Gastronomy

Gastronomy 

TurkAegean cuisine invites you to a special dining adventure full of unique tastes. It’s high time to explore flavours for a tasty fiesta! The generous Mother Earth provides delicious fruit and vegetables, as the TurkAegean’s climate and soil are suitable for growing a wide variety of products all year round. One of the most produced raw materials in the region is olive. Olive tree cultivation and olive oil production are prevalent all over the region. Another product that has been produced in this region for thousands of years is wine. You can go on wine routes to admire the stunning views, do some tasting at beautiful vineyards and pair wines with popular dishes of the local cuisine.  

The TurkAegean cuisine includes a wide variety of vegetables cooked in olive oil, which makes it a vegetarian and vegan-friendly destination. The traditional cuisine of the region relies less on spices and more on delicious fresh ingredients. The flavours of many citrus orchards around the Bodrum area are presently found in some dishes, balancing olive oil and giving a vibrant flavour.  

Head to a farm-to-table restaurant in Urla to try the famous stuffed courgette flowers, artichokes, edible wild herbs, bread, and pastries.

In the local bazaars, you can come across the products that help the local cuisine flourish. Take time to wander around and et yourself be inspired by divine scents and flavours.    

Local Delicacies 

The locals of the region are known for their hospitality. If you want to meet sincere people smiling with enthusiasm, The TurkAegean is the place you are looking for!  

The district north of İzmir has a rich history and cuisine. At a typical breakfast here, Bergama tulumu has the place of honor. This unique cheese, mostly made of ewe's milk and aged in sheepskin sack, is known and consumed all around Türkiye. You can find the best tulum in Bergama – make sure to enjoy it at breakfast alongside fresh vegetables and herbs, and a hot cup of Turkish tea! 

Kumru is one of the local street foods of İzmir. Typically associated with Çeşme district, it is a toasted sandwich prepared with an artisanal bread enriched with chickpea flour. The secret of its popularity is in its tasty and soft bread, specially produced by some local bakeries and restaurants with added chickpea sourdough. Kumru consists of cheese, Turkish sausage called Sucuk, tomato, and is mainly served today with additional sausage and salami, small dishes of dill pickles with tomato ketchup and mayonnaise.

Boyoz is a Turkish pastry that was brought over to the country by Sephardic Jewish immigrants from Spain in the late 15th century. A traditional taste, boyoz is made of flour, sunflower oil and tahini. It is a simple, small, rounded pastry. Additional fillings like meat, cheese or spinach are also used. An essential part of breakfast, it is generally eaten beside a hard-boiled egg, sprinkled with salt and black pepper and a glass of strong Turkish tea. “Gevrek”, the twice-baked simit - round-shaped bread dipped in molasses and topped with sesame seeds-, is another local flavour in İzmir.  

Midye dolma are stuffed mussels, and are another irresistible street food that you can often find in coastal areas, especially in İstanbul and İzmir. The mussels are filled with a special kind of rice, chopped onions, currants, and spices. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself at the side of a counter in the street, squeezing a lot of lemon on the mussel in your hand. Once you start, you might not be able to stop! The flavours are addictive. Many locals have been known to eat as many as 100 in one go! Seafood is also a must to try in the TurkAegean! 

Mesir Paste (Mesir Macunu), a paste consisting of 41 kinds of herbs and spices is a traditional savour from Manisa cuisine. It is believed it has healing qualities. On the other hand, you can participate in Mesir Paste Festival in Manisa. This festival commemorates the recovery of Hafsa Sultan, mother of Süleyman the Magnificent, who was cured of a disease by the invention of a paste known as Mesir Macunu in Turkish. The Sultan then ordered that the paste be disseminated to the public.

Kırkağaç melon, cultivated in Kırkağaç district of Manisa for 600 years, is the only melon in Türkiye that is registered as geographical indication.   

Do not miss to try Akhisar Köftesi (local grilled meatballs) in Manisa too!  

Farm-to-Table 

Coming to the TurkAegean region, Urla is known for its farm-to-table fine dining restaurants and vineyards. Don’t forget to try the most famous farm-to-table restaurant there when you are on the Urla Wine Route. 

Çeşme and Bodrum are the most famous summer holiday locations on the TurkAegean coast. There are many fine dining restaurants here serving Turkish local food, Italian and French cuisine, meze restaurants, and fish and meat restaurants.