Guide

Antep pistachio from Gaziantep: what to specify when you source it

Lotvela · Gaziantep · Checked 26 October 2026

"Antep fıstığı" is a Turkish designation of origin for pistachio (Pistacia vera), registered in 2000, but the nut itself has no EU PDO or PGI. When you source it, specify the form, cultivar, UNECE class, size count, split ratio, kernel colour, moisture, defect and foreign-matter limits, and the EU aflatoxin limit that applies. Since February 2026, half of all EU-bound consignments from Türkiye undergo physical checks for aflatoxins, and every consignment needs an official certificate and laboratory results.

What "Antep fıstığı" means

In everyday Turkish, "Antep fıstığı" simply means pistachio. The Ministry of Trade uses it even for US and Iranian crops, so the word on an invoice proves nothing about origin.

Türk Patent registered "Antep Fıstığı" as a designation of origin (menşe adı), no. 27, effective 22 April 2000, on an application by the Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce. The registered area covers 22 provinces, including Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Siirt and Adıyaman. The technical sheet names five cultivars: Uzun, Kırmızı, Halebi, Siirt and Ohadi.

The EU register (eAmbrosia) had no entry for the nut, registered or applied for, when checked on 26 October 2026. The EU registered "Antep Fıstık Ezmesi" as a PGI in June 2025. That is a sweet made from early-harvested pistachios, with at least 45 % pistachio and 45 % sugar, not the plain paste ice-cream makers buy.

Gaziantep and the growing area

A 2026 Ministry of Trade report says more than 90 % of Turkish pistachios come from South-eastern Anatolia. Şanlıurfa has the largest planted area, about 1.5 million decares (38 %). Gaziantep follows with about 1.4 million decares and Siirt with about 320,000. Uzun is the most widely grown cultivar.

"Siirt Fıstığı" is a separate Turkish geographical indication (no. 1770, registered 4 September 2025). It covers large, oval nuts of the Siirt cultivar, grown in six south-eastern provinces and eaten as a snack nut. Siirt is also a cultivar under the Antep registration, so name the cultivar, not just the place.

Product forms

In-shell: sold raw, or roasted and salted. UNECE grades cover only unprocessed nuts, and mechanically opened nuts must be marked as such.
Kernels: shelled, skin on, as wholes, halves or pieces.
Peeled kernels: skin removed, which may be graded by colour.
Early-harvested green kernels (boz iç or boziç): picked before maturity, less developed and dark green inside.
Paste, flour and prepared products: EU import controls list these separately.

For an ingredient paste, state the pistachio content, roasting, any added sugar or oil, and the fineness.

Grading and sizing

The reference texts are UNECE standards DDP-09 (in-shell) and DDP-10 (kernels and peeled kernels), both reissued in 2025. In-shell nuts and kernels come in Extra, Class I and Class II; peeled kernels in Extra and Class I.

Size count: mandatory for in-shell Extra and Class I, as nuts per ounce or per 100 g, or by screen. The guide bands run from fewer than 20 per ounce (71 per 100 g) to more than 32 (113). Sizing is optional for kernels.
Split ratio: DDP-09 tolerates 2 %, 3 % and 5 % unsplit shells by class. Natural splitting varies by cultivar; the Antep technical sheet gives about 69 % for Uzun and 92 % for Siirt.
Colour: peeled kernels may be graded green, yellowish green, yellow or mixed. "Green" allows no more than 25 % of kernels, by count, with light green or yellow sections.
Moisture: at most 6.5 %. The Netherlands and the UK hold a reservation for 6.0 % on in-shell nuts.
Defects: for kernels in Extra and Class I, mould is limited to 0.5 %, rancid or rotten kernels to 0.5 % and 1 %, and insect damage to 1.5 % and 2 %. No living pests are allowed. In-shell grades also limit blanks and stained shells.
Foreign matter: 0.1 % by weight for unpeeled kernels in Extra and Class I. In-shell grades allow 0.1 % inorganic and 0.2 % organic matter.

