The 37-year-old Okulu claimed his third Kırkpınar championship, having previously won in 2015 and 2018, after dominating the 20-minute final in Edirne, a small city 200 kilometers west of Istanbul.

Okulu came into the tournament as an overwhelming favorite, going so far as to tell local media ahead of the event: “This year, I’m in the same shape I was when I won the belt. Others may have a weight advantage, but at Kırkpınar, endurance is everything.”

After several stops and starts in the opening minutes of the final, with medical staff coming onto the field to treat Okulu’s lacerated eyebrow twice, the match returned to action with various hand-to-hand exchanges.

Overall, the experienced Okulu dominated the final with his offensive style of play, coming close to catching his 26-year-old opponent in the 16th minute before knocking Aktürk, who maintained a defensive disposition throughout, off his feet and onto his back in the 19th minute. 

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On his route to the final, Okulu triumphed over Seçkin Duman and 2022 champion Cengizhan Şimşek in the first rounds before defeating Erkan Taş in the quarter-finals and Enes Doğan in the semifinals.

Meanwhile, Aktürk defeated three-time champion Ali Gürbüz in the second round, İsmail Koç in the quarter-finals and Ali İhsan Batmaz in the semi-final. In the previous round, İhsan Batmaz caused the upset of the tournament, defeating two-time defending champion Yusuf Can Zeybek.

“Thank God, we became champions this year as we did in 2015 and 2018,” Okulu said in his victory speech, according to local media. “I beat European champion Feyzullah Aktürk. I thank him. We all played very tough matches.”

“I thank my wife and children who watched me on TV and supported me, my father who was with me and all the supporters,” he added. “My father started me wrestling, and I present the belt to my father. May the belt bring good luck to all people of Antalya.”

Overall, more than 3,000 unranked wrestlers competed alongside 40 ranked wrestlers, who qualified directly for the final stage, throughout the three-day event, which concluded on July 6th.

Kırkpınar is widely considered to be the world’s longest-running sporting event and was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2010. 

According to legend, the wrestling competition originated in 1357 when a group of 40 Ottoman soldiers stationed near Edirne began grappling to pass the time.

After the rest had finished, the final two continued their fight into the night and were found dead the following day.

There was no winner that year, but the event has been held each July since then, except when it was canceled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Traditionally, wrestlers of all ages, cultural backgrounds, and social classes gather in Edirne, engaging in one-on-one matches on the grassy fields until one wrestler successfully throws the other onto his back.

Despite a controversial format change that introduced ranked and unranked categories, the rules remained the same. Wrestlers are doused in olive oil and wear only a kıspet, short leather pants, while they compete.

The match starts with both wrestlers locking hands and keeping their heads close together. To win, a wrestler must pin his opponent onto his back or lift him into the air.

The olive oil makes it very difficult for the wrestlers to grip each other, forcing them to grab the pockets of their opponent’s kıspet.

Wrestlers also claim that olive oil helps reduce pain from injuries and accelerates wound healing. An estimated two tons of olive oil are used during the event.

The process of applying the olive oil follows a specific ritual. First, oil is applied to the left shoulder, chest, left arm, and cuff of one wrestler by another wrestler using his left hand.

Next, wrestlers repeat the same motion on the right side of their bodies. The final step of the ritual involves wrestlers applying oil to each other’s backs.

Olive oil is an essential part of the competition, and if a wrestler feels the need to reapply oil during a match, he may request a timeout from the referee and his opponent.

• Milliyet
• Daily Sabah

On the foothills of Mount Guardiabella, an offshoot of the Prealps, Tèra de Prie cultivates 4,500 trees scattered over 15 hectares of terraced orchards at 300 to 400 meters of altitude. 

The groves are located throughout the hamlets of Aurigo, Borgomaro and a few other villages of the Impero Valley, near Imperia.

“This area has always been rich in stones and trees,” co-owner Nicola Ferrarese told Olive Oil Times. “The first peoples who arrived here, the Ligurians and then the Romans, started using the tree wood to build their boats and collected the stones to create the terraces, turning a problem into a resource.”

Hence, the name of the company, Tèra de Prie, which in the Ligurian language means ‘land of stones’ or ‘land made of stones.’ The company logo depicts a stylized human figure wielding a magaglio, a local word indicating a type of three-toothed hoe. It can be seen as a farmer hoeing, gearing up for the olive harvest or struggling to fix a retaining wall.

The latter image evokes the constant maintenance required by the terraced plots, whose slope gradient is at least 45 degrees. Every year, the company restores between 180 and 200 square meters of dry stone walls on the property.

The result of this commitment towards the territory, shaped by a thousand years of heroic farming, is Tèra de Prie Biologico Monocultivar Taggiasca, which earned a Gold Award at the 2025 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition.

“Our work of preservation has not only a historical and cultural value – just consider that UNESCO recognized the art of dry stone walling as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity – but it also has other major implications,” Ferrarese said. 

“A good maintenance of the dry stone walls drastically reduces the hydrogeological risk,” he added. “Due to the importance of this activity, the European Union covers part of the cost necessary for their restoration. However, well-done work always requires an extra amount of expense, as well as additional efforts.”

The use of traditional agricultural techniques, such as dry-stone terraces, is widely recognized as an adaptation measure to mitigate the effects of climate change.

The E.U. manages funding programs, such as “Using Dry-Stone Walls as a Multi-purpose Climate Change Adaptation tool,” the goals of which are to restore and maintain dry stone walls in a long-term manner, as they enable excellent water drainage and effectively minimize the risk of landslides and floods.

“Among their environmental benefits, these walls provide a specific natural ecosystem for many species,” Ferrarese said. “Moreover, they act as temperature regulators, creating a microclimate, thanks to the stone’s ability to store the heat of the sun and then to release it.”

Ferrarese manages the company alongside his father, Franco, and last year, his wife, Sonia, joined the team to oversee marketing and business initiatives. The couple has two children, eight-year-old Andrea and six-year-old Francesca, who has already shown interest in the family’s commitment to olive production.

“Every year, our kids are the first tasters of our extra virgin olive oil, and they love getting involved in the harvest, which for them is an exciting experience,” Ferrarese said. “Speaking of the link between generations, most of these lands have been passed down to us from our ancestors. Both my mother’s and my father’s families were, in all likelihood, olive growers since 1700.”

The origins of their entrepreneurial venture date back to the mid-1980s, when Franco Ferrarese began revitalizing an abandoned olive grove.

“He then recovered other plots and we started making oil for household consumption,” Ferrarese said. “After purchasing some neighboring land, at the end of the 1990s, he established a small mill, and in 2000, he created a company.”

In 2011, the farm was certified organic. In 2016, Ferrarese joined his father in managing the business, and together they founded Tèra de Prie.

“We have a precious collaborator, Emad Balat, who began working with us 25 years ago, and today he is a true expert in the construction of dry stone walls. His skill is invaluable. Building this type of wall without using binding material not only takes effort but also calls for great expertise,” Ferrarese said. “Emad and I also take turns in managing the company mill, equipped with advanced Mori-Tem technology.”

“Another great collaborator, Zeka Ilmi, works in the olive groves all year, and in the summer he takes care of our vegetable garden,” he added. “This is where we source the vegetables for our hotel’s restaurant.”

The Ferrarese family manages a hotel in Diano Marina, whose catering section is supplied with extra virgin olive oil and other fresh, organic agri-food products from their farm. The hotel guests can participate in olive oil tastings and tours of the farm and mill.

“We organize events for our guests and for all those who want to visit our olive groves and the milling facility, which is regularly updated with the best technical innovations,” Ferrarese said. “We make an olive oil tasting, and I give them some information about these terraces and the history of Ligurian agriculture, trying to convey both our passion and some useful information to recognize a good extra virgin olive oil.”

The company’s pursuit of quality has always been closely tied to its commitment to environmental sustainability. Before applying for organic certification, the Ferrarese family began focusing on organic methods of production.

“We minimize tillage and let the spontaneous herbs grow on our terraces to improve biodiversity and attract beneficial insects,” Ferrarese said.

“We mow grass just once a year before harvesting, and actually, I can say that the wild boars help us practice green manure, as they loosen up the soil under the trees while in search of food,” he added. “Indeed, our olive groves are rich in wildlife, and we aim to preserve this healthy environment.”

Most of the plots face southwest, offering excellent exposure to the sun that benefits the Taggiasca olive trees. The orchards also include a few dozen trees belonging to yet unknown varieties, which ancient farmers used to improve pollination. The company is currently studying them in collaboration with a university research group.

The average width of a terrace is approximately three meters, but in some cases, it can be as little as two meters. As a result, each terrace typically contains one row of olive trees, while only a handful have sufficient space for two rows. For optimal use of space, due to logistical and safety reasons, the company conducts regular and meticulous pruning of its olive trees.

