Kûnsark: Fridge with the smell of the mountains

In the village of Seyîda in the Northern Kurdistan province of Hakkari, small caves have been used as cold stores for centuries, even though the village has long since had refrigerators.

The women in the village of Seyîda have been working on the construction of small caves called "Kûnsark" since the start of spring, which are used as food refrigerators during the hot summer months. This method has been a tradition for centuries.

For the Kûnsark, natural bulges on mountain slopes are extended and laid out with small stones. As Fatime Taşçı (50) explains, this tradition has been maintained for generations, although there are now refrigerators in all the houses in the village.

Every year in April, the Kûnsark are cleaned and repaired, Fatime Taşcı says: "In the summer we put down everything there that should not spoil. The Kûnsark I am currently using has been taken over from my mother-in-law. It is in a cool place. I'll clean it now and put it back with stones. We put in cheese, butter, grape leaves and herbs collected in the mountains. The food from animals is also protected."

By autumn, perishable foods will be preserved in these natural refrigerators. Fatime Taşçı says: "Now we all have refrigerators at home, but the Kûnsark have a special meaning for us. The women in the village have always used them and the scent of the mountains gives the food its own taste."