For the first time in Türkiye, a museum focusing on sausages has been established in Afyonkarahisar, western Türkiye, attracting 30,000 visitors in just one year. The museum, which offers free admission, displays sausage production tools dating back to the 1920s.
Located in a sausage and pastırma production facility in the organized industrial zone of Afyonkarahisar, the museum stands out as Türkiye’s only institution of its kind. Founded by a private company, the museum features a wide array of equipment collected over the years by the company's board members. These items, some over a century old, include wooden meat grinders, knives, honing steels and sausage-filling machines.
The museum offers insight into the origins and development of livestock farming and sausage production in Afyonkarahisar. Visitors can explore how meat is processed, view antique stuffing machines and spice collections, and examine old chopping equipment. A model of the company’s first store and a drying room used for sausage and pastırma are also on display.
Among the highlights is a 1943 model delivery vehicle once used by the company to transport sausage and pastırma to nearby districts. Other notable exhibits include bull and cow figurines and traditional meat grinders. While children show particular interest in the animal figurines, adults are often drawn to the replica of the original shop and the vintage delivery vehicle.
Visitor Mehmet Arıkan shared his impressions: “I had heard about the museum, so I came to see it. As we walked through, it felt like a journey into the past. The items on display are truly fascinating.”
Sausage Museum Operations Manager Mehmet Doğan emphasized that entry is free. Offering details about the museum, he said: “The museum spans approximately 1,060 square meters and recreates the operations of our factory using original machines and equipment. Every machine on display was once actively used in our facility. We even recreated our old shop in full detail and showcased our delivery vehicle. Our company, founded in 1920, is as old as the republic itself. The museum has been open for about three years.”
Afyonkarahisar is renowned for its rich culinary heritage, particularly its high-quality sausages and pastırma (cured beef). The city is famous for its traditional meat products, which have been produced using time-honored methods for centuries.