“The activities on these orchards can often be strenuous, and especially for this, our collaborators deserve to work in a serene and pleasant environment,” Ferrarese said. “I believe that the respect for the land cannot be separated from the respect for and enhancement of people who work and live in it.”

“Every time we hire someone, even just for a season, the first oil that comes out of the mill goes to them, because they helped us create something unique like a high-quality extra virgin olive oil,” he added. 

“True quality is not an end in itself, but aims at everyone’s well-being. It seeks the common good and acts in the best interest of the entire community. This is what we strive to do, and it is reflected in the care with which we protect this fascinating territory.”

The 30-year-old Antalya native defeated the 2022 champion (while Taş lost the fight, he was later awarded the title after Cengizhan Şimşek received a retroactive point penalty) in a vigorous round that lasted 52 minutes.

According to local media, both fighters got off to a “lively” start, with Can Zeybek coming close to taking Taş down with an early lunge. After this, the fight slowed, and Taş received a warning for being overly passive.

The match finished after regulation time with Can Zeybek catching the hoop on Taş’s kıspet – the short, leather pants worn by the wrestlers – causing him to lose his balance and topple to the ground.

In addition to claiming the başpehlivan title, Can Zeybek received the prestigious golden belt and 550,000 Turkish lira (€15,500) in prize money. Taş received 270,000 Turkish lira (€7,780).

On his way to the final, the two-time champion defeated Mustafa Arslan in the quarterfinal match before triumphing over Hüseyin Gümüşalan, a 2023 semifinalist, in this year’s semifinals.

In his quarterfinal clash, Gümüşalan defeated four-time champion Ali Gürbüz, which pundits said was the most exciting of the round.

The two wrestlers, considered favorites to win the tournament, spent most of the regulation time making conservative efforts to knock the other over but not creating any opening for the other.

In the 52nd minute, Gümüşalan found an opening, getting a grip on his opponent’s kıspet  and knocking Gürbüz flat on his back.

Meanwhile, Taş triumphed over Enes Doğan in the quarterfinals before defeating Serhat Gökmen in his semifinal bout.

While Can Zeybek was not bothered, this year’s Kırkpınar was controversial after the Turkish Wrestling Federation announced a contentious format change.

The change created a league-style qualifying format for the tournament’s final rounds, which Turkey’s governing body of wrestling said was needed to fit the steadily increasing participation in the event—a record-high 3,500 wrestlers participated in 2023—into a single weekend.

Both Can Zeybek and Taş qualified directly for the final stage of the 663rd Kırkpınar after finishing among the top 32 wrestlers in the league points table.

Can Zeybek now has the opportunity to join the ranks of Kırkpınar immortality in 2025 if he retains the title for a third straight year. While each başpehlivan is entitled to the golden belt until the following Kırkpınar begins, wrestlers who win three titles in a row keep the belt permanently.

Only four fighters have achieved the feat since 1960, when the golden belt was first awarded. The last time Kırkpınar celebrated a three-time consecutive champion came in 1997.

Since then, Recep Kara (2007 and 2008) and Mehmet Yeşil Yeşil (2009 and 2010) have come the closest, but each failed to win for the third time. Incidentally, Kara defeated Yeşil Yeşil to become the 2016 champion.

Kırkpınar is widely considered to be the world’s longest-running sporting event. In 2010, it was added to the UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list.

According to legend, the wrestling competition began in 1357 when a group of Ottoman soldiers stopped near Edirne.

As they waited near the former capital of the Ottoman Empire, 40 soldiers began wrestling to pass the time. After the rest had finished, the final two continued their bout into the night, and both were found dead the following day.

There was no winner that year, but since then, the event has been held each July, except for 2020, when it was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Over the past decade, Kırkpınar has become an increasingly popular tourist event. Hoteliers told local media that they were operating at almost full capacity throughout the week this year.

Traditionally, wrestlers of all ages, cultural backgrounds, and social classes gather in Edirne, engaging in one-on-one matches on the grassy fields until one wrestler successfully throws the other onto his back.

Despite the format change, the rules remained the same. Wrestlers were doused in olive oil and wore only a kıspet while they competed.

The match starts with both wrestlers locking hands and keeping their heads close together. To win, a wrestler must pin his opponent onto his back or lift him into the air.

The olive oil makes it very difficult for the wrestlers to grip each other, forcing them to grab the pockets of their opponent’s kıspet.

Wrestlers also claim that olive oil reduces pain from injuries and helps their wounds heal faster. An estimated two tons of olive oil are used during the event.

The oiling process follows a specific ritual. First, oil is applied to the left shoulder, chest, left arm, and cuff of one wrestler by another wrestler using his left hand.

Next, wrestlers do the same to the right side of their bodies. The final step of the ritual involves wrestlers applying oil to each other’s backs.

Olive oil is an essential part of the competition, and if a wrestler feels the need to reapply oil during a match, he may request a timeout from the referee and his opponent.

• Anadolu Agency
• Anadolu Agency
• Daily Sabah

One day after the Turkish Traditional Wrestling Federation announced a new league-style qualifying format, 29 wrestlers planned to boycott the qualifying round.

Among the wrestlers is Cengizhan Şimşek, who won the 661st Kırkpınar in 2021, and Hamza Köseoğlu, a semi-finalist in 2019.

“We, as the top wrestlers, announce that we will not participate in the preliminary matches scheduled for Thursday in protest of the unfair qualifying system imposed by the Turkish Traditional Wrestling Federation,” the wrestlers wrote on social media.

“Despite our efforts to convey the injustice of the system, which requires wrestlers to finish in the top eight of the league after three rounds to qualify for Kırkpınar, no corrective action has been taken,” they added. “We declare that we will not wrestle on Thursday [July 4th], and we express our desire for a united front among all wrestlers to boycott the preliminaries.”

“We also inform the public that we have filed lawsuits against the relevant authorities to challenge the new rules and emphasize that we only wish to wrestle,” the statement continued.

After a record-high 3,500 wrestlers participated in last year’s Kırkpınar, the Turkish Traditional Wrestling Federation said the seven-stage qualifying format was necessary for the competition to be completed in a single weekend.

“We wanted Kırkpınar to be a place that deserves it,” Ibrahim Türkiş, president of the Turkish Traditional Wrestling Federation, told Anadolu Agency. “If we hadn’t changed the rules, 5,000 people would have come to wrestle at Kırkpınar this year.”

According to local media, the top 32 wrestlers in the league points table automatically qualify for Kırkpınar and are divided into four groups depending on how many points they earned. Meanwhile, eight wrestlers join them through the preliminary rounds.

In the first round, the eight wrestlers from the preliminary round compete against the eight wrestlers from the fourth group. The winners of this group form the fourth group in the second round.

Reigning champion Yusuf Can Zeybek, two-time winner Orhan Okulu, four-time victor Ali Gürbüz and 2017 champion Ismail Balaban were among the wrestlers who qualified directly for the event.

Türkiş said the league-style qualifying format would result in plenty of exciting matches for fans to watch ahead of Kırkpınar and add to the event’s prestige on the international stage.

“Our goal with the league format was to motivate the athletes, make wrestling outside Kırkpınar more active and ensure the long-term sustainability of wrestling,” he said. “Thanks to the league, we have gained matches that are almost as good as Kırkpınar.”

According to legend, Kırkpınar dates back to 1357 when a group of Ottoman soldiers stopped near Erdine. To pass the time, 40 soldiers began wresting in pairs. Long after the rest had stopped, the final two continued into the night and were both found dead the next morning.

While there was no winner that year, the event has occurred every July since, except in 2020, when the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the olive oil wrestling event, contestants grapple in pairs on a grassy field until one wrestler successfully knocks his opponent onto his back.

The wrestlers, wearing only a kıspet – the short, leather pants – are doused in olive oil, which many have said makes it very difficult for their opponents to get a grip on them and anecdotally reduces the pain caused by their injuries. An estimated two tons of olive oil are used during the event.

The winner of Kırkpınar claims the title of başpehlivan, chief wrestler, wins the competition’s prestigious golden belt and a cash prize, which was 1 million Turkish lira (€35,000), last year.

• Daily Sabah
• Daily Sabah

“On entering Jerusalem, the people cheered Jesus, waving olive and palm branches,” said Milan Zgrabljić, the archbishop of Zadar, Croatia’s fifth-largest city.

After the blessing, Zgrabljić led the procession to the Cathedral of Saint Anastasia in the center of the ancient city, considered older than Rome. Everyone held olive branches in their hands.

“It is not enough to hold olive branches in our hands; it is necessary to turn olive branches into trophies of love, trophies of victory over hatred, unrest, quarrels, intolerance, unrest, quarrels, discords and every form of immorality,” Zgrabljić said.

