An important cheese in Turkish cuisine: a research on PGI-registered Erzurum civil cheese

Abstract Cheese serves as a medium for conveying the identity and culture of the regions where it is produced. This includes the origin of the milk used, pastures enriched with aromatic herbs, natural landscapes, cheese producers, traditional production methods, and consumption rituals. This intricate structure is also closely linked to cheese-focused tourism. Additionally, geographical indication (GI) as an industrial property right provides consumers with quality assurance for registered and protected products while offering economic, social, and environmental benefits to the regions where production occurs. This study aims to highlight the significance of GI-registered Erzurum civil cheese, one of the most prominent elements of Erzurum cuisine, by emphasizing its cultural importance, examining its production stages according to the registration document, and proposing recommendations for its preservation for future generations. Erzurum civil cheese, produced in Turkey’s Eastern Anatolia Region, was officially registered in 2009 and is widely consumed across the country.