Dishes you should try in Aydın: Aydın İnciri (Aydın figs), Çine Köftesi (Çine meatballs), Söke Kulak Çorbası (Söke "ear" soup) and Germencik Ekşili Tavuk (Germencik sour chicken). This guide also covers the local products to buy and what Aydın is famous for.
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Dried and fresh figs grown in the Büyük Menderes basin, registered with a designation of origin.
Çine meatballs with a registered geographical indication.
A registered Söke soup made with small pieces of dough.
A Germencik dish with a registered geographical indication.
A registered speciality of Ortaklar in which small pieces of meat are cooked on thin skewers.
A Nazilli dessert with a registered geographical indication.
Bozdoğan Pidesi was registered as a protected geographical indication on 23 October 2024 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1651). Product group: bakery and pastry products, dough products, desserts. Registered by: Nazilli Chamber of Commerce.
Made by boiling and pounding cracked wheat and meat for a long time, keşkek is the traditional dish of weddings and festivals in Bozdoğan.
Prepared by filling thin-rolled yufka with cheese, spinach or potato and cooking it on a griddle. It is an indispensable flavour of Bozdoğan's village breakfasts.
Made in Bozdoğan during the summer months, one of its famous specialities.
Piyaz, made with dried beans, onion, parsley and tahini, is a traditional dish on Buharkent's tables.
Wild herbs gathered around Buharkent are cooked in olive oil and served. Sirken, mallow and chicory are the herbs used most often.
Fig production is important to the district's sources of income.
Keşkek, made by boiling and pounding cracked wheat and meat for a long time, is the traditional dish at weddings and festivals in Çine.
Thin rolled dough filled with cheese, spinach or potato and cooked on a griddle. Gözleme made by village women on the griddle is the most sought-after treat at markets.
The Aegean meze spread, made of olive oil-based herbs, sea beet, spicy ezme and various olive oil dishes, is indispensable at Didim's seaside restaurants.
Fresh octopus caught in the Aegean Sea is grilled and served with olive oil and lemon. It is one of the most popular flavours at Didim's fish restaurants.
Prepared by filling courgette flowers with a rice filling and cooking them in olive oil. It is one of the elegant summer flavours of Aegean cuisine.
Aydın piyazı, prepared with dried beans, onion, parsley and tahini, is the best-known flavour of the city. Unlike piyaz in other regions, it uses plenty of tahini.
Made by boiling and pounding cracked wheat and meat for a long time, keşkek is the traditional dish of weddings and festivals in Aydın. It is on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
Prepared by filling courgette flowers with a rice filling and cooking them. This dish, one of the elegant flavours of Aegean cuisine, is made with fresh flowers in the summer months.
Piyaz, made with dried beans, onion, parsley and tahini, is a traditional dish on Germencik tables.
Artichoke, the seasonal vegetable of the Aegean, is cooked in olive oil with carrots and peas. It is one of the most loved dishes of the spring months.
Dried figs stuffed with walnuts and cinnamon and then soaked in syrup. It is a delicious reflection of Germencik's fig production.
Piyaz, prepared with dried beans, onion, parsley and tahini, is a traditional flavour of İncirliova tables.
Dried figs filled with walnuts and cinnamon, then soaked in syrup. It is a delicious reflection of İncirliova's fig production.
Karacasu Pidesi was registered as a protected geographical indication on 17 September 2020 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 536). Product group: bakery and pastry products, dough dishes, desserts. Registered by: Karacasu Chamber of Craftsmen and Tradesmen.
Keşkek is made by simmering and pounding cracked wheat and meat for a long time. In Karacasu it is the traditional dish of wedding and festival tables.
Thinly rolled dough is filled with cheese, spinach or potato and cooked on a griddle. It is an essential flavour of Karacasu's village breakfasts.
Wild herbs gathered in the mountainous parts of Karacasu are cooked in olive oil and served. Sirken, mallow and chicory are the most commonly used herbs.
Çöp Şiş, threaded on small skewers and grilled over embers, is a popular dish in Aydın and its surroundings.
Aegean herbs such as radika, şevketibostan and turp otu are cooked in olive oil.
Artichokes, the seasonal vegetable of the Aegean, are cooked in olive oil with carrots and peas. It is one of the most loved dishes of the spring months. Prepared by local people for special occasions, this dish is a symbol of hospitality.