The Holy Week continues on Maundy Thursday with the mass of consecration of olive oils donated by olive growers from Žman on the island of Dugi Otok. The olive oils were transported to Zadar by bracera, a traditional boar.

The bishop will bless three oils: sick oil, used to anoint the sick; catechumen oil, used to anoint the baptized; and chrism, a mixture of olive oil and fragrance (mainly balsam), used in baptisms, confirmations and priestly and episcopal ordinations.

Good Friday commemorates Jesus’s passion, crucifixion and death. On that day, fasting is obligatory for believers.

In continental Croatia, beans, dried fruit, compotes, cheese strudels and dough with walnuts and poppy seeds are most often eaten, along with freshwater fish such as carp and pike.

In coastal Croatia, including Istria, Kvarner and Dalmatia, locals break their fast with a variety of seafood and saltwater fish, accompanied by extra virgin olive oil. Along with numerous delicacies of the Mediterranean diet, the special one is Soparnik.

“Once upon a time, it was the food of the poor, but today it is widely produced and consumed,” said Josip Roguljić, from Kučina, a small town on the southern slopes of Mount Mosor.

Kučine is a suburb of Solin, about ten kilometers from Split, the largest city in Dalmatia and the second-largest city in Croatia.

“The production of Soparnik is a family tradition,” Roguljić said. He is the youngest member of OPG Roguljić, a family business consisting of his mother, Mirjana, father, Marin and older brother, Ivan, along with him and his wife, Antea.

They continue the tradition of their ancestors, growing 500 olive trees and tending 180 beehives in Kučine and on the island of Šolta.

They produce cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, honey and other bee products. At the foot of Mount Mosor, they have a corral with 30 heads of cattle, cows and calves. The autochthonous varieties of figs Poljarica, Bilica and Mletkinje grow in the Kučina field with seasonal vegetables.

“Agriculture is an open-air factory,” Roguljić said. “That’s why we deal with several activities. You never know when one will fail. If the olives do not bear fruit for one year, we have bee products and vice versa. Of course, it’s best when everything works out.”

A formally trained agronomist, Roguljić also prepares Soparnik, a traditional pastry.

“My mother’s and father’s families have been producing Soparnik for time immemorial,” Roguljić said. “The desire to preserve tradition prompted us to continue in the footsteps of our ancestors and save old recipes and methods of production from being forgotten.”

Soparnik, also called Uljenak and Zeljanik, is a traditional dish originating in the hinterland of Split. This simple dish was prepared using ingredients that were available to almost every household: wheat flour, red onion, olive oil and garlic.

The dough is kneaded from wheat flour and rolled out on sinia, round tables. The filling is made with Swiss chard, which is washed, finely chopped and salted to soften it. Thinly sliced red onion is added, then the moisture is squeezed out by hand so it is not too wet. Olive oil is added last.

The filling is spread over one stretched crust and covered with the other. The dough is stretched using a wooden roller. The pie is baked on the stove and covered with embers. When the pastry is ready, it is coated with oil and garlic.

In the past, Soparnik was prepared only on fasting days. However, since its inclusion on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, it has become indispensable at every Dalmatian festival.

Although some food producers started mass-producing the pastry, the Roguljić family still follows the traditional recipe and production method.

“The essence of a good Soparnik is in high-quality, naturally grown chard, extra virgin olive oil,” he said.

The most common preparation method is Poljica, which is savory. However, there are also two sweet versions of the dish called Kučinski and Žrnovački. The preparation method is the same until the final stage, when ground walnuts and raisins are added with olive oil. Unlike Žrnovački, it is sweetened with sugar and chopped almonds or walnuts.

“We received a record number of orders, and they continue to arrive,” Ivan Roguljić said. Freshly baked Soparnika, olive oil, honey and bee products are delivered to the home addresses of well-known customers, and their numbers are increasing.

The traditional Easter table in Croatia does not tolerate many experiments: pinca, kuglof, boiled ham, horseradish, spring onions and boiled eggs are typically served for breakfast.

For lunch, a roast is usually prepared: veal and potatoes, less often poultry, pork or steaks, and most often young roasted lamb, with spring onions and new potatoes.

The recently appointed United States ambassador to Croatia, Nathalie Rayes, also could not resist the traditional meal during a recent visit to Slunj, near the Plitvice Lakes in Lika. She ordered this traditional delicacy in a well-known restaurant, which was served with the indispensable spring onion.

“A lot of you suggested that I try the lamb. And I did, here in Slunj, and it was absolutely delicious. No wonder it’s so popular,” she wrote on social media platform X with a video of her sampling the lamb for the first time.

According to recent research, most Croatians intend to spend €50 to €70 on Easter lunch preparation, 20 percent less than last year. However, olive oil, Soparnik, and lamb are not among the ingredients they plan to cut back on.

In the heart of Beirut, Mohamed Whehbi has been selling manaish (the plural of al-man’ouché) in the Hamra neighborhood for the past two years.

Inside is a traditional oven under which firewood is burning. Ali, the chef, flattens a small piece of dough. He cuts the edge and puts a mix of za’atar and olive oil on top. He then places the flattened dough on a large cushion before sticking it inside the woodfire oven.

“This oven and the bread (tannour bread) are 1,000 years old,” Wehbi said. “This is how our ancestors used to bake. Here in Lebanon, but also in Syria, Iraq and Pakistan, we do the same. And people like it because it’s healthy food.”

The name al-man’ouché comes from the Arabic word manqūshah, which describes the process of creating the dish. After the dough is rolled flat, it is pressed by the fingertips to create indentations for the toppings. Manqūshah comes from the root verb naqasha, meaning to carve out.

Closer to Beirut’s port, the Souk-el-Tayeb market takes place every Saturday morning. This is where Rima Shaaban is selling saj, another kind of al-man’ouché.

Shaaban comes each week with her daughter, son and husband and bakes the small dough she has been preparing at home.

“Then, I flatten it to make it very thin, and I put it on top of the stove, which is like a dome,” explained the chef, who is also the owner of a restaurant near Chouf mountain outside of Beirut.

Shaaban adds various ingredients: olive oil, za’atar, cheeses, turkey, tomatoes or anything else her clients ask for.

“I’ve been doing manaish since I was seven years old,” she said. “I used to sit behind my grandmother and watch her.”

“Now, I’m doing this to help my family, too, because this is my business,” added Shaaban, with a large smile, her daughter standing next to her.

This family tradition is also very important for Bera Chibaro, a Canadian-Lebanese woman who just returned from North America.

Since she made it back to Beirut, she has come every Saturday to enjoy Shaaban’s al-man’ouché. It reminds her of her childhood in Beirut.

“You know, we grew up with the smell of the al-man’ouché every single morning,” Chibaro said. “You can find one in every community here in Lebanon.”

“Every house has a store selling manaish just next to it,” she recounted before grabbing a huge plate full of manaish.

In Tripoli, Lebanon’s second biggest city located north of Beirut, smells of olive oil and za’atar slowly baking on bread are all around the city.

Mohamed El Abed puts five manaish in a large oven surrounded by flames. Making his living out of this bakery, he is also very proud to see the dish on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

“It’s very good news,” he said. “It’s nice, of course, because it’s an important meal for Lebanese, it means a lot for us, and it’s unique also.”

Barbara Massaad, author of many culinary books, is also really happy about this inscription. She visited more than 250 bakeries across Lebanon to recount the stories behind manaish.

This announcement is a shining star in a dark sky for many Lebanese, hit hard by the most severe economic crisis in the past four years and now on the edge of an escalation of the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

“You know, every piece of happiness, we need to take it, and it makes all the difference,” Massaad said. “Because, when we wake up in the morning, we don’t know what to expect. We have been living a nightmare for the past four years.”

“Our life has been completely turned upside down,” she added. “So, you know, this little victory, this recognition of this belonging, that the al-man’ouché is ours and that nobody can steal it: this is great. It’s our al-man’ouché.”

Some people cannot afford to buy al-man’ouché anymore, hit hard by the economic crisis and inflation, which reached more than 200 percent in September.

But in the end, whether at home with family and friends or in their favorite bakery, al-man’ouché will always be part of Lebanon. It is engraved on Lebanese bellies, hearts and minds.

• UNESCO

Turkey is one of the world’s largest olive-growing and olive oil-producing countries. In the 2022/23 crop year, the country yielded a record-high 421,000 tons of olive oil and 735,000 tons of table olives.

According to Levent Köstem, the founder and owner of the Köstem Olive Oil Museum, olive oil production has a long history in Turkey, with the oldest mill dating back to the 6th or 7th century BCE. Traditional animal and human-powered stone mills were commonly used until 15 years ago and are still used today in some places.

