Haylan Squash Jam

Haylan squash jam (Haylan Kabağı Reçeli) is a green-to-light-yellow gourd jam particular to Gaziantep: the haylan gourd is thinly peeled of its green outer skin, grated or sliced finely, boiled with white sugar and a few drops of lemon, and finished with peeled boz-iç Antep pistachio. Boiled until it turns translucent, the gourd keeps its glossy, firm texture, while the pistachio lends both aroma and a regional signature. Filed on 1 December 2021 through an application by the Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, Gaziantep Haylan Squash Jam was registered as a geographical indication by TÜRKPATENT on 13 May 2024 (Geographical Indication / Mahreç İşareti, Reg. No: 1589).

The identity of the jam springs from the harmony of a few essentials: haylan gourd grown only in Gaziantep province, white sugar, lemon, and boz-iç Antep pistachio, itself a geographically indicated product (Reg. No 27). The registration document also defines the jam in objective measures: a fruit ratio of at least 45 percent, a soluble dry-matter content of at least 68 percent measured by refractometer, and a shelf life of two years. These figures guarantee that the jam is neither too watery nor overly sugary, settling instead into a balanced consistency that preserves the texture of the gourd.

This article explores the world of ingredients that shapes Gaziantep haylan squash jam, its traditional preparation technique, its origins in Gaziantep cuisine, its geographical indication protection, and its place at the city's table.

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What Is Haylan Squash Jam and What Is in It?

Haylan squash jam is a gourd jam made by thinly peeling the firm outer part of the gourd it is named after, grating or slicing it, squeezing out its juice, boiling it with sugar and lemon until translucent, and stirring in boz-iç Antep pistachio. The "haylan gourd" used here is a bottle-gourd variety belonging botanically to Lagenaria siceraria, with large white flowers, harvested in Gaziantep in August and September. Only the firm outer part of the gourd goes into the jam; the soft, seedy core in the middle is separated out and removed. In the registered product, sweetness comes neither from syrup nor from additives; the sugar that melts with the gourd's own juice gives the jam both its consistency and its sheen.

Core Components

• Haylan Gourd: The body of the jam is the haylan gourd grown in Gaziantep province. In the geographical indication recipe, about 1 kilogram of gourd yields, on average, 1 kilogram of jam; this ratio varies with the size of the gourd, the thickness of the peeling and the breadth of the seed bed. After the green outer skin is very thinly peeled, the gourd is grated with a coarse grater or sliced finely with a peeler, so that it stays firm and does not fall apart during boiling.
• White Sugar: The essential component that gives sweetness and body; the recipe uses 1 kilogram of white sugar for 1 kilogram of gourd. The sugar boils together with the gourd's juice and turns into a syrup, allowing the gourd to become translucent and glossy. The jam's minimum 68 percent soluble dry-matter ratio is also the result of this sugar balance.
• Lemon: A few drops of lemon (about 3-5 drops) squeezed in towards the end of boiling keep the jam from over-crystallising with sugar and add a faint balance to its taste. The lemon is added once the gourd has taken on a translucent, glossy colour, then boiled for a few minutes more.
• Antep Pistachio: The element that lends the jam its regional signature is boz-iç Antep pistachio, itself a geographically indicated product (Reg. No 27); the recipe uses 30-40 grams. The pistachio kernels are first boiled, the softened red skin is peeled off, and after being thoroughly dried to prevent mould, they are stirred into the jam once it is taken off the heat.
• Water: After the juice of the grated or sliced gourd is squeezed out by hand, 400-500 millilitres of boiling water are added. This water helps the gourd boil with the sugar in a way that keeps it firm rather than overly soft.

The Geography of Its Service

Haylan squash jam is a pantry dessert that, once cooled, is filled into jars and kept in a cool place, with a shelf life of up to two years. It is not a hot pastry served straight from the oven; it is a jam that comes to the breakfast table or the tea hour, eaten with bread or cheese and sometimes with clotted cream. The firm pieces of gourd and the pistachio scattered over the top set it apart from classic fruit jams. Because Gaziantep's pistachio and gourd come together in it, the jam stands out as a breakfast item and an offering particular to the city; and because it can be jarred and kept for a long time, it can also become a regional gift alongside such keepsake delicacies as baklava or pistachio paste.

