Türkiye produced over 2 million tons of pasta last year, exporting more than 1.4 million tons. Türkiye ranks second in the world among pasta-exporting countries, following Italy.
Pasta was invented as a food to preserve grain-based products for longer periods. It was created by significantly reducing the water content and hardening the uncooked but dried dough, and has been one of humanity's favorite foods for centuries.
In Turkish cuisine, pasta can be made in traditional forms like "erişte" and also produced at home. It is believed that the traveler Marco Polo, who journeyed to China in the 13th century, introduced pasta to Europe.
PRACTICAL AND DELICIOUS
The raw material for industrial pasta production is a hard wheat variety called "durum wheat." Usually boiled in hot salted water to soften, pasta is both a practical meal and very tasty. For this reason, it is a staple in kitchens worldwide. It is preferred because it digests more slowly than other carbohydrates, helping people feel full for longer.
FIRST FACTORY ESTABLISHED IN 1922
The first pasta factory in Türkiye was established in 1922 in İzmir by Hasan Tahsin Bey, who took the surname "Piyale" after the Surname Law. The factory had a daily production capacity of 850 kilograms. Many other factories entered the market in the 1950s. As of 2025, Türkiye's annual production capacity has risen to 3 million tons. The leading cities in pasta production are Gaziantep, Mardin, Ankara, Mersin, and Çankırı. There are 25 pasta factories in the country, 9 of which are located in Gaziantep.
MOST WHEAT PRODUCED IN ŞANLIURFA
In 2024, Türkiye produced 4.4 million tons of durum wheat, which accounted for 18.98% of total wheat production. Şanlıurfa led in durum wheat production, followed by Konya, Mardin, Diyarbakır, and Yozgat.
TURKISH PASTA IS LOVED
Since 2012, Türkiye has maintained its position as the world's second-largest pasta exporter. In terms of tonnage, Türkiye ranks just behind Italy and alone accounts for about a quarter of global dried pasta exports. Following Türkiye are Egypt, Spain, and Belgium.
8 MILLION DOLLARS IN EXPORTS OVER 5 MONTHS
The peak of pasta production was reached in 2021, with 2,097,000 tons produced. This dropped to 1,970,000 tons in 2023 but rose again to 2,082,000 tons in 2024. Türkiye earned approximately 817 million dollars from pasta exports in 2024.
In the first five months of 2025, Türkiye exported 581,000 tons of pasta, generating 459.2 million dollars in foreign exchange revenue.
TOP EXPORT MARKETS: GHANA LEADS
In the first five months of 2025, the leading export markets were Ghana, Italy, Somalia, Japan, and Benin.
In 2024, the top export destinations were Algeria, Somalia, Italy, Ghana, and Venezuela.
Türkiye: THE HOMELAND OF DURUM WHEAT
Nihat Uysallı, Chairman of the Pasta Producers and Industrialists Association (MÜSAD), explains the popularity of Turkish pasta as follows:
"It's true that the world loves Turkish pasta, but we must not forget that we export two types of pasta. In African countries, pasta made from bread wheat is generally preferred, while for other regions we export pasta made from durum wheat. It is not surprising that it is so beloved and in demand because the homeland of durum wheat is Türkiye. This wheat variety has spread from Anatolia to the world. Türkiye is the genetic source. Therefore, the highest quality durum wheat is grown in Türkiye. With the world's best durum wheat, we produce the best pasta."