UNESCO made the recognition because olive growing and oil production are fundamental parts of the culture in western Anatolia.

Several rituals, festivals and social practices, including plays, dances and feasts, mark the beginning and end of the harvest season, which generally runs from November through January.

These include community efforts to harvest the olive trees from each family’s grove. At the end of the harvest, the community participates in the ba​​şak tradition, where the olives left on the top of the trees are knocked to the ground and donated to the poorest members of the community for personal consumption or to sell to local mills.

Along with the social importance of olives and the olive harvest, UNESCO also recognized the region’s unique kalem (meaning pencil in Turkish) method of grafting wild olive trees, known as an erkence graft.

Farmers carve two small grooves along opposite edges of a narrow tree stump, also known as a rootstock, using a knife. Next, they take two olive tree scions and sharpen each base to insert into the two grooves on the rootstock.

Farmers then cover the top of the rootstock and base of the scions with mud to protect them from air and sun. The part of the rootstock below where the scions are inserted is also covered with mud to keep it cool. The mud typically remains in place for two to three years.

Afterward, the farmers wrap the graft with paper to prevent the mud from being washed away by rain or dried out by the sun. The paper is fastened with a creeper vine from a local bush, which can hold the paper and mud in place for up to three years.

The last step is to place mud balls at the top of the scion to trap moisture while protecting them from rain and sun.

Along with olive cultivation, UNESCO further recognized several traditional methods of producing table olives, including the salamura method, which involves pickling the olives.

Aynur Yıldırım, a traditional producer from Bursa province, told UNESCO the preparation begins by soaking the olives in a bucket.

Next, the olives are taken from the bucket by hand, placed in a bag and a layer of rock salt is added. Then, the process is repeated. Yıldırım said it is essential that the olives are moist for the salt to dissolve.

Once the bag is filled, she said it is important to shake it once weekly to ensure the salty brine is evenly distributed.

UNESCO also recognized the yağlık, meaning oiler, method of table olive production.

Nesrin Ünlü, president of the Umurbey Woman Initiative Association, told UNESCO that this method involves separating olives by size the day they are picked and placed into a stone basin called an olive pool.

Once the basin is filled with olives, water is added until the olives are covered, followed by a layer of salt. A special cloth is placed over the pool before being covered by timbers and then rocks.

“When you put the black olives into the olive pool, they turn red when the covers of the pool are lifted,” Ünlü said.

Traditional processing methods also apply to olive oil production. Historically, men have climbed the ladders to knock the olives off the branches with shakers, while women collected them from netting below and placed the olives into sacks.

The sacks are put on animals – usually mules – to be transported from the groves to the local mill, generally located in an urban center, where villagers gather to celebrate the harvest and transform the olives.

After they are washed, the olives are placed into a basin and crushed with a stone mill, usually powered by a mule. After crushing the olives, the paste is removed from the basin, placed in a cauldron and heated to increase the oil content (though this is unlikely to yield extra virgin olive oil).

The paste is then put in sacks, placed into angled troughs with a spigot facing downward and clay pots placed beneath them. Once the troughs are filled with sacks, villagers take turns walking on the olives to press out the oil.

After filling the pots, the oil is distributed to each village member and used until the next harvest.

• UNESCO

During a ceremony held on the porch of the Large Palaestra, a suggestive location in the heart of the archaeological site, farming organizations, olive growers and government ministers tasted and celebrated the Pumpaiia extra virgin olive oil, named after the city.

“This extra virgin olive oil is the fruit of a collaborative effort of our associations and the Archeological Park of Pompeii institutions,” Nicola Di Noia, the director general of the olive oil producer association, Unaprol, and president of the agricultural support services of the farming organization, Coldiretti, told Olive Oil Times. “Across the city, hundreds of olive trees have been restored.”

The olive trees grow across 66 hectares in the historic Roman city, populating the courtyards of Pompeii’s ancient houses and some green spaces.

“That is one of the challenges. To harvest the olives and take care of the trees, growers need to spread around such a large surface,” Di Noia said.

Upon recovery, the olive trees were pruned according to their location, with an eye on both production and landscape needs.

“Besides the olive trees, a number of local plant species used to grow in Pompeii. They have all been recovered as part of the restoration project,” Di Noia noted.

Pompeii’s olive trees include popular Italian cultivars such as Moraiolo and Leccino, but many come from local cultivars, which are far less known.

“There are olive trees strictly linked to the region, such as Ravece, Ortice or Carpellese,” Di Noia said. “The Pompeii Archeological Park has always been active in researching ancient species with the goal to recover not only its trees but to revive the unique link [of modern Pompeii] to its history.”

“There are Domus, the courtyards of which have been restored, where plants from those ancient times now thrive again,” he added.

The local farmers and associations are responsible for pruning the trees and attending to their needs throughout the season, harvesting and transforming the olives.

“All of the olive oil produced by those olives becomes Pompeii’s unique extra virgin olive oil and is returned to the Archeological Park,” Di Noia said. “This initiative is not business-oriented. Its meaning lies in promoting the historical connection with Pompeii’s origins.”

Ancient Pompeiians consumed plenty of olive oil, which was only partially produced by local growers. Most of the olive oil was imported from regions across the Roman Empire.

“They used it for many purposes, not only for consumption but also for cleansing or cosmetics, typical of those ancient days. Think of the use of olive oil as fuel. Olive oil lamps once lit the whole of Pompeii,” Di Noia said.

The recovery of the olive trees comes on the heels of similar initiatives to restore the ancient olive heritage of other archeological parks in the country.

Among the examples of recovery projects are Palatine’s olive oil produced from the trees in the Colosseum Park in Rome or olive oil produced from thousands of trees planted at the villa of the Roman emperor Hadrian, not far from the Italian capital.

“Those are examples of recovery which we hope may also inspire other initiatives to combat the abandonment of olive orchards throughout the country, such as the initiative in the Apennines,” Di Noia said.

Table olives were also presented to the Italian ministers on the porch of the Large Palaestra.

“Pompeii’s residents avidly consumed table olives,” Di Noia said. “There are archeological inscriptions that detail the use of table olives. Receipts to produce them were found.”

“At the time, they produced table olives only by natural methods, of course,” he added. “Even if they were not grown in Pompeii, the table olives we presented at the event are the fruit of that same ancient approach. Instead, they are bitter natural table olives, full of antioxidants.”

The celebration in Pompeii comes ad the Italian government seeks to promote its cuisine as a candidate for selection for UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

“The food and wine production chain is part of the Italian heritage,” Gennaro Sangiuliano, minister of Culture, said during the event. “Culture and food tradition is an opportunity for socio-economic development.”

• Coldiretti
• Sky Italia

Can Zeybek defeated two-time champion İsmail Balaban to claim the title of başpehlivan, chief wrestler; the competition’s prestigious golden belt; and 1 million Turkish lira (€35,000) in prize money.

Balaban had the best of the opportunities throughout the final, coming close to knocking his opponent down in the 23rd minute. However, with 10 minutes to go before the end of regular time, Can Zeybek took advantage of a poorly-timed lunge from Balaban and pinned him.

On his way to becoming the champion, Can Zeybek beat 2016 runner-up Mehmet Yeşil in 50 minutes in his semi-final after defeating Fatih Atlı in the quarter-final.

Despite the disappointing finish to a memorable Kırkpınar run, which included defeating Hüseyin Gümüşalan in a quick 15-minute semi-final bout and Özkan Yılmaz in the quarter-finals, Balaban took home 250,000 Turkish lira (€8,750).

However, his most significant moment in the tournament came before the quarter-finals, when he eliminated Kırkpınar favorite and three-time champion Ali Gürbüz.

Earlier in the day, Yeşil also was on the winning end of one of the biggest Kırkpınar upsets, defeating two-time champion Orhan Okulu in the quarter-finals.

Over the weekend, 2,475 wrestlers from across Turkey gathered in the northwestern city of Edirne to take part in Kırkpınar, considered by many to be the world’s oldest continuously running sporting event.

The traditional olive oil wrestling festival draws tourists from across Turkey and the world. Anadolu Agency, the state-run news service, reported that all the hotels in the area were fully booked for this year’s event, with several wrestlers staying in tents outside the city.

According to legend, the first Kırkpınar occurred in 1357 when a group of Ottoman soldiers stopped near Edirne. While they waited near the former Ottoman Empire capital, 40 soldiers began wrestling to pass the time. After the rest had finished, the final two continued fighting into the night, and both were found dead the following day.

There was no winner that year, but since then, the event has been held each July except for 2020, when it was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

During the olive oil wrestling festival, professional and amateur wrestlers of all ages, cultural backgrounds and social classes gather in Edirne, grappling in pairs on the grassy fields until one wrestler successfully knocks the other onto his back.

