Made from hand-minced meat of a male sheep, tail fat, chilli flakes and salt; no other spice is added. It is cooked over embers and served with lavaş, sumac onions and greens. It is a product with a geographical indication registered by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office.
A slightly sour drink made by fermenting black carrots and turnips in salted water; it comes in hot (acılı) and mild (acısız) versions. Adana şalgam has received a geographical indication not only in Türkiye but also from the European Union.
A summer dessert made of shaved ice, starch pudding, icing sugar and rose syrup. Adana bici bici is registered with a geographical indication; it is found at street vendors and cafés.
Skewers of lamb liver cooked over embers, the classic breakfast of Adana mornings; they are found at the liver restaurants (ciğerci) that open early.
Lamb tripe filled with spiced rice stuffing and boiled, served with cumin at street stalls in the evening.
A Çukurova dish in which large stuffed bulgur dumplings (the mother) and small unfilled ones (the daughter) meet in a sour soup with chickpeas.
Adana-style içli köfte, in which a thin bulgur dough is filled with a minced-meat stuffing and baked or fried.
A street food prepared by boiling and then frying intestines filled with a rice stuffing.
This traditional dish is made by boiling cracked wheat and meat for a long time and then pounding them together. In the mountain villages of Aladağ it is a must at wedding and festival tables. It is served with butter.
Tarhana dough is prepared in the district in the summer months and dried to be stored for winter. Drunk piping hot in Aladağ's harsh winter climate, this soup has its own distinctive flavour from a blend of yoghurt, tomato and spices.
This local soup is made by adding a mixture of flour and yoghurt to chicken broth. It is a staple of winter tables in the mountain villages of the Taurus. Served with shredded chicken meat.
This traditional bread is cooked on a sač griddle and is an inseparable part of Aladağ's plateau culture. It is eaten at breakfast with fresh butter and honey.
Ceyhan Zeytinyağı was registered as a protected geographical indication on 19 December 2022 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1291). Product group: solid and liquid fats and oils, including butter. Registered by: Ceyhan Municipality.
A soup listed in the sources among Ceyhan's main regional dishes; no recipe is given.
This traditional dish is made by boiling cracked wheat and meat for hours and then pounding them together. In Feke's mountain villages it is the crowning dish of wedding and festival tables. It is served with butter.
Tarhana dough, prepared and dried in the summer months, is eaten as a hot soup in winter. A staple of Feke's harsh winter tables, this soup offers a rich flavour of yoghurt and spices.
This local soup is made by adding a mixture of flour and yoghurt to chicken broth and is served with shredded chicken meat. It is a staple of winter tables in the mountain villages of the Taurus.
This traditional bread, baked on a griddle over a wood fire, is an inseparable part of Feke's plateau culture. It is eaten at breakfast with fresh butter, pekmez or honey.
Prepared by cooking meatballs and pieces of dough in meat broth, this traditional Çukurova dish is an essential part of İmamoğlu's winter tables.
Prepared by kneading fine bulgur with isot pepper and spices, çiğ köfte is a popular snack sold in the streets of İmamoğlu in the evening.
This traditional dish is made by boiling cracked wheat and meat for a long time and then pounding them together. In Karaisalı's mountain villages it is the crowning dish of wedding and festival tables. It is served with butter.
Tarhana dough, prepared and dried in the summer months, is eaten as a hot soup in winter. Karaisalı's local tarhana offers a rich flavour of yoghurt and spices.
Lamb cooked on a griddle together with vegetables, this local dish is prepared over a wood fire in the traditional way in Karaisalı's rural restaurants.
This traditional bread, baked on a griddle over a wood fire, is an essential part of village breakfasts in Karaisalı. It is served with fresh butter, honey or pekmez.
Fresh fish from the Mediterranean served in bread, this dish is a symbol of Karataş's fishing culture. It is served fresh at the fish restaurants along the coast.
Prepared by grilling fresh sea bass caught off Karataş over charcoal. Served with lemon and rocket, it is the most popular dish at the seaside restaurants.
Fresh prawns cooked in a clay casserole with tomato, pepper and spices, this Mediterranean dish is one of the highlights of Karataş's seafood cuisine.
Designated as a Kozan dish following a competition organised by the Municipality and the City Council.
One of the dishes specific to Kozan, selected in a local dish competition.
