Turkey: China Trying to Gobble Up Country's Lamb Intestine Supply?

Yigal Schleifer

Kokorec for sale in Istanbul

China and its growing economy's insatiable global appetite for natural resources and raw materials have become almost legendary in recent years. Usually this hunger revolves around things like oil, gas and steel, but a report in the Turkish press claims the Chinese are coming after Turkey's precious supply of lamb intestines, the main ingredient in a funky-flavored dish called kokorec, a favorite among late night eaters. From Hurriyet:

China, which is expanding its culinary pallet as it looks westward, is looking to import 30 tons of “kokoreç,” or lamb intestine, per month from Turkey, which could lead to a strain on the local market.

“Our talks with Chinese businessmen are continuing, but they want to purchase kokoreç for a low price and they want 30 tons per month. This amount could lead to a shortage for us in the summer months since we produce 250 tons per month, and this is just enough to feed the local market,” said SBA Kokoreç General Manager Salim Kayalı.

Vatan has more details on this story (in Turkish), although still left unexplained by the Turkish press reports is how the Chinese suddenly developed such a yen for kokorec.