Saffet Abdullah Güllaçları

The history of our rose-based dish known as “Güllaç”, which has been identified with the Saffet Abdullah brand for more than a century, has been shaped by the historical and chronological process that has been kneaded together with Anatolian geography and the living habits of our society. This process includes a long period in which our ancestors had a generally unsettled way of life in the lands where they lived. Naturally, living habits in many areas, such as areas of occupation, housing, kitchen layout, social relations, etc., are shaped according to this nomadic order. In the life of nomadic societies, which did not have a fixed kitchen organisation, the cooking method used was with cauldrons heated on wood fires and hair pans. The cooked phyllo sheets were eaten immediately, with vegetables, meat, sugar, etc. added between the cooked phyllo sheets, or the phyllo sheets were dried thoroughly, soaked in milk or water and stored for use.

Even in ancient times, when the Turks lived as nomads in different tribes and groups, they made güllaç and similar products from starch and flour according to the above logic. This technique dates back to the 7th century, when the Turks were introduced to Islam. With the conquest of Istanbul, the palace and kitchen customs underwent significant changes. In the early Ottoman period, meal presentations often included pilaf with meat and drinks, and dessert was not very common, except for special invitations and weddings. With Mehmet the Conqueror, the palace cuisine began to be enriched and diversified, incorporating the cultural values of the minorities. Fatih’s advice to the court nobles and janissaries to enrich the iftar and sahur tables during Ramadan and to serve various desserts, including güllac, led to the frequent use of güllac during this period. Güllaç, along with rosewater and milk, was known as the symbol of Ramadan in Ottoman food culture due to its easy digestibility and energising properties, which contributed to the process of breaking the fast.

Apart from Ramadan, Güllaç was also served at banquets given to local and foreign guests in the Ottoman palace, at weddings and circumcisions, decorated with rose water and pomegranate seeds and served in silver plates with various traditional products such as halva and sherbet. Pouring rose water at mawlits, mukabele, pilgrimages and religious gatherings is still an important custom today. In the Ottoman Empire, güllaç leaves were not served to guests without rose water poured over them. As the rounded, wavy surfaces of the rose pudding leaves became more pronounced and looked like rose petals after the addition of milk, they were called “güllü aş” in reference to the rose plant, and this expression gradually evolved into the name “güllaç”. In the same way, the term “milky aş” became the name “sütlaç”. The preparation of güllaç leaves required special skills and experience; cooking them over charcoal and in sheet pans was not an easy task for everyone.

The history of the Saffet Abdullah brand begins with Abdullah Efendi (1850-1927), who came to Istanbul from the Crimea due to the Ottoman-Russian war and poured güllaç in Topkapi Palace together with an old güllaç master named Bekir Efendi. After the death of Bekir Efendi, Abdullah Efendi completed the construction of a flour and starch mill and coal ovens for the production of güllaç in the Grand Palace Square (1881). He produced flour and starch in his mill and stone dibek from the wheat and corn he cultivated in modern-day Zeytinburnu and Edirnekapı. He continued to make rose pudding for the palace in pans heated by coal fire and received the title of “Güllaççı of the Palace”. He tied the phyllo sheets with thin straw ropes and delivered them to the palace in moulds. At that time, due to the difficulty of making it, Güllaç was not eaten by the public much except on special occasions, but it was often requested for palace invitations, entertaining guests, during Ramadan and holidays.

As the traditions of Ottoman palace cuisine, food customs and traditions were often shared by the palace in public banquets and presentations, Güllaç was accepted as a type of dessert that was sought after and preferred by the common people. In response to this demand, Abdullah Efendi began to offer the rose pudding phyllo sheets he had made in the Grand Palace Square to the public at the Eminönü Spice Bazaar. After that, he increased the number of rose pudding bakeries serving the people of Istanbul and then the neighbouring provinces.

In 1900, he started selling products such as güllaç, corn and wheat flour and starch in his shop registered in the commercial records of the period as “Uncu Abdullah” at No. 3 Nafia Han, next to the Eminönü Spice Bazaar, one entrance to Eminönü Square and the other entrance to Taşçılar Street, and continued his business successfully for about 40 years.

