Bursa's black fig, protected by a geographical indication, is one of the fruits that carries the city's name around the world. At harvest time we walk among the orchards of one or two fig villages.
- Duration
- Half day
- Distance
- 4–5 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Season
- August–September
- Language
- English, Turkish
Along the way
- Walking among the orchards of one or two fig villages
- Where is the fig's flower? Its partnership with the fig wasp
- The fig's story, from Pliny to today
- Conversations with growers, when possible
The story of this route
The fig is one of humanity's oldest companions. The Roman writer Pliny lists fig varieties one by one in his Natural History, and the fig's history goes back much further than that. As we walk, we follow that journey all the way to the orchards of Bursa.
We also talk about why we never see a fig flower, and the partnership that ties it to a tiny wasp. When we can, we meet the people who tend these orchards and hear about the harvest, the work and the market from them.
Who it suits
Anyone interested in gardens, farming and food culture; families too.
What to bring
- Comfortable shoes
- A hat and water; August is hot
Good to know
- We choose the villages and route according to the harvest.