Wrestlers doused in olive oil wear only a kıspet – the short, leather pants made from water buffalo or cattle – while they grapple.

The match begins with both combatants locking their hands together and keeping their heads close.

To win, one of the fighters must knock his opponent onto his back and pin or lift him into the air. If this does not occur, the referee calls time and awards a golden point to the wrestler he believed to be superior. Starting next year, the golden point will be eliminated.

The olive oil makes it very difficult for the wrestlers to get a grip on one another so that they can grab the pockets of the opponent’s kıspet.

Wrestlers also say that olive oil reduces the pain caused by injuries and helps their wounds to heal more quickly.

An estimated 2 tons of olive oil are used during the event. In the first rounds, wrestlers gather in the competition area and apply oil to one another.

The process of oiling follows a specific ritual. First, oil is applied to the left shoulder, chest, left arm and cuff of one wrestler by another wrestler using his left hand.

Next, wrestlers do the same to the right half of their body. The final step of the ritual is for wrestlers to apply oil to each other’s backs.

The oil is a key part of the competition, and if at any point during a match, a wrestler believes he needs to re-apply oil, he may ask for a time-out from the referee and his opponent.

Ritual plays an essential role in the Kırkpınar celebrations. Each edition of the event begins with a parade. This year, a 30-square-meter Turkish flag was unfurled during the parade to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the republic’s founding.

Along with the Kırkpınar Aga, the master of ceremonies, 40 bands of traditional drummers playing their davul and zurna, a wind instrument, accompany the golden belt through the city to the Selimiye Mosque, where traditional prayers are recited.

Over the years, Kırkpınar has become a touchstone of Turkish culture. In 2010, it was named to the representative list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and has become a major tourist event.

“We start to experience the excitement before Kırkpınar arrives,” Bahri Dinar, an Edirne tourist ambassador, told Anadolu Agency.

He added that most private businesses in the city benefit from the event, selling commemorative merchandise along with normal tourist wares. “All of our tradesmen contribute to the promotion of Kırkpınar,” he said.

• Hurriyet
• Anadolu Agency
• Research & Investigations in Sports Medicine

Şimşek defeated compatriot Mustafa Taş in overtime to claim the title of başpehlivan – chief wrestler – and the competition’s prestigious golden belt and prize money.

“My dream has come true,” Şimşek told local media. “When you work hard, God rewards your efforts.”

On his way to the final, the 26-year-old defeated some of the tournament favorites, including two-time champion Orhan Okul, 2017 champion İsmail Balaban, Menderes Saltık and Tanju Gemici. Taş faced a similarly challenging run to the final.

Local media reported that both wrestlers were greeted enthusiastically by the audience and responded by performing a traditional choreographed pre-match routine known as a peşrev.

Considered underdogs at the start of the competition, both wrestlers began the final round cautiously, and after 40 minutes, neither one was able to get the best of the other.

Once time expired, the match went into overtime, where each wrestler earned points for different technical moves. Finally, in the 59th minute, Şimşek caught Taş off-guard to win the match.

Şimşek dedicated the victory to his parents from the coastal city of Antalya, home to several other champions in the past decade.

“This year, our young wrestlers took Edirne by storm,” Recep Gürkan, the city’s mayor, wrote on Facebook. “I congratulate both of our wrestlers who have written their names in history with golden letters and wish them success.”

A record-high 2,475 wrestlers flocked to Edirne in northwestern Turkey to compete, where shirtless athletes wearing the traditional leather pants known as kıspet cover themselves in olive oil and grapple with their opponents on a grass field until one of them is knocked onto his back. Over three days, wrestlers fight in pairs until only one is left standing.

An estimated two tons of olive oil are used during the event. Wrestlers douse themselves in olive oil to make it more difficult for their opponents to get a firm grip on them. Some also claim that applying fresh oil between fights helps soothe their injuries.

This year’s event garnered particular interest from the Turkish public. Defending champion Ali Gürbüz was competing to win his third consecutive title, which would have made him an eternal holder of the golden belt. However, he fell short, losing to 2016 runner-up Mehmet Yeşil early on.

Organizers also lifted audience restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, which was partially attributed to the uptick in attendance.

While many felt that this year’s edition of Kırkpınar would be a return to normality, the event featured plenty of drama.

Away from the multiple upsets caused by the two finalists, tempers flared early on when the referees eliminated the 2005 champion and 2018 and 2019 runner-up Şaban Yılmaz for foul play. The enraged former champion stormed into the referee box and had to be calmed down and removed by local police.

Kırkpınar is widely thought to be the world’s oldest sporting event and was recognized in 2010 on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Its origins date back to 1357 when a group of Ottoman soldiers stopped near present-day Edirne.

To pass the time, 40 soldiers decided to wrestle in pairs. After the rest had stopped, the last two wrestled into the night and were found dead the next morning.

There was no winner, but the event has been held annually since then, except in 2020 when Kırkpınar was canceled in response to the rapid spread of Covid-19 in Turkey.

“I heartily congratulate all our wrestlers who sweat in the hallowed field,” Gürkan said. “I hope to meet you all at the 662nd Kırkpınar in 2023 on the 100th anniversary of our republic.”

This is a breaking news article. Check back for updates.

• Hurriyet Daily News
• TRT World
• Daily Sabah

Gürbüz defeated Ankara native İsmail Koç after 48 minutes to claim the title of Başpehlivan or chief wrestler. In addition to the prestigious title, Gürbüz received 60,000 Turkish Lira (€5,860) in prize money, a gold medal and a cup. Koç was awarded 38,000 Lira (€3,710), a silver medal and a cup as runner-up.

This year’s triumph brings Gürbüz’s victory total at what is considered to be the world’s oldest sporting event to four, including wins in 2011, 2012 and 2019. (Gürbüz also won in 2013 but was later stripped of this title after testing positive for a banned substance.)

“We would like to thank all our fans who support us and are with us with their prayers,” Gürbüz wrote to his supporters on Facebook after the win.

He triumphed over 2,160 other entrants, who came from across the country to the northwestern city of Edirne to compete in the centuries-old tournament. Due to the pandemic, all participants were required to submit a negative PCR test within 48 hours of the competition to participate this year.

The three-day event, which UNESCO recognized in 2010 as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, did not pass without drama. Recep Kara, the 2016 champion, fainted during a match with Koç in the third round and was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

One of the country’s leading wrestlers, Ismail Balaban, from Antalya, who won the competition in 2013 and 2017 did not participate in this year’s competition. The 33-year-old recently won Turkey’s popular reality competition, Survivor.

Balaban’s time on the reality show was marred by controversy after insults were hurled at him by another competitor and the Kırkpınar governor demanded the wrestler quit the hit television show.

Thousands of fans from all corners of Turkey traveled to Edirne for the 660th Kırkpınar, which took place in a field in Sarayiçi, to watch the wrestlers compete.

Kırkpınar competitors wrestle in traditional leather pants known as kıspet. The shirtless wrestlers are drenched in olive oil to make it more difficult for their opponent to grip them and grapple until one of them is knocked onto his back. An estimated two tons of olive oil are used during the event.

The origins of the competition date back to 1357 when a group of Ottoman soldiers stopped near present-day Edirne. To pass the time, 40 of the soldiers decided to wrestle in pairs. After the rest had stopped, the last two wrestled into the night and were found dead the next morning.

There was no winner, but since then, the event has been held annually, except for 2020, with participants wrestling in pairs until only one man is left standing.

Over the past 10 years, the competition has been noticeably dominated by wrestlers from the coastal city of Antalya The Fatih Atlı, from Samsun, won the title in 2014 and Kara in 2016, who is from Ordu.

• Saily Sabah
• Hurriyet Daily News

Gürbüz claimed the title of başpehlivan — or head wrestler — in front of record-breaking crowds in the northwestern Turkish city of Erdine. He takes home a prize of 51,000 Turkish lira ($9,060) and has redeemed himself in the eyes of many commentators.

After winning back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012, Gürbüz was famously disqualified from the 2013 semi-final after testing positive for banned substances. He also made it to last year’s semi-final, where he was defeated by Şaban Yılmaz, the 2005 champion.

In order to claim his third title, Gürbüz defeated Hamza Köseoğlu in his semi-final match, while two-time former champion Okulu defeated Mehmet Yeşil, the runner-up in 2016, in his semi-final bout.

See Also: Kırkpınar

Gürbüz and Okulu had met twice before at Kırkpınar, with each wrestler having previously won one match against the other.

This year’s edition of Kırkpınar broke last year’s record for the number of wrestlers participating, as 2,380 Turks from across the country grappled on grassy fields over the course of the week. Gürbüz’s victory came in front of the largest live and television audience that the event has also ever seen, according to the Anadolu news agency.

