Grandfather’s legacy grinds flour with traditional methods at the mill
In the Çatalpınar district of Ordu, 61-year-old Ramadan Sarıdiken continues to operate the 4-stone water mill inherited from his grandfather.
Estimated to have been established 200 years ago on the Keş Stream in the district, the mill was purchased and renovated in 1960 by Mustafa Sarıdiken, the grandfather of Ramadan Sarıdiken.
Ramadan Sarıdiken, the third generation operator of the family, who worked in the mill with his grandfather during his childhood, continues to serve the residents of the district with traditional methods despite the developing technology.
Ramadan Sarıdiken told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the mill is about 200 years old and that they continue to grind flour in the 4-stone mill that his grandfather took over 62 years ago.
Stating that he has been working at the mill since his childhood, Sarıdiken said, “In those years, people used to wait in line here, it would be crowded. There was a lot of corn, even one of the mills would grind wheat and others would grind corn.” said.
Sarıdiken, father of five children, stated that workers also worked in the mill during his grandfather’s time and continued as follows:
“We would also help. We used to change our mill at night because it would be very busy. So 100-150 people would wait in line. This is how we continued our work. We used to grind at night until the morning, and even people who did not turn around would help us.”
“We will do our best to prevent it from closing”
Sarıdiken, who also works as a tradesman in the district, pointed out that they had the mill run to protect and keep it alive, and said, “We work once a week, on Tuesdays. On that day, the market here is established. On Tuesdays, marketers bring corn from their villages. They are ground and taken in the evening. Now we just grind corn.” he said.
Explaining that 4 stones were hardly enough to carry out the works in the mill in the past years, Sarıdiken said, “4 stones were made because there is that much water. Now there is less water and less work. We are now rotating two stones. In this way, we continue milling.” used the phrases.
Stating that he is the third generation in the profession and his son and nephew are raised as the fourth generation, Sarıdiken said, “I will continue as long as I live. I don’t know what the fourth generation after me will do, we will advise them to continue. We will do our best to ensure that it does not close.” said.
“The taste of the products coming out of these stones is different”
Çatalpınar Mayor Ahmet Türe said that he remembers the days when those who wanted to turn corn into flour at the mill were given one week to the next.
Referring to the importance of maintaining a historical place, Türe said, “Now 4 of the stones do not rotate, but at least one stone does on certain days of the week. Citizens also see their needs.” he said.
Türe stated that the wooden materials used in the mill are estimated to be 150 years old, and that there is no mill with 4 stones in the vicinity.
Emphasizing that in the past they worked at an intense pace, and one person worked day and night, Türe said, “The taste of the products that come out of these stones is really different. We also need to keep our history alive. We need to pass it on to future generations.” made its assessment.
