Kars Cheese Route

The Kars Cheese Route is a culinary and cultural journey through the picturesque landscapes of Kars, an Eastern Anatolian city renowned for its rich cheese-making tradition. This route allows visitors to explore various aspects of cheese production, from visiting dairy farms and observing the cheese-making process to sampling a wide variety of artisanal cheeses unique to the region.

The route typically includes visits to cheese producers, where travellers can witness first-hand the traditional methods of cheese-making and learn about the history and significance of cheese in Kars. Visitors have the opportunity to interact with local cheese-makers, ask questions, and gain insights into the intricacies of cheese production. Travellers can also indulge in cheese tastings, where they can sample different types of cheese, including the famous Kars graver (gruyere) cheese, aged cheeses such as Kars Kashar cheese.

As one of the world's most significant cheese routes, Kars Cheese Route is further intended to revitalize the region's traditions, local values that are about to be forgotten, and traditional knowledge and production techniques and hand them down to the next generations, thus supporting the tourism potential of the region and contributing to local socio-economic development. Kars cheese route is Türkiye’s first cheese route, consisting of six distinct stops, including four dairies and two museums.

Overall, the Kars Cheese Route offers an enriching experience for food enthusiasts, history buffs, and nature lovers alike, showcasing the rich culinary heritage and natural beauty of Kars and its surrounding area.

Kars Cheese Route Itinerary

Day I: Start the day with a delicious breakfast at your hotel. You are sure to find at least a couple of different cheese varieties here, as cheese is a crucial item for all Turkish breakfast tables.

The first stop on the itinerary is Kars Cheese Museum. At Kars Cheese Museum, you can observe cheese types unique to the region. Kars Cheese Museum is the first cheese museum of Türkiye, allowing its visitors to see all the processes related to cheesemaking, from its production to consumption, through various technological and artisanal techniques and equipment.

After leaving the museum, take a short tour of the city centre to see various examples of the Baltic architectural style, including the buildings of the Provincial Financial Office, the Old Teacher's Club, and the Kars Chamber of Industry and Commerce. You can have your lunch in Kars city centre and experience Kars cuisine consisting of various dishes, including hangel, piti, and goose meat.

After lunch, proceed to the Archaeological Site of Ani, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2016. There, you can observe the unique historical monuments shaped by the influence of various civilisations, adding a mystical and fascinating atmosphere to your Kars Cheese Route tour.

After visiting the Archaeological Site of Ani, move to the second stop on the route: Sarıkamış. In the winter, you can visit the Sarıkamış Ski Centre for a ski or snowboard experience over the crystal snow in the unique yellow pine (Pinus sylvestris) forest of Sarıkamış.

In the summer, you can go for a walk to the chairlift area and enjoy the fresh air of the Sarıkamış Forest. Then, move to Katerina Hunting Lodge for a brief visit.

Before you end the day, make sure to visit a dairy farm located nearby. At the dairy farm, you can observe the production area, where fresh kashar cheese and aged kashar cheese are produced from the milk of cows fed from pastures in and around the yellow pine forests. You can also learn more about the characteristics of the milk and cheese types in the region. Then, you can taste and buy these authentic cheese types unique to the region. After your cheese escapade, return to Kars city centre for dinner and some rest.

Day 2: After breakfast, start the day at the Boğatepe Village. At Boğatepe, you can visit a dairy farm specialising in Boğatepe gruyere cheese, Türkmen saçak cheese, Molokan cheese, and Boğatepe shepherd's cheese that are unique to this specific village.

The next stop on the itinerary is the Eco-museum Zavot, where you can experience the historical process of Kars cheese culture and observe historical cheese-making instruments and equipment. Being the first cheese museum in Türkiye, Eco-museum Zavot was built as a dairy in Bogatepe in the 1880s by Swiss cheese producers and was used as a gruyere cheese factory until 1920. The dairy was built as a two-floor building: the upper floor was used as the manufacturing workshop, and the lower floor was used as the cheese maturation and resting warehouse. The eco-museum is intended to maintain the entire local cheese-making culture and advocate that cheese-making knowledge is to be compiled and redesigned for production by villagers to generate economic value.

After lunch prepared by the local women of Boğatepe with plenty of cheese varieties, move towards Yanatlı to visit another dairy farm that gives distinct nuances to aged kashar cheese. After Yanatlı, move towards Bozyiğit by following a road through the north side of Lake Çıldır. During this journey, you can take in the beautiful scenery of the lake and take incredible photos. Bozyiğit is famous for "Şor", a melted cheese, prepared in the fire pit.

After Bozyiğit, take a boat trip on Lake Çıldır. End the day with a delicious dinner prepared with local products and accompanied by a unique sunset.

Cheese Varieties

Boğatepe Gruyere Cheese

Considered as the iconic product of the route and is among the products that are represented in the logo of Kars Cheese Route. The history of Gruyere cheese dates back to Swiss cheesemakers who initiated the process in Mahmutlu, near the Borchaly border, in 1862. Eventually, Boğatepe Gruyere cheese Was introduced to the gastronomic culture of Kars based on the initiatives of ilhan Koçulu who ensured this cheese's registration by Slow Food Presidium, a cultural element consisting of the experiences of local communities anywhere in the world.

Kars Aged Kashar Cheese

Kars aged kashar cheese is produced from the milk of a local breed of cow fed on the plateaus of Kars and Ardahan with more than 1,500 flowering plants that spring to life in April, May, June and July. This cheese is produced using milk, salt, and natural rennet only and is released to the market after a six-month maturation period. Kars aged kashar cheese was registered with geographical indication in 2016.

Kars Fresh Kashar Cheese

Kars fresh kashar cheese is one of the most special types in the region. This cheese is produced, particularly in the period from April to July, from the milk of cows fed on natural pastures and stands out with its distinguished milk and butter flavour. It can be consumed after a maturation period of at least one month.

Molokan Cheese

Molokan cheese is one of the products introduced to Kars cuisine by the Molokan community, who were settled in Kars by the Russian Tsar Alexander II after 1877 and lived for a period there. Molokan cheese is one of the two types of cheese inherited from the Molokans. It is produced from the milk of cows fed on natural pastures and natural rennet. Molokan cheese is considered a local delicacy with its a law salty, intense milk and cream taste and soft consistency.

Türkmen Saçak Cheese

Turkmen Fringe Cheese is one of the oldest cheese types in the Kars and Ardahan region. For many years, it has continued to be produced, usually in Turkmen villages, from sheep, goat, and cow's milk at any time of the year. Today, Turkmen fringe cheese is produced by only a few Turkmen families for their own consumption. A boutique dairy in Boğatepe Village also produces it.

Boğatepe Shepherd's Cheese

Being a variety of Swiss Tilsiter cheese, Boğatepe shepherd's cheese was produced by Kars Dairy Plant and in Boğatepe in the 1960s but then almost disappeared. This cheese started to be produced again thanks to the tireless efforts of locals.

Çakmak Cheese

This is a village-type cheese produced by villagers, mostly for their own consumption. It can be produced throughout the year.