Kırkpınar is widely considered to be the oldest sporting event in the world, dating back to the mid-fourteenth century, and was recognized in 2010 as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage event.

According to legend, the first edition of the event took place in 1357 when a group of Ottoman soldiers stopped near Erdine. While they were waiting near the former capital of the Ottoman Empire, 40 of the soldiers began wrestling to pass the time. After the rest had finished, the final two continued fighting into the night and both were found dead the next morning.

There was no winner that year, but since then the event has been held annually with participants wrestling in pairs for a week until only one man is left standing.

“Oil wrestling unites people across our country, and I’m proud of being part of this ancient tournament that has been going on for centuries,” Ali Gökçen, a 25-year veteran of Kırkpınar, told Anadolu news agency. “It reflects our culture.”

Kırkpınar wrestlers wear only a kıspet — the short, leather pants after which the event is named — and grapple with one another while covered in olive oil. It is estimated that about two tons of olive oil is used each year during the event.

The match begins with both combatants locking their hands together and keeping their heads close. In order to win, one of the fighters must knock his opponent onto his back and pin him or lift him into the air. If this does not occur within 40 minutes then the referee calls time and awards a golden point to the wrestler he believed to be superior.

The olive oil makes it very difficult for the wrestlers to get a grip on one another, so they are allowed to grab the pockets of the opponent’s kıspet. Wrestlers also say that olive oil reduces the pain caused by injuries and helps their wounds to heal more quickly.

Kırkpınar has always been popular in Turkey, attracting thousands of spectators each year, and is becoming increasingly popular with foreign tourists visiting the northwestern city as well.

“Lots of tourists come to see Edirne’s cultural and historical sites,” Mustafa Kabak, a local hotel employee, told Anadolu news agency. “But when the festival kicks off, it’s a whole different story, as an incredible number of tourists arrive in the region.”

“The demand is so high during the Kırkpınar festival that it’s almost impossible to find a single vacant room,” he added. “In fact, there are local residents who leave the city and rent out their houses to tourists.”

Among the foreign nationals who have been spotted at this year’s edition of the competition were Japanese, Bulgarian, Russian, and British tourists. Roughly 3.8 million visitors come to Erdine each year, with many coming specifically for Kırkpınar.

“Honoring the country’s old tradition is truly beautiful,” Mariana, a local baker, told Anadolu news agency. “In addition to the spiritual satisfaction, we also reap the benefits by earning more and serving more.”

• Daily Sabah


• Anadolu news agency


• Hurriyet Daily News

He did so in front of thousands of spectators from all over Turkey as well as the rest of the world.

Okulu was the last man standing after 2,228 wrestlers competed in 14 matches over the course of the previous week. According to Musa Aydın, the president of the Turkish Wrestling Federation, this year’s participation was the highest yet.

Okulu defeated Şaban Yılmaz, the winner of the 644th edition of the competition, to become the başpehlivan — or head wrestler — of 2018 and take home the prize of 50,000 lire (about $10,300).

Okulu defeated Serhat Balcı in his semi-final bout, which lasted much longer than that of Yılmaz. Yılmaz, in turn, defeated the disgraced Ali Gürbüz, who was stripped of his 2013 championship after testing positive for banned substances, in his semi-final match.

Kırkpınar is thought to be the oldest sporting event in the world and was recognized in 2010 on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

“The traditional wrestling […] reflects our values and identity,” Edirne Mayor Recep Gürkan said. The event has become a major tourist attraction for the region, drawing tourists from far and wide to witness the spectacle for a small fee.

According to legend, the first edition of the event happened by accident in 1357. A group of Ottoman soldiers stopped near present-day Erdine. Forty bored soldiers started wrestling to pass the time. After the rest had stopped, two continued into the night and were found dead the next morning.

There was no winner that year, but since then the event has been held annually with the participants wrestling in pairs for an entire week until one man is left standing. The wrestlers wear only a kıspet — the short, leather pants after which the event is named — and are covered in olive oil.

The wrestling begins with the men locking their hands and keeping their heads close. In order to win the contest, one of the fighters must knock his opponent on his back and pin him or lift him into the air. The olive oil makes it very difficult for the wrestlers to grab each other, so they are allowed to grab onto the pockets of the opponent’s kıspet.

Roughly two tons of olive oil are used to cover the wrestlers for the duration of the festival. In previous years, sunflower oil has been suggested as a cheaper replacement, but this was met with widespread antipathy from the wrestlers. They prefer olive oil, saying that it is better for their skin, reduces pain caused by injuries and helps wounds to heal more quickly.

This year’s competition was originally scheduled for July 2 to 8, but due to the presidential and parliamentary elections, the Turkish wrestling federation postponed it to this past week.

• Daily Sabah


• Turkish Wrestling Federation

Two million people signed a petition in support of pizzaiuolo’s demand to be recognized. They argued that the practice of twirling the dough before the pizza is baked in a wood-fired brick oven; along with the traditional songs, stories and gestures that connect the pizza makers and diners in Neapolitan neighborhoods was part of a unique cultural and gastronomic tradition.

Master pizza maker Enzo Coccia who runs a world-renowned pizza academy as well as two pizza restaurants in Naples told Olive Oil Times, “It is an important thing, because the art of pizzaiuolo represents identity of people, our tradition and territory. It’s a prize for all people that during these years have done something for this job and for the world of Pizza Neapolitan.

I hope that this prize could be a way or a source to develop an important economy not only for the pizzerias, but for all people thanks to tourism, that protects the environment. This prize is not only for the Neapolitan people, but it is for all pizza makers all over the world that make Neapolitan Pizza.”

Maurizio Martina, Italy’s minister for agriculture food and forestry tweeted, “Victory, another step towards the protection of Italy’s food and wine heritage.”

In 2006 Elizabeth Gilbert devoured the Neapolitan delicacy in her bestselling memoir, Eat, Pray, Love and declared, “I love my pizza so much, in fact, that I have come to believe in my delirium that my pizza might actually love me, in return. I am having a relationship with this pizza, almost an affair.”

In the 2010 film version of Eat, Pray, Love, Julia Roberts turned the Hollywood spotlight on the Naples pizza joint “L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele” urging, “Please go to this pizzeria. Order the margherita pizza with double mozzarella. If you do not eat this pizza when you are in Naples, please lie to me and tell me that you did.”

In 2010 that Neapolitan pizza was also granted EU “Traditional Speciality Guaranteed” status.

There are just two classic versions of the traditional Neapolitan pizza; the Margherita which is topped with tomato, mozzarella, oil and basil, and the Marinara, topped with tomato, garlic, oregano and olive oil.

Thirty-three other traditions also fought for a UNESCO listing at the twelfth session held on Jeju Island, South Korea in December. The intangible heritage list was set up in 2003 and includes over 350 traditions and foodstuffs. In 2013 the Mediterranean Diet was added to the UNESCO list which also includes Turkish olive oil wrestling.

The main aim of the UNESCO list is to raise awareness of traditions from around the world although in some cases financial and other support is provided for endangered traditions.

• BBC


• The Guardian

Spain has 45 UNESCO sites, third on the list after Italy and China of countries with the most recognitions. Seven sites are located in Andalusia: Doñana National Park; The Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivos de Indias in Seville; Gorham´s Cave Complex; Antequera Dolmens Site; The Alhambra, Generalife and Albyzin; The Historic Centre of Cordoba and; The Renaissance Monumental Ensembles of Úbeda and Baeza, Jaén.

Spain was also among seven countries listed by UNESCO to practice the Mediterranean diet, recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Any traveler who has driven through Andalusia and more specifically through the province of Jaén can tell you of its spectacular landscape, dotted with millions of olive trees. Their seemingly infinite existence has been christened the Mar de Olivos or “Sea of Olives.”

For a year now, the provincial government of Jaén has been the leader in pursuing the recognition of the unique Andalusian terrain as a World Heritage Site.

In April a seminar was held at the International University of Andalusia (UNIA) in Baeza. The event brought experts and specialists together to discuss the environmental, anthropological, economic and physical values of the olive orchards and how to best present the idea to UNESCO.

The University offered a summer course to address and prepare the community on the cultural value of its olive trees.

A technical commission has been established with representatives from the Jaén government, the Regional Government of Andalusia, the University of Jaén, cooperatives, the Andalusian Organic Agricultural Association (CAAE), The Association for Groups for Rural Development (ARA), The Guillén Foundation and, The Spanish Association for Olive Municipalities (AEMO).

The commission recognizes that it will not be an easy task to be listed as a World Heritage Site. However, they point out the great importance environmental, traditional, cultural and economic value of the Sea of Olives. There are an estimated 180 million olive trees in the autonomous community. Although all eight provinces of Andalusia cultivate olives, Jaén is the largest producer, supplying the world with 22 percent of its olive oil.