Harvest season and alternate bearing

The EU specification for Antep Fıstık Ezmesi says green boziç is picked from late July to mid-August, 30 to 40 days before the ordinary harvest. The Codex code of practice for tree nuts says pistachios should be hulled and dried within 24 hours of harvest to prevent shell staining.

Pistachio trees bear alternately: a heavy crop one year, a light crop the next. TÜİK figures published by the Ministry of Trade put Turkish production at about 176,000 tonnes in 2023/24 and 383,000 tonnes in 2024/25. State the crop year, and agree what happens if the grade is short.

Aflatoxins and EU import controls

Regulation (EU) 2023/915 sets these maximum levels for pistachios:

To be sorted or physically treated before sale or use: 12.0 µg/kg aflatoxin B1 and 15.0 µg/kg for the sum of B1, B2, G1 and G2.
For the final consumer or use as an ingredient: 8.0 µg/kg B1 and 10.0 µg/kg sum.

For in-shell nuts, all contamination is assumed to be in the kernel. Products of at least 80 % pistachio take the same limits. Ochratoxin A is limited to 10.0 and 5.0 µg/kg in the same two categories.

Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1793 lists pistachios from Türkiye in Annex II for aflatoxins, covering in-shell and shelled nuts, mixtures, paste, prepared products and flour. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/194 raised identity and physical checks from 30 % to 50 % of consignments, after a high rate of non-compliance. That rate has applied since 18 February 2026 and is unchanged in the consolidated text of 30 June 2026.

What this means for you:

Each consignment travels with sampling and analysis results from the Turkish competent authority, produced by an ISO/IEC 17025-accredited laboratory.
It also needs an official certificate, valid for no more than four months from issue and no more than six months from the laboratory results.
The certificate, the results and every bag carry the same identification code.
Selected consignments are sampled under Regulation (EU) 2023/2782, and customs release them only against a finalised Common Health Entry Document (CHED).
The Commission reviews the list at least every six months, so check the entry before each contract.

For Great Britain, Food Standards Agency guidance published in June 2026 says pistachios from Türkiye face special conditions for aflatoxins and must enter through designated border control posts. Confirm current GB rules with your importer. Our export documents guide covers the wider document set.

Packaging and storage

Under the UNECE standards, light-protective bags may be used to keep green kernels' colour. Each package must be uniform in origin, class, size and any stated colour type or crop year.

The Codex code recommends clean, dry, ventilated stores, with relative humidity below 70 % and 0–10 °C where possible, and sacks on pallets. Aflatoxin-producing moulds cannot grow below a water activity of 0.7. State your pack format, best-before period and any vacuum or inert-gas packing, and confirm storage conditions with the producer.

What to put in your brief

Item	What to state
Form	In-shell, kernels, peeled kernels, green kernels, paste or flour
Origin and name	Cultivar, province, and whether you need the registered Antep or Siirt name
Class	Extra, Class I or Class II, against UNECE DDP-09 or DDP-10
Size	Count per ounce or per 100 g, or screen size
Split ratio	Minimum naturally split percentage; mechanically opened accepted or not
Colour	Colour type for peeled kernels
Moisture	Maximum percentage
Defects and foreign matter	Limits for mould, rancidity, insect damage, blanks and foreign matter
Contaminants	EU aflatoxin and ochratoxin A category; pre-shipment analysis by an accredited laboratory
Documents	Official certificate and analysis results under Regulation (EU) 2019/1793
Crop year	New crop or a stated earlier crop
Packing	Bag type, net weight, best-before date and storage conditions

For the wider steps, read our guide to sourcing food from Türkiye.

Sending a brief to Lotvela

Lotvela is a sourcing intermediary in Gaziantep. Send a brief with the specification above, and we approach producers that may fit, check product fit, a free production window, export record and documents, then send you a dated shortlist with every claim marked confirmed or not confirmed. It is free for buyers: the producer pays a commission, invoices and ships the goods, and money never passes through Lotvela.