Çıtlık!…

We traveled to Montenegro for the 48th-anniversary reunion of the 1978 graduates of the Ege University Faculty of Medicine. I joined the travel group as the "son-in-law" of the class. Montenegro is a name we are not quite used to. For years, we have known and referred to it as Karadağ (Black Mountain). Although "Montenegro" is Italian and means "Black Mountain." The country, which has a surface area about the size of the Adana province, is characterized by its mountainous terrain. More than two-thirds of the country is mountainous. It is a country governed by a parliamentary system, located on the coast of the Adriatic Sea.

Montenegro has around 25 municipalities. Among the more than 50 countries in Europe, Montenegro is one of the 10 smallest in terms of both surface area and population density.

Tourism must be the biggest source of income for this small country, which possesses historical and natural riches. It is said that nearly 2 million tourists, three times its population, visit the country.

On the third day of our four-day trip, we visited the town of Bar, the main port of Montenegro. It is impossible not to see or observe the traces of the Ottomans while climbing up to the Stari Bar fortress, which was built on high ground. Turkish signs, words, and people speaking Turkish were striking. On the way up to the fortress, on the left side of the road, is the Selimiye Mosque, the second mosque in the city of Bar, which was restored by TİKA (Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency).

The Ottoman Empire always made its investments in the West, in the Balkans. It didn't visit Anatolia much. We see that the AKP government, which has been in power for the last 23 years, has also made quite significant investments in the Balkans and other countries. Hundreds of mosques and historical sites have been supported. Investments were made in African countries. That is fine. We are not against it being done, but while there were so many village institutes in our own country, they were left to their own fate and not even one of them was restored. Most were demolished and disappeared. Dozens of State Agricultural Enterprises were treated the same way; they were not invested in sufficiently, and modern agricultural opportunities were not provided. The country's agriculture and livestock farming were left behind.

Since the road to the fortress is very steep, only a few people from our travel group climbed to the fortress and its summit. Our tour leader Dr. Yılmaz Bay, Dr. Canan Vergin, her sister Cavidan İnan, myself, and my wife Dr. Esen Demir climbed to the summit of the fortress.

While touring the fortress, I encountered "çıtlık" (hackberry) trees next to pomegranate trees. Çıtlık! It is a fruit I loved eating in my childhood. It would not be an exaggeration to say that I haven't seen it at all in recent years. The fruits, which are larger than a lentil but smaller than a chickpea, ripen in the autumn. Although they have quite large seeds and little fleshy parts, they are quite sweet.

The çıtlık tree is the "evil eye" tree of Anatolia. In our childhood, amulets were made from the branches of the tree and were worn around the necks or shoulders of newborns and small children. Various types of amulets were made so that they would not be struck by the evil eye, would have a long life, and would be useful to their country and humanity. I don't know if they are still made today.

As we saw in the places we visited in Montenegro, çıtlık trees are quite large trees that reach heights of 20-25 meters. They are mostly confused with the "çitlembik" (terebinth). Çitlembik is a menengiç fruit with much smaller, tart-tasting berries.

To summarize, the çıtlık is the evil eye tree. Menengiç and another variety, the bıttım tree, are wild relatives of the pistachio. They are smaller in height compared to the çıtlık tree. Their coffee is mostly known as "Menengiç - bıttım dibek coffee." In the Mardin and Siirt regions, its coffee and soap are produced and widely used there.

Menengiç coffee is especially useful for respiratory diseases. It is caffeine-free. Diabetics can use it safely.

Especially in the Mediterranean region, starting with Muğla, menengiç sprouts are collected and featured in wedding dinner menus. It is enjoyed for its pleasant aroma and tart taste. It is beneficial for health.

On the way back from our trip, while Cardiologist Prof. Dr. Cahide Soydaş Çınar was explaining the latest developments in the field of health, she mentioned that it has been scientifically proven that human life can reach 120 years in good health, and she explained what needs to be done to fulfill the conditions for this. I don't know if we, who are in our seventies, will reach 120 in good health, but it doesn't seem difficult to reach the age of one hundred. I couldn't help but think, besides taking the necessary medical precautions to maintain a healthy life, should we each wear a çıtlık amulet?

Stay healthy and in good health.