Last weekend, the first ever Datça Almond Flower Festival was held to share the beauty and uniqueness of an area where, in the spring, every corner is filled with almond blossom.
The festival had an activity-packed programme including almond flower photo tours, a 5km almond nature walk, Knidos and Old Datça trips, wine tasting and an exhibition of local foods, handmade jewellery and gifts produced in Datça.
The mixed weather didn’t stop the many visitors who went along to enjoy the festival.
Have a look at some of the photographs from the day.
Thank you to Dawne Buyukkoca and Maggie Upton-Todd for sharing their photographs with Fethiye Times.
Almond flower nature walk and photo tour
The exhibition
Knidos
Knidos is one of the major ancient cities in Caria (southwest Turkey). It is situated on the Datça peninsula which forms the southern side of the Gulf of Gökova.
The site is located at Cape Krio, at the tip of the Datça peninsula and occupies the slopes on either side of a narrow isthmus. The whole area is still thickly strewn with architectural remains.
Old (Eski) Datça
Once the peninsula’s main village, Eski Datça (Old Datça), lapsed into obscurity in the late 20th century. Now it has been partially restored and is a beautiful patchwork of stone-paved lanes, kitchen gardens, pot plants, bougainvillea-drenched walls, and little cafes and shops.
The perfect way to finish off the day is with a snack by the water’s edge.
If you missed the Almond Flower Festival this year don’t worry, the festival will be held every year from now on.
We couldn’t finish without saying a bit about almonds.
Almonds in Turkey
Almond trees love the Aegean and Meditteranean climate and mainly grow in the Datça district of Muğla and the Bozyazı and Anamur districts of Mersin where about one quarter of the Turkish almond production is produced. Other important production regions in Turkey are Antalya, Isparta, Şanlıurfa , Denizli and Elazığ.
Although almonds are commonly referred to as a nut, they are actually teardrop-shaped edible seeds that are the fruit of the almond tree. You can buy them shelled or blanched, which is when shelled almonds have been treated with hot water to remove the brown outer coating, leaving behind a smooth white interior.
Click here to read about the health benefits of almonds.
Sources: The Guardian/Wikipedia/MarmarisTown.com/Food Turkey
