taste

Cağ Kebabı

The most iconic dish of Erzurum is cağ kebabı. Marinated in a unique way, cağ kebabı is served on skewers.

Kadayıf Dolması

Kadayıf was included in the list of dishes served in soup kitchens during the Seljuk and Principalities era. Kadayıf was among the Sultan's choice of desserts. The type of shredded wheat known as "kadayıf dolması" in Erzurum is consumed by wrapping with walnuts, covered with eggs, fried in a pan and then syrupped. Make sure that you taste stuffed kadayıf in Erzurum.

Çivil and Göğermiş Cheese

Erzurum is also famous for its dairy products, and we suggest you to taste çivil cheese and göğermiş cheese.

Local Dishes

Among other local dishes of Erzurum are su böreği, pestil çullaması, curd dolma, iron dessert, stuffed sour cabbage, kavut haşılı, gliko, mulberry molasses, stew with aşma, ayranaşı soup and kesme soup.

Geographically marked products include Kadayıf Dolması, Cağ Kebabı, Stewed Beans of İspir, Civil Cheese, Hınıs Beans, Sweet Beans of Narman, Karnavat Mulberry Molasses of Karnavas, Göğermiş Cheese, and Erzurum Su Böreği (cheese stuffed pastry).

The tea sipped with sugar cubes and lemon in a local fashion called "kıtlama" is the favorite beverage of the city.

Erzurum Butter

Erzurum Butter is a traditional dairy product made from the cream obtained from the milk of cows grazing Erzurum’s high-altitude pastures. With its deep-rooted heritage, it is an essential element of the local cuisine.

Erzurum Ketesi

Erzurum Ketesi is a traditional pastry prepared using two distinctive methods unique to Erzurum. Sini Ketesi is made by mixing butter, wheat flour, water, and salt, then filled with a roasted flour mixture before being baked. Tandır Ketesi is kneaded with butter, milk, egg white, water, flour, salt, and dry yeast, then baked in a traditional tandoor. Unlike Sini Ketesi, Tandır Ketesi can also be filled with cheese or walnuts in addition to roasted flour.

Erzurum Hasıta (Hasuta)

Hasuta is a glossy, thick dessert prepared by cooking a mixture of water, wheat starch, and sugar with melted butter. It is among Erzurum’s most deeply rooted culinary traditions.

Erzurum Hıngel (Mantı)

It  consists of a filling made with minced meat and onions, wrapped in small square pieces of dough and folded into triangular shapes before being boiled. It is served with yogurt or a sauce prepared with butter, tomato paste, mint, and red pepper.

Hınıs Köftesi

Hınıs Köftesi is a round, slightly flattened meatball made from twice-ground minced meat, bulgur, and eggs. Its filling can be prepared in three ways: with rice, with dried fruits (aşma), or with minced meat. With its long history in the Hınıs district, it is often prepared during holidays and special occasions.

Pasinler Yaprak Döneri

It is made from rested slices of beef leg and rib meat, cut into thin leaf-like pieces, marinated with a special sauce, stacked on a skewer, and slowly cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Known for the mastery it requires, this döner variety is closely associated with Pasinler district.

Erzurum Hink

Erzurum Hink a specialty of Horasan’s Azaplı Village, is a dish made by filling pouch-shaped dough—prepared with colostrum milk, flour, eggs, water, and salt—with a mixture of minced beef, onions, tomato paste, butter, and spices. The use of colostrum milk is what distinguishes this unique dish.

Erzurum Aşotu

Erzurum Aşotu is the fresh or salted form of the leaves of the coriander plant. It is used to add flavor to soups, dishes, and salads. It grows in dry, lime-rich soils, is sown in March–April and harvested in about 90 days.

Erzurum Aşmalı Yahni

Erzurum Aşmalı Yahni is a traditional sweet-and-sour stew made by cooking diced meat with butter-   sautéed onions, tomato paste, and dried apricots known as aşma.

Erzurum Dried Apricot Kaysefe

It is a light and satisfying dessert prepared with dried apricots, sugar, and butter, often garnished with coarsely crushed walnuts. It is essential that the apricots used are uniform and round.

Erzurum Sour Dolma

Erzurum Sour Dolma is grape leaves stuffed with a mixture of minced beef, onions, tomato paste, rice, and spices. Its distinctive sour flavor comes from dried wild plums or cornelian cherry fruit leather. In the region, wild plums are called salor. It is served with garlic yogurt.

Erzurum Tatar Pastry

İt is made by rolling out dough prepared with flour, eggs, salt, and water, cutting it into triangles, boiling it, and serving it with garlic yogurt, minced meat sauce, and butter infused with red pepper flakes.

Erzurum Kıtlama Sugar

It is a firm; compact form of white sugar produced from sugar beets. As it dissolves slowly, it is consumed by placing a piece in the mouth while sipping tea—an iconic element of Erzurum’s unique tea-drinking culture.

Erzurum Dut Çullaması

Erzurum Dut Çullaması is a traditional dessert, especially enjoyed in winter, made by softening dried mulberries in hot water, cooking them in butter, and cracking eggs over them. It may also be served with walnuts according to preference.