Bursa Chestnut Candy Description and Distinctive Features of the Product: Bursa Chestnut Candy; it is a product obtained by peeling the skins of chestnuts and cooking them in syrup until they crystallize. In Bursa, the production of chestnut candy began in the famous Şekerciler Çarşısı (Confectioners' Bazaar) from the early 1900s. It is known that during that period, delegations coming from Ankara to Bursa brought chestnut candy to Atatürk on their return. Bursa has been the production center for chestnut candy for many years. Therefore, Bursa Chestnut Candy has a reputation associated with its geographical boundary. The fruit content in Bursa Chestnut Candy should be at least 63-71%, and in syrupy chestnut candy, the fruit content should be at least 60%. The pH value is between 5-5.8.In the production of Bursa Chestnut Candy, easily peelable, thin-skinned chestnuts are used. The skin ratio in the fruit should be 25% or less. It is preferable that the skin color is not too dark.The color of Bursa Chestnut Candy is amber and yellowish. It should not be too dark or caramelized. Production Method: Chestnuts can be peeled by hand or by machine. To carry out the machine peeling process, chestnuts are placed in the machine after their outer shells have dried. The chestnuts with scored outer shells are peeled in the machine. Then, the chestnuts are softened with steam and their inner membranes are cleaned. The cleaned chestnuts are poured onto a conveyor belt. Workers on the belt clean the chestnuts by hand with special chestnut knives, removing embedded shells. The cleaned chestnuts are placed in 8-10 kg bags and stored in the preservation warehouse or used immediately. Chestnuts that will not be used immediately are frozen at -18°C. The waiting time for frozen chestnuts is between 2 and 3 years.Chestnuts should be of an appropriate color (cream), and their taste should not be sour, tangy, or bitter. Separation of Peeled Chestnuts According to Size: Between 4-7 g, they are called small; between 7-10 g, medium; between 10-15 g, large; and 15 g and above are called very large chestnuts. Suitable size chestnuts for Bursa Chestnut Candy are medium and large chestnuts. Chestnuts separated by size are optionally tied to porous special chestnut cloths or placed in baskets without tying. The tying method is based on the traditional method of making chestnut candy in the 1930s, where chestnuts were wrapped in cloths in groups of two or three without breaking them before being produced and sold. Boiling Chestnuts in Water: Chestnuts separated by size are placed in stainless steel baskets in boiling pans. The chestnuts placed in the baskets are boiled in process water (purified, softened, and ultraviolet-treated water). The boiling time varies according to the softening of the chestnuts. While chestnuts are boiled in water, sugar and water are melted separately in another place to prepare syrup for the next stage. Cooking Chestnuts in Syrup: After the boiling stage in water is completed, the chestnuts are drained, and syrup is added to them. They are then cooked in an open or closed pan for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The cooked chestnut candies are placed in the resting section. The sugar content of the syrup may depend on the desired taste, but on average, using 10-12 kg of sugar and 4 kg of water for 10 kg of chestnuts is suitable to achieve the desired consistency.