AN ENDEMIC KIND IN CAPPADOCIA

Writer: Osman Yüksel
August 2008

If you visit the market of Avanos after 10th July, you may come across with the women who sell different kinds of vegetable and eggplant. These women are from Ayhan Village. Ayhan, is around 20 km far away from Avanos and has 900-1000 inhabitants. It consists of two parts, one of them is named as Big Ayhan and the other is Small Ayhan. The villagers of Ayhan tell that they have arrived the area around 600 years ago and settled down. The women of this village, whose means of living is mostly green grocery, are famous of being very hard working. They shoulder the whole work both in the house and at the garden. All of them have suntan may be it is just because they spend almost 12 hours under the sun. The women of Ayhan not only can plant any kind of vegetables but also they undertake the post of bringing to the market and selling. Among the vegetable the most important one is certainly the Ayhan Eggplant which is unique to Ayhan Village therefore which is an endemic kind.
Ayhan Eggplant attracts immediately the people with its color range from mauve till white even till milk white. It is origin is not known. Moreover, the eggplant grain from different countries or Germany start to transform in 2 or 3 years and they become Ayhan Eggplant. Of course this is very natural because the bees do not stand idle and they inseminate the new species with the local ones. From my point of view it resembles to a kind which occurs after inseminating Yamula eggplant with orchard eggplant (Tapan). Sometimes only one of them weighs 500 gr. Although it becomes bigger and bigger, no seeds exist inside and it never loses its being white inside. Nowadays this type can be planted in Cemel which is another village close to. Besides, I plant organic Ayhan Eggplant in my firm near to Avanos Köybağı locality and which has organic farming certificate.

Note: This article has been published in Peribacası Cappadocia Culture and Publicity Magazine, August 2008 issue. It is under protection of the copyrights of the magazine. No part of this article may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by electronic, mechanical or other means without prior permission from the owner. www.cappadociaexplorer.com