23.10.2026 17:45
In the Sason district of Batman, menengiç that grows spontaneously in forested areas has become one of the villagers' important sources of income. Coffee, natural soap, and winter snacks are produced from the menengiç collected in autumn. In particular, the natural menengiç soap, prepared by boiling in cauldrons for about two days, is offered for sale at 750 lira. Villagers contribute to their family budgets with the products they collect from nature.
Terebinths growing wild in the forest have become a source of income for villagers in the Sason district of Batman. While the fruits collected in autumn are processed in different ways, natural soap made from terebinth is finding buyers at 750 liras.
THEY HEAD INTO THE FOREST IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS
Terebinth, which grows naturally in the forested areas of the Sason district of Batman, begins to ripen in October. With the arrival of autumn, villagers go to the forested areas in the early morning hours to collect terebinth. After the collected fruits are brought home, they are carefully washed and separated from their shells. Then the terebinths left to dry are used in the preparation of different products. Terebinth, which grows in nature without requiring any planting, both meets the culinary needs of the local people and enables them to earn income through sales.
IT IS BOILED FOR TWO DAYS AND SOLD FOR 750 LIRAS
Natural soap is also among the products obtained from terebinth. Terebinths, especially those collected while red, are processed using traditional methods and turned into soap. Villagers boil the red terebinths they collect in large cauldrons for about two days. After the long process, the natural soaps obtained are prepared for sale. Terebinth soap produced in Sason is offered for sale at 750 liras. Thus, the fruits that grow wild in the forest turn into a product with economic value for the villagers.
ITS COFFEE IS ALSO MADE, AND IT IS ALSO CONSUMED AS A SNACK
Terebinth is not used only in soap production. Some of the dried fruits are crushed and turned into traditional terebinth coffee. The fully ripened terebinths, meanwhile, are roasted with salt and prepared as a winter snack called "çitlembik" in the region. Çitlembik, which is stored especially to be consumed during the winter months, is among the traditional foods of the region. Thus, three different products—coffee, soap, and snack—are obtained from the same fruit.
"TEREBINTH IS AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF INCOME FOR US"
İsmet Çelik, who said they contribute to their livelihood by collecting terebinth, described the collection and processing process that begins in autumn. Çelik said, "We take the terebinths we collect from the forest during the ripening period in October home, wash them, separate them from their shells, and leave them to dry. We crush some of the dried terebinths and make coffee from them. We also roast some of the fully ripened ones with salt to turn them into çitlembik and consume them as a snack on long winter evenings. We make our living by selling the terebinths that are more than we need."