Kars Goose Meat Product Description and Distinctive Features: Kars Goose Meat; is the meat of local geese raised in the province of Kars. These geese are taken for fattening in October and slaughtered in November. The process involves pressing the whole carcasses, reducing the water content, salting, and then drying in open air for 5-10 days. The product is presented for sale either as whole carcasses or cut into pieces, packaged in food-contact-safe packaging that allows air exposure. 51% of the soil structure in the province of Kars is chernozem soil. This soil type, rich in organic matter, contains 3-15% humus and high amounts of phosphoric acid, phosphorus, and ammonia. The majority of Kars' chernozem soils are allocated to natural alpine meadows for pasture areas, with the remaining portion dedicated to cereal cultivation. The soil in Kars province, rich in organic and inorganic substances, contains 34.49% medium, 23.78% high, and 8.40% very high levels of absorbable phosphorus, as well as 94.91% high levels of absorbable iron. This ensures that the mineral content in the soil, transferred from the soil to plants and then to geese grazing in meadows, results in Kars Goose Meat having high levels of phosphorus, iron, calcium, and potassium. Goose farming in Kars does not take place in enclosed poultry houses. Due to the chernozem soil structure and the late arrival of spring, the plant vegetation in Kars lasts until the end of August. Therefore, Kars province boasts a rich and aromatic plant flora, which also influences the aroma of goose meat. In Kars, with around 1600 flowering plants, approximately 80 taxa are endemic, and 20 taxa are rare. Geese roam freely in meadows with abundant water sources and extensive grasslands from spring to autumn. One month before slaughter, geese are taken for special fattening in October. Barley is used during this feeding period. The cooling weather from October onwards, combined with feeding geese with barley during the same period, increases fat content and the ratio of protein and saturated fatty acids in goose meat. Geese are also rich in unsaturated fatty acids. Kars Goose Meat has a dark red-burgundy color on the inside, with a coarse fibrous texture, and it has a salty and sharp odor. The drying and salting process reduces the moisture content. During the drying of geese, myoglobin in the muscle tissue undergoes oxidation upon contact with oxygen. Prolonged exposure to air during the drying process increases pigment concentration on the meat's surface, resulting in a darker color. The geese used in the production of Kars Goose Meat should be 25-30 weeks old and have completed their development at the time of slaughter. The cutting weight of the geese is 4.2-4.6 kg, and after cleaning offal, head, neck, etc., the carcass part is dried. The approximate weight of the goose carcass taken for drying is about 3 kg. After the 5-10 days of drying, goose carcasses yield a loss of 15-20%, and the weight of the dried carcass becomes 2.2-2.8 kg. Especially the thigh and breast parts of the Kars Goose Meat carcass are slightly firm and do not collapse when pressed with hands. It easily falls apart when boiled. When cooked in a pot or tandoor, it has a distinctive strong aroma.The province of Kars is located on a high plateau at an average altitude of 1971 m, shielded from maritime influences. The average annual temperature is 5.4°C. The winter season begins in October and lasts until April, with approximately 180-210 days of temperatures below 0°C, dominated by harsh continental climate conditions. The summer months are cool and rainy. The slaughtering season of geese starts in November, when the average temperature is around 0.5°C, and the geographical boundary begins to be covered with snow. In the drying process, besides cold conditions, there is a brief period of sunshine in November, which is utilized. Thus, during the drying of goose carcasses, the fats in the thigh and back parts melt slightly, infiltrating into the goose meat and providing a greasy texture. After November, the cold drying process reduces the water content of the meat, increasing the dry matter content and the fat content in parallel with the increased dry matter. Starting from November, due to the covering of Kars province with snow and the cooling of the air, the daily temperature is below zero degrees Celsius, and the duration of sunshine is quite short. Goose carcasses are tied with a clean string from the end of the right or left side of the thigh and dried for 5-10 days in open air, under the eaves of houses, or in a suitable elevated location. Due to the cold climate conditions, goose meat can be preserved without spoilage. Production Method: The geese used in the production of Kars Goose Meat are raised within the geographical boundary, and the production :Geese Farming: Producers of Kars Goose Meat engage in traditional breeding methods. Depending on the size of the operation, breeders allocate 4-5 female geese and 1 male goose for breeding. Goslings are kept in a separate area for the first 20 days after hatching in April-May and are initially fed with milk. Starting from the second week, they are provided with chopped fresh green herbs, primarily madımak, and moistened bread. During this period, on rainless and warm days, goslings are allowed to spend 1-2 hours outside to graze on the surrounding greenery. From the 20th day after hatching, they are grazed in the meadows within the geographical boundary. Geese are naturally fed in the meadows from hatching until September. Starting from October, using barley feed for about a month, geese reach the age of 6-7 months and a live weight of 5-6 kg, achieving fattening maturity. The geese are then slaughtered from the beginning of November when the first snow falls. Cleaning and Obtaining the Carcass: After slaughter, the feathers of the geese are plucked either manually or with a feather plucking machine. In the manual plucking process, geese are dipped several times in boiling water to soften the feathers, making them easier to pluck. After feather plucking, any remaining fine feathers on the body are burned using an open flame or a torch. This process, known locally as "alazlama" or "duruzlama," eliminates burnt feathers and roots. The goose's body is then cleaned by rubbing vigorously with a food-contact-safe cloth, and it is washed with cold water. The abdomen is opened, and the carcass meat is obtained by manually removing all internal organs and internal fat. The carcasses are washed several times in running cold water, ensuring cleanliness, and then left to drain in a cool place for a few hours or overnight before production. Salting:Approximately 30-50g of rock salt is rubbed by hand for each drained 1 kg of goose carcass meat. Salting is done more intensively inside the goose carcass, especially in the lower parts of the forearm.Salted carcasses are stacked on top of each other in food-contact-safe porous sieves or wooden containers, allowing continuous ventilation with open windows, in a cool place where temperatures do not exceed 7-8°C during the day and 5-6°C at night. They are left to rest for two days to allow the salt to penetrate and release the water. The environment where goose carcasses are left is not heated, and air circulation is ensured. If the weather conditions are warmer than seasonal norms, reducing the pressing time to one day is possible. In the villages within the geographical boundary, the place where geese are pressed is a separate room called "kiler" in houses. The most important feature of this room is continuous air circulation, achieved by proper ventilation through a high chimney or an open window. Care is taken to prevent any contamination from external sources, and necessary protective measures are implemented.Drying:After the pressing process, carcasses are tied with a string from the thigh parts and left to dry in open air for approximately 5-10 days until the moisture content reaches 51.73-69.52%.Storage and Preservation:Once the drying process is complete, the inner part of the carcasses takes on a dark red-burgundy color. The thigh parts become translucent due to the melting and thinning of the oily skin on top, caused by the effects of sunlight.