats removed from the press are hung again for at least 2 days. The drying time varies depending on the season and meteorological conditions. While it is done in the indoor environment under the climatic room conditions mentioned above during winter, it is done at normal air temperatures during spring and summer months. Second Equilibrium: The meats, dried for the second time, are pressed again under the conditions of the first equilibrium for at least 4 hours. Curing: The surface of the matured and dried pastirma meat (with a maximum humidity of 50%) is thoroughly covered with a seasoning paste prepared by mixing ground thyme seed flour, powdered red pepper, garlic, salt, and water. To prepare 100 kg of fresh seasoning paste, approximately 25 kg of thyme seed flour, 7 kg of powdered red pepper, 18 kg of finely chopped garlic, and enough water to bind these ingredients are used. The meats coated with seasoning are left in tubs for at least 15 hours. After this period, the surface of pastirmas is adjusted and corrected according to the shape of the meat. Seasoned Drying: The seasoned meats are placed on a hanger with the upper parts below and left in a place with airflow for at least three days. In natural conditions, they undergo the final hanging process for at least two days, and in the climate-controlled room (at least 16°C), they undergo the final hanging process for at least 24 hours.