The legendary Edirne red (Rouge d'Adrinople), produced in Edirne during the Ottoman period and likened to a “spy story” when its recipe was brought to France, once again became one of the economic and cultural values of the city thanks to the research carried out.
Edirne red, developed by the Edirne dye masters in the 15th century and begun to be produced in France in the 1740s, was forgotten for many years. The studies initiated eight years ago under the leadership of the Governor of Edirne, the City of Edirne and the University of Trakya to revive this unique color of the city have borne fruit.In this context, promotional events, symposiums and scientific research were organized, and experimental planting of a madder plant called rubia tinctorum, a plant with a characteristic color, was carried out. The trial planting that began at the Aromatic and Dye Plant Garden of the Trakya Agricultural Research Institute under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has been successfully completed. Within the scope of work carried out to replicate the plant throughout the city, crop harvesting on an area of 10 decares carried out by the producer Şenol Ataç in the Uzunköprü district began with tractors. Thanks to the project carried out under the leadership of Trakya University, a textile company has developed ties, scarves, clothes and souvenir products from fabrics produced with natural dyes obtained from the factory. Thanks to that, Edirne red has become a cultural and economic value representing the city's identity. The goal is to create an alternative source of income for farmers by expanding cultivation areas.Director of Trakya Agricultural Research Institute Associate Professor, PhD. Dr. Adnan Tülek told AA correspondent that Edirne's red color is an important value of the city. Stating that Edirne red, obtained from the madder tree, attracts attention due to its natural color and structure, Tülek said, “Today, as interest in organic dyes increases, it becomes more valuable. Important work has been done to keep this cultural value alive and reach its value as in ancient times.” he said.Tülek said they determined that the plant could be produced effectively in Edirne during trial planting. Explaining that they carried out sample studies for the producers and the production of the plants began, Tülek said: “Harvesting is carried out in the garden that has been built. We found that the root yield is very good. It takes 2-3 years to reach full root yield in the Rubia plant. Then the harvesting process is carried out. After the obtained roots are dried and ground, they become suitable for dyeing and are sent to the textile industry for use.” “Producers can visit our gardens and see what the production process is like. The industry's demand for madder is very high. We are working to restore this cultural value. Edirne red is as popular today as it was before. We expect producers to increase their growing area.”Manufacturer Ataç said the textile industry is showing interest in Edirne red. Ataç said they have started harvesting the madder plants they grew, “The results are excellent. The laboratory results are also very good. It contains all the necessary ingredients for the dyeing industry. We will not have any problems finding a market. Since this is a natural dye, the industry has good demand.” he said. Ataç said the textile industry has now begun to switch to using natural dyes. Indicating that they will increase the planting area in accordance with demand, Ataç said, “We have enough seeds and seedlings. We also have a place to plant them. The work we have done has given us good experiences. Future work will be better. We have collected about 350 kg of herb plants per care. This efficiency is increasing year by year.” he said.
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