taste

Cağ Kebab in Erzurum

Cağ Kebab is a kebab variety originating from Erzurum. It is made with lamb that is marinated with onions, salt, and pepper for about 12 hours, and the meat is then placed on a big horizontal skewer and cooked over a wood fire.

The usta (master of his trade) will take a long skewer and attach tender and succulent pieces of lamb until the skewer is full. The dish is traditionally consumed either straight from the skewer, or with the meat wrapped in warm, freshly baked lavaş flatbread.

Apricot in Malatya 

Apricot orchards are a trademark of Malatya. Being the world’s leading apricot producer, the province supplies fresh and dried apricots throughout the country, and it exports a vast amount of its produce. Malatya apricots can thank their delicious taste to the fertile soil of the province, nourished by the lush Euphrates River.

The apricots are sun-dried, without using sulphur in the process, and manufactured in family-run orchards still devoted to traditional methods. Also, Malatya apricots are often marketed ground up into a marzipan-like paste and coated in chocolate.

White Honey in Ağrı

Ağrı is located on high mountains and the average altitude of the city is about 1,650 meters. Due to city’s location, beekeeping season in the city lasts longer than the other cities. In addition to altitude differences, having a very rich flora, the flowering of plants at different times and the abundance of local flowers makes Ağrı one of the most important beekeeping cities in Türkiye. This richness of vegetation, of course, is reflected in the taste of honey. The taste and the texture of Ağrı honey are unique!

Öküzgözü and Boğazkere Grapes in Elazığ 

Around 60 different grape species grow in Elazığ. This fruit is the most important agricultural product in the city. And two of these grapes, Öküzgözü and Boğazkere grapes are Elazığ's most famous grape species.

These two grape species are also used to make wine. Wines from these grapes are much loved throughout the country.

These grapes, which are exported to many cities of the country and consumed as fruits, are also used to make orcik and pestil, which are important local flavours of Elazığ.

Local Breakfast in Van

Van’s breakfast is one of the richest in Türkiye. At the local restaurants, they serve regional delicacies such as the famous otlu peynir, a slightly crumbly, potent cheese spiked with an herb called sirmo, locally referred to as “wild garlic”. Traditional Van çöreği (a special kind of pastry), murtuğa (eggs with flour and butter), and kavut (a very old recipe of halva) are also served for breakfast.

And while some of these establishments may be representing the city well, to truly experience the famous breakfast, you need to travel to the source!

Kaşar Cheese in Kars

Kaşar cheese, or eski kaşar (literally old kaşar) as the matured version is known, is perhaps the cheese that is most widely used in foods compared with eaten on its own. It has a buttery and tangy flavor that makes it suitable to eat with any meal. When aged over six months, as it usually is in the northeastern region of Kars, it develops peppery notes that go incredibly well with just about anything. It can be made from cow, sheep, or goat's milk though cow's milk is the most common. It often accompanies white cheese at breakfast as a very different flavour.

Tulum Cheese in Erzincan

Tulum is a general term used for a pungent, soft, sometimes crumbly form of cheese aged in a goat or sheepskin sack that varies greatly between regions. However, Erzincan Tulum Cheese is special one. Tulum is best served as an appetizer before meat fare. The traditional way is to serve crumbled tulum with walnut halves, sweet butter, and piping hot lavash flatbread before a plate of spicy kebabs.

Kadayıf Dolması in Erzurum

Hailing from Erzurum, Kadayıf Dolması is a Turkish dessert made with thin shreds of filo pastry dough that are wrapped around a nut filling. The dough is flattened and stuffed with roughly chopped or ground nuts before it is rolled into small, elongated rolls that are coated in lightly beaten eggs before they are fried.

The fillings usually include pistachios or walnuts, while kaymak - a type of thick clotted cream - is occasionally used as a garnish. Kadayıf Dolması is doused in a thick lemon-flavored sugar syrup, and it is usually served topped with ground nuts.

Çorti and Harse in Bitlis

If you are looking for something to eat in Bitlis, two dishes are a must: Çorti, a cabbage dish, and Harse. Çorti is prepared by boiling fatty meat with bones in pickled cabbage juice called çorti. Harse is made of chicken breast roasted in a tandoor oven with wheat and then mixed until it becomes a thick paste.