Demand for lamb ears and calf breasts spike, southern Turkey butchers say

Butchers in the southern province of Adana have observed a dramatic increase in demand for lamb ears and calf breasts. The price of both products have more than doubled in the past two years, and local butchers expect sales to skyrocket as supplies increase.

Wednesday January 13 2021 02:20 pm

Duvar English

Butchers in southern Turkey's Adana province have observed an increased demand for lamb ears and calf breasts, two of the more unusual meat products used in Turkish cuisine.

The unit price of calf breast rose by almost 200 percent in the past two years, selling for seven liras now as opposed to 2.5 liras in 2018, while the price lamb ears doubled in the same time to reach 10 liras per kilo, Turkish agencies reported.

Butchers in Adana reportedly are having a hard time supplying enough of the two products to satisfy demand, and expect sales to skyrocket as supply increases.

"We could start exporting ears and breasts in the future. Both are delicious, you can roast them, grill them or boil them," Adana Butchers' Chamber Head Saruhan Yağmur said.

Adana's Butchers' Market sells a total of 150 kilos of ears and breasts per day, Yağmur said, adding that they expect sales to eventually quadruple.