Candied chestnuts!

Picking chestnuts is a painful and painstaking task; it takes truly nimble and experienced fingers to remove the chestnuts from its prickly shell. If you don't know what you're doing, you are guaranteed to do either yourself or the chestnut some serious damage! Nevertheless, the festive aroma of 'chestnuts roasting on an open fire' is worth any number of pricked fingers. Every winter, Istanbul's streets fill with roasted chestnut vendors hawking their fragrant wares: a clear sign that winter is well on its way.

From Bitola to Bursa

Roast chestnuts are the purest and most popular way to get a chestnut fix. Half the fun is removing the piping hot cracked shell to get to the meaty chestnut inside. But chestnuts come in a vast range of guises, including Bursa's famous candied chestnuts.Candied chestnuts are synonymous with the Kafkas brand founded by Ali Sakir Tatveren, who came to Bursa from Bitola, Macedonia in 1930. Today, the company is managed by his grandson, Ali Tatveren. Although Ali Sakir Tatveren came from the Balkans, he named his company Kafkas (Caucasus) after the region where he did his military service.What began as a small family company in the 1930s now boasts a 6,500 sqm factory with an annual production capacity of 3000 tons. Kafkas products are sold in 12 sales points in Bursa and a total of 95 sales points throughout Turkey and are exported to many countries including France, Germany, the UK, Greece, Dubai, Australia and Japan. In 2003, the world's largest supermarket chain, E. Leclerc, began to stock Kafkas products. In addition, Kafkas has exported jam to ethnic markets in the US for some 20 years.

Kestane şekeri denince de akla Kafkas gelir. 1930 yılında Makedonya sınırları içinde bulunan Manastır'dan gelip Bursa'da üretime başlayan Ali Şakir Tatveren, Kafkas'ın kurucusu. Bugün yönetimin başında torun Ali Tatveren var. Balkanlardan gelip de firmaya Kafkas isminin verilmesinin nedeni, dede Ali Tatveren'in askerliğini Kafkasya'da yapmış olması. 1930'lardaki küçük aile işletmesi bugün 6 bin 500 metrekare kapalı alanı ve yıllık 3 bin ton üretim kapasitesi olan bir fabrikaya sahip. Kafkas kestaneyi ürün hale getiren dünyadaki tek firma.

A light and delicious gift

The process of manufacturing candied chestnuts consists of several stages. First, the chestnuts are measured and separated according to size. Next, they are shelled, either by steam or by flame. Finally, the chestnuts are flash frozen and placed in storage.Kafkas has recently begun to produce ''marrons glacés'', chestnuts preserved in sweet syrup-a favourite with French gourmets. Marrons glacés are a very popular New Year's gift in France. While candied chestnuts and chestnut based products made up 75% of Kafkas' product range, Kafkas also manufactures other treats. In particular, Kafkas is known for its jams and marmalades. Candied chestnuts or a bottle of Kafkas jam make an ideal Christmas or New Year present for you and your loved ones.

Kestane şeker halini alana kadar bir dizi işlemden geçiyor. İlk işlem boylarına göre kestanelerin ölçülüp ayrılması. Ardından buharlı ya da alevli sistemle ayıklama yapılıyor. Son olarak, şoklanıp dondurulan kestaneler yıl boyu kullanılmak üzere depolanıyor. Marrons Glacés (kriztalize şeker kaplı kestane şekeri) adı verilen bu ürünü, Fransızlar özellikle yılbaşlarında birbirlerine hediye olarak götürüyorlar. Her ne kadar üretimlerinin yüzde 75'ini kestane şekeri ve kestane bazlı ürünler oluştursa da Kafkas'ın ürettiği başka ürünler de var. Bu ürünler arasında özellikle reçel ve marmelatlar önemli yer tutuyor.