The commission also asserts that Andalusia has more than 300 municipalities that depend on the crop as its primary economic activity, 170,000 farms and a million and a half hectares (370,658,072 acres) of its countryside planted with the tree.

The technical commission aims to present the project to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports by 2017. The Ministry will then decide whether it is worthy of presenting a proposal to UNESCO. If it is selected, it will be up to UNESCO to make the final decision in 2019.

• Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte


• Diario de Jaén


• Agencía EFE


• ASAJA Jaén


• Cordopolis


• UNESCO

The 653rd Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling and Cultural Activities Week wrapped up today in Edirne, Turkish Thrace amid a backdrop of festivities, celebration and heritage.

Kırkpınar, meaning “40 springs” in Turkish, has been the site of the annual wrestling tournament since 1346, making it one of the oldest continuously-held sporting events in the world.

The week-long tournament and cultural celebration was a medley of music, food, sport, and celebrity – with davul drums and zurna (a traditional woodwind similar to the oboe) playing the “Kırkpınar March” and Turkish national anthem to open the ceremony.

Throughout this week folk dancing, Turkish home-cooking competitions, musical concerts and speeches filled the schedule, with the Turkish president attending the competition on the final day to congratulate the ‘başpehlivan’ (champion wrestler) and award him with a 14-carat golden belt as well as the title of “Chief Pehlivian.”

This time it was Fatih Atlı, from the Ladik district of Samsun, who defeated last year’s champion, Ismail Balaban Başpehlivan, to take home the coveted gold belt and the title of Başpehlivan.

“Pehlivian,” a Persian word which can be roughly translated into “hero” or “champion,” is a term given to all oil wrestlers regardless of their age or success. Opponents taking part in the tournament cover each other in olive oil before shouting “Hayda Bre!” to each other with gusto – a Turkish cry used to excite the opponent while simultaneously officiating the dual.

The combatants wear Kipset, a pair of Turkish lederhosen traditionally made from water buffalo hide and each weighing around 13 kilograms (30 pounds). Unlike a majority of wrestling forms, due to their opponent being drenched in olive oil, wrestlers are permitted to grab or reach inside each other’s clothes in order to lift their combatant over their shoulders, pin them to the ground, or bring them to exhaustion to win.

Olive oil – a mainstay of the Mediterranean diet, agriculture and ceremony since the Neolithic revolution – has been used as a component to wrestling for millennia. The ancient civilisations of Persia, Egypt, Assyria, Greece and Rome were all practitioners of the sport, with the earliest known example of olive oil-wrestling dating from 2650 BCE near the Chafadji-temple in Babylon.

Turkish oil wrestling, known as “yağlı güreş” in Turkish, has been practiced among Turkic-speaking peoples and Turkic ethnic groups throughout Western Eurasia since the ninth century. A marriage between traditional Seljuk wrestling practices and olive oil wrestling of Mediterranean antiquity, the modern sport was crystallised during the early years of Ottoman expansion into Europe. The Edirne tournament itself has its origins in 1361 and was formally inducted into UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2010.

Oil wrestling is steadily gaining support and awareness in other countries as a result of increased media coverage and the influence of Turkish expats. In more recent years the sport has been introduced to western countries such as the Netherlands and Switzerland as well as gaining some popularity in Asia in countries already familiar with traditional wrestling forms like Japan.

• Daily Sabah


• Kirkpinar

The fifth session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee, chaired by Jacob Ole Miaron (Kenya) and meeting in Nairobi with some 450 participants, finished its work on 19 November by inscribing 51 new elements on UNESCO’s Lists of Intangible Heritage.

Meeting for the first time in Sub-Saharan Africa (Kenya), the twenty-four States members of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage discussed and decided to inscribe four elements on the Urgent Safeguarding List and 47 elements on the Representative List.

The Committee’s decision is closely watched around the world by communities conscious of the importance of safeguarding their heritage. The Intangible Cultural List was started in 2003 and now comprises some 166 entries, including Croatian Lace Making, Argentinean Tango and Tibetan Opera.

The initiative to include the Mediterranean Diet on the list began four years ago when Italy, Spain, Greece, and Morocco put it forth. It did not meet UNESCO’s guidelines and the initiative was rejected. Last August the four countries, with Italy coordinating, reworked their submission request.

The Mediterranean Diet

Inscribed in 2010 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Countries: Spain — Greece — Italy — Morocco

The Mediterranean diet constitutes a set of skills, knowledge, practices and traditions ranging from the landscape to the table, including the crops, harvesting, fishing, conservation, processing, preparation and, particularly, consumption of food. The Mediterranean diet is characterized by a nutritional model that has remained constant over time and space, consisting mainly of olive oil, cereals, fresh or dried fruit and vegetables, a moderate amount of fish, dairy and meat, and many condiments and spices,
all accompanied by wine or infusions, always respecting beliefs of each community. However, the Mediterranean diet (from the Greek diaita,or way of life) encompasses more than just food. It promotes social interaction, since communal meals are the cornerstone of social customs and festive events. It has given rise to a considerable body of knowledge, songs, maxims, tales and legends. The system is rooted in respect for the territory and biodiversity, and ensures the conservation and development of traditional activities and crafts linked to fishing and farming in the Mediterranean communities which Soria in Spain, Koroni in Greece, Cilento in Italy and Chefchaouen in Morocco are examples. Women play a particularly vital role in the transmission of expertise, as well as knowledge of rituals, traditional gestures and celebrations, and the safeguarding of techniques.

What is Intangible Heritage?

The term ‘cultural heritage’ has changed content considerably in recent decades, partially owing to the instruments developed by UNESCO. Cultural heritage does not end at monuments and collections of objects. It also includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts.

While fragile, intangible cultural heritage is an important factor in maintaining cultural diversity in the face of growing globalization. An understanding of the intangible cultural heritage of different communities helps with intercultural dialogue, and encourages mutual respect for other ways of life.

The importance of intangible cultural heritage is not the cultural manifestation itself but rather the wealth of knowledge and skills that is transmitted through it from one generation to the next. The social and economic value of this transmission of knowledge is relevant for minority groups and for mainstream social groups within a State, and is as important for developing States as for developed ones.

Source: UNESCO

Read More:

UNESCO: What is Intangible Heritage?

UNESCO: Convention for the Safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage (PDF)

Dispatch from the Italian pantry: traditional nutritional values vs. tasty modern treats

Two staples of the modern Italian diet have been grabbing the headlines in Italy lately. The two foods are strange bedfellows but are among the most important products that can be found in every Italian kitchen – olive oil and Nutella. While food making the front page is not unusual in itself, the stories say a lot about the contemporary changes in consumption in Italy, a country that is still perceived internationally as a stronghold of healthy traditions when it comes to eating.

While these two celebrity commodities share a place in the heart of Italians, they occupy different ends of the nutritional and cultural-traditional spectrum. What made them an object of lively discussion is the fact that both substances have been the subject of international legislation passed over recent weeks, but legislation of a very different nature.

As already covered by the Olive Oil Times, UNESCO, the United Nations agency responsible for designating world heritage sites and other aspects of human achievement and history of educational, cultural or scientific value, has recently included a menu for the first time among the category of unique cultural heritage that must be protected and promoted. The diet is the traditional Mediterranean diet, and its fundamental ingredients – foremost among them, of course, is olive oil. Olive oil and the culinary traditions and culture based on it were enshrined in the international covenant – up there with the Colosseum, the Taj Mahal and the Pyramids – as invaluable assets for humankind, part of an Intangible Cultural Heritage that should be protected like a landmark or sacred site.

Just a few weeks earlier, there were scare stories circulating in the Italian media that the very existence of Nutella – the hazelnut-chocolate spread created in Turin that children and adults alike enjoy every morning on their croissants – was being threatened by new European Union anti-obesity legislation. In fact, that legislation only seeks to prohibit the marketing of such high-sugar high-fat foods in a way that seems to make claims that they are healthy. It’s almost as if one product has been declared a saint, while the other has been placed under house arrest!

The Nutella affair provoked scandal and outrage, being greeted almost as an attack on national sovereignty. While, on the other hand, the UNESCO decision enshrining the importance of olive oil, and the traditional Mediterranean diet of which it is the cornerstone, was received with understated pride and relative calm– as if simply a confirmation of what we have all always known: the traditional diet is
healthy; at the very foundation of Mediterranean cultures.

However, the fact that the diet is unchanging and of the ages is precisely what has seen it lose ground – even in those traditional countries like Italy, as in others – to newer eating habits and their repercussions. These repercussions have included a notable increase in the number of people who are overweight or obese. In its 2005 European Health Report, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations agency responsible for health matters, defined obesity as a real epidemic spreading across the whole of Europe where more than half of the adult population is over the threshold of “overweight”, and between 20 and 30 % are clinically obese. What’s more, childhood obesity is on the rise across Europe.

