Nestled near the borders of Armenia and Georgia, Kars stands as Turkey’s cheese capital, boasting culinary traditions influenced by an exiled Russian sect. Reaching this frontier city requires a 1,300 km journey on the Doğu Ekspresi from Ankara, crossing the Euphrates River to the east.
Historically contested by various empires, Kars’ skyline is a mix of minarets, Orthodox church domes, and Russian fortifications. The city’s architecture tells the stories of Romans, Byzantines, Armenians, Seljuks, Ottomans, and Russians, but the cheese truly keeps its heritage alive.
Kars is renowned for its cheesemaking traditions, rooted in Russian exiles’ influence. A newly opened museum celebrates this legacy, with local cheesemakers introducing eastern Turkey’s culinary treasures to the world. According to Şeyma Çay, a specialist in eastern Turkish travel, “Kars Kashar is one of the most delicious cheeses in the country, thanks to the rich variety of plants eaten by animals, producing especially fatty milk.”
Kars’ streets are lined with cheese shops offering specialities like the aged Kars Kashar and Kars Gravyer, a local hard cheese similar to Swiss Gruyere but more akin in flavour to Emmental. These cheeses have gained nationwide fame due to their unique production methods, which remain faithful to 19th-century techniques brought by Russian settlers and Swiss cheesemakers.
The nearby village of Boğatepe, a half-hour drive from Kars, is home to these authentic production methods, with small family-run factories producing 32 distinct cheese varieties. Boğatepe also has a reputation for its fresh cheeses, drawing visitors for its famous “Cheesemaker’s Breakfast.”
The cheese industry has played a significant role in keeping Boğatepe alive, particularly after a tragic traffic accident in 2000. Local initiatives, supported by UNDP funding, revitalized the village, establishing a women’s cooperative to manage tourism and allowing cheesemakers to focus on their craft.
With the rise in popularity of the Eastern Express, more tourists are making their way to Kars, sampling the local cheese, and exploring its rich heritage. For cheese lovers, this hidden gem in eastern Turkey is an unmissable destination.