One of the local dishes identified through a Kozan-specific local dish competition.
One of the distinctive dishes of Kozan cuisine, identified through the competition.
Recorded as a Kozan dish following a local dish competition.
One of the dessert varieties specific to Kozan, identified through a local dish competition.
Prepared by boiling crushed wheat and meat for a long time and then pounding them, this traditional dish is an essential part of weddings and festival tables in Pozantı's mountain villages.
Tarhana dough, prepared and dried in summer, is the staple soup drunk piping hot during Pozantı's harsh winter climate. It offers a rich flavour with yoghurt and spices.
Baked in a traditional tandır oven, this bread is served fresh in Pozantı's roadside restaurants. It is one of the most popular delicacies in the district, a stopover for travellers.
A regional dish made by frying lamb in butter, it is one of the basic flavours of Pozantı's mountain cuisine. It is often eaten in the winter months.
A traditional dish made by simmering cracked wheat and meat for hours and then pounding them together. It is the star dish at weddings and holiday feasts in the mountain villages of Saimbeyli.
A local soup prepared by adding a mixture of flour and yoghurt to chicken broth. It is the staple dish at winter tables in the mountain villages of the Taurus.
A traditional bread cooked on a griddle. It is an integral part of Saimbeyli's plateau culture and is eaten at breakfast with fresh butter and honey.
Tarhana, prepared and dried in the summer months, is the basic soup that never leaves the tables of Saimbeyli during its harsh winter climate.
Mentioned as a local dish among the famous foods of Çatak village, which belongs to Saimbeyli.
According to the municipality's history page, the district became important for its cherry orchards and plateaus.
Made by grilling fresh lamb liver on skewers over charcoal, this dish is an essential part of Adana's morning tradition. It is served early in the day at Sarıçam's kebab restaurants.
Lamb cooked on a griddle (sac) together with vegetables. This regional dish is the most loved flavour of Tufanbeyli's plateau tables. Cooking it with fresh butter gives the dish a distinctive aroma.
Keşkek, made by boiling and pounding wheat and meat for hours, is the traditional dish of wedding and festival tables in Tufanbeyli. It is served with heated butter poured over it.
This soup, made with small dough balls of flour, yoghurt and spices cooked in meat broth, is one of Tufanbeyli's traditional flavours that warm people on cold winter evenings.
Bazlama cooked on the griddle and gözleme filled with cheese, potato or herbs are the inseparable pair of Tufanbeyli's plateau breakfasts. Served with fresh butter and village cheese.
A fish sandwich made with fish caught daily in the gulf.
Prawns cooked in a clay pot with butter, garlic and kaşar cheese.
The classic grilled fish of the coastal restaurants.
Mentioned among the dishes of Yumurtalık on the website of the Yumurtalık District Governorship, which notes that the district has no distinctive rich dish of its own.
A meze made with chickpeas, tahini and lemon.
Organised by a civic initiative every April since 2013, it is the first street carnival in Türkiye prepared by the public. The costumed parade is the most colourful event.
An international film festival held since 1969; it takes place in September and takes its name from Çukurova cotton.
Held every October since 2017; Adana cuisine is showcased in Central Park.
Adana's liberation from the French occupation on 5 January 1922 is celebrated every year with ceremonies.
The novels of Yaşar Kemal and of Orhan Kemal, who was born in Ceyhan, have made the Çukurova one of the most powerful settings in Turkish literature; Yaşar Kemal Grove lies on the bank of the Seyhan.
Adana is known for 8 local dishes, above all Adana Kebabı, Şalgam Suyu (fermented turnip and carrot drink), Bici Bici (iced starch dessert) and Ciğer Şiş (liver skewers). Made from hand-minced meat of a male sheep, tail fat, chilli flakes and salt; no other spice is added. It is cooked over embers and served with lavaş, sumac onions and greens. It is a product with a geographical indication registered by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office.
Adana is known for Adana Kebabı, Kozan Portakalı (Kozan oranges) and Orange Blossom Carnival. Its best-known sights include Taşköprü (Stone Bridge) and Great Clock Tower.
Local products and souvenirs to buy in Adana include Kozan Portakalı (Kozan oranges), Adana Şalgamı (Adana şalgam), Çukurova Pamuğu (Çukurova cotton) and Narenciye (citrus fruit).