Obesity is defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health for a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Because of the fast rate at which these conditions are spreading across the world, international organizations like UNESCO and WHO are proposing different intervention strategies. Diet and physical activity are two of the most important factors, and they are often very much connected to culinary habits and lifestyle which, rooted in different social groups, represent a heritage of traditions. These define various cultural identities and are able to balance the excesses of an over-globalized, post-modern era. The Mediterranean diet has therefore been given a privileged place among the recommended food strategies, advocating thus for greater use of vegetables, fruit, as well as greater use of vegetable fats – prime among them, is olive oil – instead of animal fats like butter.

Data published recently by the Italian Ministry of Health described a population largely overweight and in many cases obese. The situation in Italy varies from region to region. In Campania, which has one of the worst rates, many initiatives are being mounted aimed at promoting a better lifestyle and diet. Some Italian associations, in line with the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage concept, are organizing programs aimed at reawakening and strengthening the recognition of healthy, high-nutritional-value traditional products that have positive effects on human health.

One of the proposed projects was offering school pupils snacks prepared from traditional Mediterranean recipes, one of which was of the most elemental simplicity — a good slice of fresh bread, with olive oil and salt. The purpose of this was to show the children their cultural roots and, hopefully, to give them something appealing that contrasts to the newer eating habits, which are generally characterized by a poor and monotonous diet, lots of calories, animal proteins, saturated fats.

Among vegetable fats, oil, and especially olive oil, because it’s an ancient and typical product that has always been part of the Mediterranean area, has rightfully occupied an important place in cultural politics. Exporting olive oil and the best lifestyle of the areas in which it’s produced can be, if well utilized, one of the factors used to fight obesity, overeating and lack of movement but also, in a more general sense, can help in promoting health as defined the World Health Organization – a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not
merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

As I discussed in another article for Olive Oil Times, in the fantasy world of commercials, the symbolism of olive oil is strong. In that world, olive oil is associated to ancient and fundamental concepts like soil, tradition, being genuine, friendship, cordiality. Olive oil is described using a reality that is very hard to find nowadays – a dream world with an endless countryside of uncontaminated fields, paradisiacal valleys and humble, happy people portrayed in contented scenes of everyday life, Mediterranean women with their hair collected under a veil, rosy-cheeked and robust, busy collecting olives.

But as we know, that image is far from the reality of today’s massive olive plantations that spread over vast swaths of the Mediterranean landscape and elsewhere. The symbolic power of the olive and its oil is tied up with the power and strength of a past which technology has certainly improved upon but also canceled out. As olive oil has become a global commodity, its production has been industrialized and expanded almost beyond recognition, even in Italy.

Such change in Italy has not only been seen on the production side of the equation. Habits and behaviors have also started to change on the consumption side. While olive oil still undoubtedly occupies an almost sacred space in the chapel of the Italian home, the kitchen, modern generations of Italians – like others across Europe – are eating fewer and fewer of their meals at home. Researchers on food choice motivation at the University of Rome “La Sapienza” looked at a group of average students. The results revealed how their food choices are influenced by emotivity, imaging and susceptibility to advertising and commercial messages, showing that the greatest consumption desire was stimulated by ready-to-eat, pre-prepared snacks. Food scientists conclude that people eat these easy modern products mainly not because they are hungry but, rather, because of hedonistic, compulsive or emotive behavior. Such non-traditional snacks are generally very high in calories, rich in sugar and saturated fats and rich in animal proteins. They taste good. The palatability of these snacks is high and at the end of the day they are the cause of mistaken caloric intake.

Why then, if the nutritional information is so clear, don’t we stop eating what’s bad and start eating what’s good? The answer can be found in two words: taste and palatability. These two components in prepared food are mainly given by its fatty and sweet components. The function of our brain that controls hunger in absence of a real need of food is governed by hedonism. This complicates a lot the situation because in this case, the factors leading to a certain choice are many and complex. Some researches show that hedonism wins over the cognitive factor. Disorderly consumption of calories is the fruit of compulsion in repeating the use of products that generate, even for a short time, physiologic and psychological well-being; something that relaxes from the anxiety of consuming, chewing, biting something tasty – a veritable mini circuit of addiction, which is hard to break.

It is thus necessary for consumers to become aware of and responsible for the processes of his own choices, wondering about his motivations, and analyzing the caloric effects and nutritional components. For instance: it is true that olive oil is healthy, but we still have to keep in mind the calories! A quantity of 10g of extra virgin olive oil, known as the “well-being quantity” in Italian – which is equivalent to a soup spoonful – contains some 90 kcal. Current guidelines suggest a healthy daily consumption of olive oil of around 2–3 of these units and total weekly intake of 200g.

Eating habits are as important as every other human behavior for which we are actors and witnesses of our own life. We should act pushed not only by our own pleasure and emotion but also by the knowledge and the rationality that are the structure of the ability or inability of making all kinds of decisions throughout our lives. If governmental guidelines, laws or proclamations are to be worth anything, they must be accompanied by educational efforts to bring home the message of how and why these things matter, and how they can have an impact on our own lives – in the Mediterranean and beyond. In the space between marketing and reality, there is room for intervention that helps inform and guide consumers to make better-informed choices.

Hopefully, the cultural exchange between countries where the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Mediterranean diet was born and other countries can also help them to adopt nutritional policies that identify olive oil as a fundamental element of a healthy diet. This is important especially for children because if a certain eating habit is introduced early in life, it is then capable of positively influencing their approach to food in adulthood. To come back to the roots of the olive in Mediterranean culture, let us recall what is said about it in the Talmud: “it is easier to grow an olive tree in this land than to raise a child”. It seems that the more progress we make, the more we have to learn from looking back at our roots, and moments like this are useful for us to take stock of our habits and their value.

UNESCO has recommended the Mediterranean Diet for a place on the organization’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List. The ratifying vote is expected to take place at the UN agency’s 14–19 November meeting in Nairobi. Giancarlo Galan, the Italian Minister of Agriculture, in anticipation of a favorable vote, today said, “It is a huge success for our country, our dietary traditions, and our culture.”

The Mediterranean Diet is rich in olive oil, fruits and vegetables, grains, fish, and wine. The Intangible Cultural List was started in 2003 and now comprises some 166 entries, including Croatian Lace Making, Argentinean Tango and Tibetan Opera. Readers are probably more familiar with UNESCO’s activities relating to the conservation of physical places such as Venice.

The initiative to include the Mediterranean Diet on the Intangible Cultural Heritage List began four years ago when Italy, Spain, Greece, and Morocco put it forth. It did not meet UNESCO’s guidelines and the initiative was rejected. Last August the four countries, with Italy coordinating, reworked their submission request.

Coldiretti, Italy’s agricultural special interest group and lobby, reports that the Mediterranean Diet has helped Italians in having the greatest longevity in Europe, with women living to the average age of 84.1 and men to 78.6 years. The diet of younger Italians is not as good as that of its more elderly citizens, and receiving this prestigious recognition, should encourage younger Italians to eat a more healthy diet, or so it is hoped

Coldiretti further reports that food and wine tourism, or enogastronomic tourism, is valued at 5 billion euros a year. It is the only segment of the tourism industry which continues to grow, and this should further help this area. Of course, olive oil producers are hoping that consumers will pull very tangible
bottles of olive oil off supermarket shelves.

Galan praised employees of the Ministry of Agriculture for their work. In an expansive mood, he sought to tie the Mediterranean Diet to the Roman Empire.  Galan said, “In reading a history book I found a list of ingredients used by a French monastery at the beginning of the Middle Ages. On this list I found olive oil, dates, figs, almonds and pistachios. Pepper, cloves and cinnamon were also on the list. And, since at that time, not so distant from the time the Romans ruled the Mediterranean, there were 30 casks of garum on the list. Could this be the intangible culture, which underlies the Mediterranean Diet? And does the tomato belong on the diet? In brief, the Mediterranean world is so rich in history and extraordinary civilizations based on agriculture, that there is nothing to do but thank UNESCO for recognizing the Mediterranean Diet on its list of World Heritage Intangibles.”

In related news, earlier this summer, the Aurora Trust and the Italian Ministry of Culture reported on archeological discoveries off Zannone, one of the Pontine Islands. Four remarkably well-preserved shipwrecks were discovered. The Pontines were the ancient crossroads for ships traveling between Italy, Spain, and North Africa. The four ships, dating from between the 5th and 7th centuries BCE to the 1st century CE, had cargoes of amphorae with olive oil, wine, and garum, as well as bricks for building.