This period includes the years of struggle under the difficult living conditions caused by World War I. In 1918, the Armistice of Mondros was signed and our country was occupied by the Entente Powers. As a result, the National Struggle Movement was launched and the Parliament appointed Mustafa Kemal Pasha as the “Supreme Commander”. In this period, Mustafa Kemal Pasha started the liberation struggle by saying “The independence of the nation will be saved by the determination of the nation again…” and in order to ensure the participation of the people in this struggle with all their means due to the very limited possibilities of our army, he took a big step under the name of “Tekâlif-i Milliye Orders” in August 1921. In order to participate in this decision, Abdullah Efendi donated his mill, horses, wagon, flour and necessary materials to the national struggle. In those years, he sent his elder sons to the Yemen and Çanakkale fronts as soldiers. Under difficult conditions, he continued his business activities with his wife Haşime Hanım and his youngest son Saffet and continued the struggle. In 1926, Abdullah Efendi died in 1927 after leaving the business to his youngest son Saffet Efendi (1900-1982), whom he trained as a master apprentice, as his other sons were martyred in the Yemen and Çanakkale wars.

Due to the First World War, the economic situation of the country and the markets were under very difficult conditions. Under these conditions, Saffet Efendi (who later took the surname “Arseven” when the surname law was enacted) continued his business and his father’s profession of making rose pudding in Şehremini/Büyük Saray Square in Sur İçi. He moved to Eminönü Asma Altı Cad in 1930. No: 4 in Eminönü and moved his business here. In 1956-57, his business premises were expropriated due to the massive expropriation movement started in this region as a result of the financial support known as American / Marshall Aid. Saffet Arseven temporarily moved to the nearby iİplikçi Ferit Altıoğlu Inn, which had not yet been expropriated, but was forced to leave after a year and a half due to the expropriation. During this period he prepared his sons for work.

Later, he opened his offices in Eminönü-Tahtakale, Çamaşırcı Sokak No.: 6 and Yağ İskelesi (in the area of the present University of Commerce / former Chamber of Commerce), in a hut at the bottom of the wall and carried out his marketing and sales activities in this area. After 40 years in business, he handed over the business to his two sons, İlhan (1932) and Yalçın Arseven (1936), the third generation. In 1959, the company was registered at the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce under the number 75354 and named “Saffet Corporation Şirketi-Saffet Arseven ve Oğulları”. After the death of Mr Saffet in 1969, his two sons took over the business. As a result of the careful division of the business, the modest standard of living of the sons and their commitment to the business, the company gradually became a household name in its field and a brand synonymous with the production of rose pudding.

In 1969, the two brothers moved to Eminönü Gıda Sitesi Tuzcular Sokak No: 46 to continue their business. When this shop next to the Zindan Han in Eminönü was expropriated in 1984, they had to continue their sales activities in an open area for about 1.5 years like many craftsmen. At the beginning of 1986, they moved to Istanbul/Rami Food Site G Block, No: 30 and designated this address as the company’s headquarters.

In the 1980s, Gürsel (1961) and Erdal Arseven (1971), who had been involved in the production and sale of rose pudding since childhood and had also completed their higher education, joined the company’s operations and management as the fourth generation. With this addition, the process of modernisation and integration in all the company’s activities gained momentum, and institutionalisation and internationalisation increased.

In 1987, the building established by Abdullah and Saffet Bey in Büyük Saray Meydanı Caddesi-Şehremini was organised. Although the location of the company in Şehremini has undergone many changes over the years, it has been partly preserved and partly the production and sales activities continue in this location. In 2010, the construction of the Bursa-Orhangazi, Marzim factory with a closed area of 2700 m2 was started within the future planning of the companies and it was put into operation in 2016.

Saffet Abdullah is a family that produces rose pudding throughout Turkey and the world with nearly 1.5 centuries of experience. Wherever it operates, it plans its business model based on sustainability and supports projects to share its tradition of saving, production, entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity with society. It uses a social investment approach to perpetuate this historic legacy, to set standards, to lead and to create value. It acts with corporate responsibility wherever it operates and builds lasting relationships of trust with its business partners, customers and employees. It strives to be an institution that always fulfils its responsibility to society. It aims to introduce the rare values of Ottoman-Turkish cuisine to new generations and the whole world. It continues to participate in social projects with the awareness that the best way to introduce traditional tastes to the growing generations is through their memories and palates.

In this context, Saffet Abdullah believes that he is acting as an important bridge that brings an important Ottoman-Turkish tradition and a food culture with ancient origins to the present without losing it and spoiling it, and that it is an important part of our society and culture, and he takes care to act with the responsibility that this awareness brings.