TURKISH BRAND "CHICKEN FEET" SENT TO CHINA

ADANA (A.A) - 22.11.2010 - A Turkish entrepreneur from southern province of Adana, Alican Yamanyilmaz, exports chicken feet processed in Syria to China under a Turkish brand.
Speaking to the AA, Yamanyilmaz, Chairman of the Union of Mediterranean Exporters (AKIB) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sasu Water Products Company, said that, "although chicken feet are not part of the Turkish cuisine, they have become an important source of income for Turkey".
Turkey earns 40 million USD from exports of chicken feet per year, Yamanyilmaz said.
Chicken feet are a favorite dish of the Chinese. We have established a chicken feet processing unit in Syria in 2004 and since then export these chicken feet to China under a Turkish brand, Yamanyilmaz said.
Our processing unit in Syria cost 1.1 million USD to erect. We export chicken feet under the brand 'Sasu'. Our annual exports of chicken feet exceed 3,000 tonnes, Yamanyilmaz said.
The same unit in Syria also processes tripe. Our exports from Syria, including the tripe, have exceeded a value of three million USD. As a company, our annual exports are worth around 10 million USD, Yamanyilmaz said.
A ton of chicken feet is exported to China for 900 USD, Yamanyilmaz also said.
Chicken feet are a part of the chicken that is eaten in Chinese, Trinidadian, Jamaican, South African, Peruvian, and Philippine cuisine. Most of the edible meat on the feet consists of skin and tendons, without much muscle. This gives the feet a distinct texture different from the rest of the chicken's meat. There are many small bones which makes it difficult to eat for some; these are often picked out before serving. Being mostly cartilage, chicken feet are very gelatinous.