Kanafeh

Following the application of the Antakya Chamber of Commerce and Industry to the European Union (EU), the southern province of Antakya's famous künefe dessert has been put under protection as a registered geographical indication and traditional specialty.

Baklava with molasses, a product of Turkey's eastern Erzurum province, has earned a coveted geographical indication from the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, authorities announced on March 5.

With the indication, Baklava will join a number of items that already won the designation such as cağ kebab, kadayıf dolma, civil cheese, and su böreği (pasty).

A 78-meter-long künefe dessert was prepared on July 23 for an event held to commemorate the 78th year the southern border province of Hatay, the dessert's homeland, joined Turkey. 

Some 1.5 tons of the heavy dessert was eaten in 20 minutes by participants.  

Turkey has introduced new formal criteria for the sweet and syrupy dessert delight baklava, aiming to standardize production of the trademark dessert that is often manufactured with substandard ingredients to cut costs.