Potato Harvest with PepsiCo Turkey

I traveled so much this summer that I couldn't even find time to write about so many subjects from traveling. Whenever I have the opportunity, I try to write about my recent travels and my past travels.

mid September Potato harvest with PepsiCoI said I'm going to your destination and didn't bring the rest.

Two full days passed;

• I learned a lot about potatoes from Vedat Başaran.
• I tried dipsos,
• I did not stand still for a minute, there was a constant activity,
• I pissed off the tour guide,
• I made pottery
• with pink potatoes (their name Lady Rosetta I learned that there are
• who made a great organization PepsiCo Turkey ve Zarakol I had a great time with the team, I came here.

After this short summary, let's get to the details:

Friday night; Perhaps the most beautiful hotel in the Cappadocia region when we arrive in Goreme CRR (Cappadocia Cave Resort) places were reserved for us at the hotel, our evening soup was prepared and waiting for us. Of course, it is a very luxurious hotel for a backpacker like me who is used to traveling cheaply, but if you have a budget, I would definitely recommend it.

Our Saturday program started early;

First of all, a great breakfast was ready and waiting for us in the morning, you know how much I enjoy eating delicious foods while traveling 🙂

PepsiCo Turkey Sustainable Agricultural Practices

PepsiCo Turkey Corporate Communications Manager Didem Şinik first told us what PepsiCo does, I'm sure many of you first question when you start reading this article, "What does Pepsi have to do with potatoes?" It is possible. There are many food brands under PepsiCo Turkey that we all know very well; Our favorite chips such as Doritos and Lays are among these brands.

The part of PepsiCo we haven't heard before sustainable agriculture were applications. It was very nice to hear about their investments to reduce water consumption, energy consumption and increase agricultural efficiency. I think that world brands should definitely make these investments.

Meet Vedat Başaran, Expert of Ottoman Cuisine

The second part of the day and the part that I am most curious about is Vedat Basaran to meet with him, to listen to the history of potatoes from him. Vedat impressed me, and I think all the participants, with his great knowledge of food culture and his humble demeanor. I listened in amazement how important the potato had in the history of the world.

History of Potato

3700-3000 IO Peru – Incas domesticated 3000 types of potatoes.

1535 Peru - The Spanish saw the potato for the first time.

1550 Spain – The arrival of the potato in Europe

1586 England - Queen Elizabeth's cook cooked potato leaves, threw himself in the trash.

1590 Italy - Pope gave potato to his botanist for the first time.

1651 Germany - The state forced its people to grow potatoes.

1660 – 1688 Ireland – Potato plantation grew rapidly from 500 000 to 1.5 million.

1662 England - Royal sponsored potato plantation.

1700 Russia - Peter the Great introduced the potato to his people.

1719 North America – Scottish and Irish immigrants brought the potato to North America for the first time.

1748 France - Parliament bans the cultivation of potatoes because it causes dwarfism.

1760 Poland – Potatoes reach Poland during the 7 Years' War.

1760-1840 Ireland – Population increased by 600%. It increased from 1.5 million to 9 million thanks to potatoes.

1763 France - Parmentier promotes potato planting to the French.

1764 Sweden - He promoted potato cultivation in his country.

1770 Australia – Captain Cook introduced the potato to Australia.

1780 France – Louis XVI established potato farming near Paris.

1793 France - The first cookbook about potatoes is published. 'La Cuisine Republicaine'

1830 Belgium - Potato disease

1835 France - Careme made British potato dishes.

1837 France - The potato soufflé was accidentally produced.

1845 Ireland - Potato disease destroyed the entire crop. 1 million Irish died and another 1 million left the country.

1850 America - The legendary potato chip was invented in Saratoga.

1873 America - Idaho potatoes are grown.

1920 America – Soldiers returning from World War I brought French fries to their country.

1950 PepsiCo introduced the potato chips to the world.

The most interesting information for me was the part where the Incas domesticated the potato in Peru. Because my 2014 plans include going to Peru and visiting the Inca civilization, perhaps I will have the opportunity to see the places where the first potato was grown. That's why it's important to do preliminary research on the places one travels, and the importance of the most read part of my blog is here… While walking in those mountains, I will know that the homeland of potatoes, one of my favorite foods since childhood, is there.

What Does It Look Like If I Make Dipsos?

Our next activity was to make dipsos 🙂 We did experimental work with various sauce ingredients and various chips in front of us. I may have eaten the sauce I made myself the most, but all the sauces that everyone made according to their own taste were more beautiful than the other.

After making our dipsos and eating with pleasure, we ate our lunch and set off. Of course, when you come to Cappadocia, it would not be possible to return without seeing a little Peribacası and Avanos.

Cappadocia Trip

Places to visit and see in CappadociaI suggest you take a look at my previous article on the subject.

We visited Göreme Open Air Museum with the guide assigned to us. Even though there was a sweet fight between me and the guide because I was too knowledgeable and the group went into "Let Sevilla tell" mode, our guide, who knew the region very well, kept us informed at any time 🙂

After Göreme, we visited the potters in Avanos and our guide had me make pottery as punishment, while the pottery master was hiring me. I now have another gold bracelet 🙂

Of course, at the end of our Cappadocia tour, which ended in Ürgüp, I did not neglect to find the opportunity to buy Cappadocia wines.

Turkish Night in Cappadocia

A Turkish Night was organized for us for the evening. I had a lot of fun during the night, which started with the dancers in one of the Cappadocian cave restaurants and ended with the old Brits cuddling with each other. Although I was uncomfortable with the way Turkish culture was reflected at first, I was dancing around the fire that joined the train later in the night 🙂

Lady Rosetta Harvest

We were on the road early on Sunday morning, going to the fields near Develi District of Kayseri to harvest potatoes before the sun came up. Again, a breakfast with bird's milk was waiting for us, this time set in the field in the tent. I have to thank everyone again for the great organization 🙂

This time PepsiCo Agro team they informed us about sustainable farming practices and growing potatoes. Thanks to this, I learned that potato production is much more efficient in Turkey due to the different climate and soil structure, and that chips can be made using fresh potatoes for most of the year without the need for storage.

After breakfast, we dived into the field and experienced how to harvest potatoes first with our hands and then with a tractor. Those who follow my polka dot obsession on social media know, Lady RosettaI loved them when I saw them, because they were also pink-on-white polka dot potatoes.

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And of course, as at the end of every trip, I return to Istanbul again with two full days and a lot of new information in my pocket...