Thinly rolled yufka filled with cheese, spinach or potato and cooked on a sač. Rolling the yufka thinly is a skill that requires expertise and is perfected in experienced hands.
Prepared with dried beans, onion, parsley and tahini, piyaz is a traditional flavour on Köşk's tables.
Prepared by simmering and pounding cracked wheat and meat for a long time, keşkek is the traditional dish at weddings and holiday feasts.
The region's largest chestnut market is held in the district.
Fresh Aegean fish is served grilled, steamed or pan-fried at Kuşadası's seafront restaurants. Sea bass, sea bream and red mullet are the most popular species.
Prepared by boiling fresh octopus and mixing it with onion, parsley and olive oil. It is an essential flavour on Kuşadası's meze tables.
The Aegean's seasonal vegetable, artichoke, is cooked in olive oil with carrot and peas. It is one of the most loved dishes in Kuşadası during the spring months.
Prepared by boiling cracked wheat and meat for a long time and then pounding them together. Keşkek is the traditional dish of weddings and festive tables in Kuyucak.
Thin yufka dough filled with cheese, spinach or potato and cooked on a griddle. Served with ayran, it reflects the traditional Anatolian table culture.
Lavender-flavoured ice cream inspired by Kuyucak's lavender production. It is the district's innovative gastronomic product.
Nazilli Pidesi was registered as a protected geographical indication on 18 November 2020 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 594). Product group: bakery and pastry products, dough dishes, desserts. Registered by: Nazilli Chamber of Commerce.
Söke Kulak Tatlısı was registered as a protected geographical indication on 25 July 2025 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1755). Product group: bakery and pastry products, dough dishes, desserts. Registered by: Söke Chamber of Commerce.
Söke Pidesi was registered as a protected geographical indication on 31 October 2022 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1248). Product group: bakery and pastry products, dough dishes, desserts. Registered by: Söke Commodity Exchange.
Söke Tahinli Pidesi was registered as a protected geographical indication on 18 January 2024 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1521). Product group: bakery and pastry products, dough dishes, desserts. Registered by: Söke Chamber of Commerce.
Söke Tatlı Maya Ekmeği was registered as a protected geographical indication on 9 August 2021 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 842). Product group: bakery and pastry products, dough dishes, desserts. Registered by: Söke Chamber of Commerce.
Piyaz, made with dried beans, onion, parsley and tahini, is a traditional favourite on Sultanhisar tables.
Wild herbs gathered around Sultanhisar are cooked in olive oil and served.
Strawberries registered with a geographical indication; registered on 30.11.2020 at the application of the Sultanhisar Chamber of Agriculture.
Yenipazar Pidesi was registered as a protected geographical indication on 5 September 2024 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1637). Product group: bakery and pastry products, doughs, sweets. Registered by: Aydın Metropolitan Municipality.
Keşkek, prepared by simmering and pounding cracked wheat with meat over a long period, is the traditional dish of wedding and festival feasts in Yenipazar.
Thinly rolled dough is filled with cheese, spinach or potato and cooked on a griddle. Gözleme made by village women on the griddle is the most sought-after delicacy at the markets.
A pastry with spinach, leek and nettle, baked in a copper tray over a gas burner. It is listed among the local dishes of Yenipazar Municipality.
Aydın is associated with zeybek dances and with the efes of the War of Independence such as Yörük Ali Efe.
The Turkmen principality founded in the 14th century that gave the city its name.
Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes were thinkers from Miletus.
Aydın is known for 6 local dishes, above all Aydın İnciri (Aydın figs), Çine Köftesi (Çine meatballs), Söke Kulak Çorbası (Söke "ear" soup) and Germencik Ekşili Tavuk (Germencik sour chicken). Dried and fresh figs grown in the Büyük Menderes basin, registered with a designation of origin.
Aydın is known for Aydın İnciri (Aydın figs), Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı (Aydın Memecik olive oil) and Efe and zeybek tradition. Its best-known sights include Aphrodisias Ancient City and Aphrodisias Stadium.
Local products and souvenirs to buy in Aydın include Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı (Aydın Memecik olive oil), Aydın Kestanesi (Aydın chestnuts), Aydın Çam Fıstığı (Aydın pine nuts) and Sultanhisar Çileği (Sultanhisar strawberries).