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The History and Cultural Origins of Haylan Squash Jam

The origins of Gaziantep haylan squash jam rest both on the city's deep-rooted gourd cultivation and on Gaziantep's tradition of using the gourd through the year by drying it, stuffing it and turning it into jam. As the registration document also notes, this jam has a long history in Gaziantep's culinary culture, and its bond of repute with the geographic boundary rests on that deep-rooted past.

Part of a Gourd Cuisine

The haylan gourd is a versatile product in Gaziantep cuisine, used not only for jam but also for stuffed dishes, drying and vegetable cooking. Gaziantep Haylan Squash Stuffing (Haylan Kabağı Dolması) and Antep Haylan Squash Dried (Haylan Kabağı Kurusu), made from the same gourd, also carry their own geographical indication registrations. This range shows the deep relationship the city builds with the haylan gourd and its habit of processing it in season and storing it in the pantry without waste. The jam forms the sweet wing of this gourd culture.

The "Haylan" in Its Name

The haylan gourd that gives the jam its name is a bottle-gourd variety grown in the Gaziantep region and known by its local name. When the jam is called "haylan squash jam," it points directly to this regional gourd and to the Gaziantep geography in which it grows. The registration guarantees that the name "Gaziantep Haylan Squash Jam" may be used only for a product made in Gaziantep province with the defined ingredients and method.

Geographical Indication Registration

Haylan squash jam went through an official registration process to protect its region-specific ingredients and method. The process, begun through an application by the Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, was filed on 1 December 2021 and concluded with a geographical indication registration by TÜRKPATENT on 13 May 2024 (Geographical Indication / Mahreç İşareti, Reg. No: 1589). The registration guarantees that all stages of production are carried out in Gaziantep province and that the name may be used only for a product tied to this geography.

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The Haylan Squash Jam Tradition and Ritual in Gaziantep

In Gaziantep, haylan squash jam is a pantry delicacy prepared in season and stored to come to the table throughout the year. As the sweet face of the city's relationship with the gourd, it finds a place both at the everyday breakfast and in the culture of offering.

A Pantry Jam Made in Season

Because the haylan gourd is harvested in Gaziantep in August and September, the jam too is traditionally made in this period, when the gourd is most plentiful and firm. The jarred jam is kept in a cool place and stored in the pantry to last into winter, to tea hours and to guests' tables. Its shelf life of up to two years keeps it on the table well after its season; thus haylan squash jam becomes the product of a culinary habit that carries the abundance of summer into winter.

The Craft of the Firm Gourd

Haylan squash jam is defined as much by its technique as by its ingredients. The skill lies in separating the firm outer part of the gourd from the soft, seedy core in the middle, and in judging the boiling time well: the gourd is boiled over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes in a way that does not soften it too much; once the sugar is added and the gourd takes on a translucent, glossy colour, the lemon is squeezed in. The aim is not a collapsed gourd purée but a glossy, balanced jam whose pieces stay firm. Some home recipes relate that, before boiling, the gourd is soaked in lime (slaked lime) water to keep it firmer; this step, however, is not part of the registered method of production. The handing down through generations of culinary knowledge such as processing the gourd in season and storing it in jars is also part of the diversity of crafts that was one reason for Gaziantep's admission to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of gastronomy in 2015.

Its Place at the Table

In Gaziantep, haylan squash jam is often part of the breakfast table or the tea hour; it is eaten with bread, cheese or clotted cream, and the pistachio on top recalls the region in every spoonful. Those curious about the relationship Gaziantep cuisine builds with the pistachio can follow the nut's journey from jam to kebab in signature dishes such as pistachio kebab and Gaziantep baklava.

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Why You Should Try It

A single spoonful of haylan squash jam carries Gaziantep's bond with the gourd and the pistachio to the palate in one bite: the texture of the gourd, boiled until translucent yet still firm, the sheen of the sugar and the oily aroma of the boz-iç pistachio all come together. Sweetened by the gourd's own juice rather than drenched in syrup, this jam is a balanced flavour rather than a heavy one. When you are looking for a texture different from most fruit jams and a regional identity, haylan squash jam is one of the corners of the Gaziantep breakfast waiting to be discovered.

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Frequently Asked Questions