Dishes you should try in Dursunbey: Keşkek (pounded wheat and meat), Çullama (lamb on yufka), Höşmerim and Alabalık (trout). This guide also covers the local products to buy and what Dursunbey is famous for.
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Famous Dishes of Dursunbey
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Keşkek (pounded wheat and meat)
Keşkek, made by cooking pounded wheat and lamb for hours and then pounding it, is the traditional dish of wedding and holiday tables in Dursunbey.
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Çullama (lamb on yufka)
Prepared by frying lamb with onion and pepper and serving it poured over yufka flatbread. It is one of the distinctive flavours of Dursunbey's rural cuisine.
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Höşmerim
A traditional dessert made by melting fresh cheese in butter and cooking it with sugar. In Dursunbey it is served hot, especially in the winter months.
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Alabalık (trout)
Served in trout restaurants in the Suçıktı and Saz areas. Those with kaşar cheese and mushrooms are cooked in a clay casserole.
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Tahin helva (tahini halva)
A dessert made in a clay casserole after the trout meal in Dursunbey.
Dishes from Balıkesir Cuisine
What to eat in Balıkesir →These dishes are known throughout Balıkesir province; see the provincial food guide for details.
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Balıkesir Höşmerim (cheese and semolina dessert)
A dessert made with cheese, semolina and syrup, with a registered geographical indication.
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Balıkesir Kaymaklısı (clotted-cream dessert)
A clotted-cream dessert with a registered geographical indication.
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Susurluk Ayranı and Tostu
Frothy Susurluk ayran, served with the Susurluk toasted sandwich (tost); both are registered.
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Balıkesir Düğün Çorbası (wedding soup)
A traditional soup with a registered geographical indication.
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Ayvalık Lor Tatlısı (curd-cheese dessert)
An Ayvalık dessert made with lor (curd) cheese, with a registered geographical indication.
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Balıkesir Tombul Bamyası (Balıkesir plump okra)
Small-podded okra registered with a protected designation of origin.
What to Buy in Dursunbey: Local Products
- Dursunbey Yatık A product registered with TÜRKPATENT as a protected geographical indication (mahreç işareti).
- Çam Balı (pine honey) Pine honey, obtained from beekeeping in the extensive pine forests of Dursunbey, is known for its dark colour and intense aroma.
- Kestane (chestnut) Chestnuts grown in the forested areas of the district are gathered in autumn and sold fresh and dried in markets.
What Dursunbey Is Famous For: Culture and Traditions
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Yörük Geleneği (Yörük Tradition)
Yörük communities living in the mountainous parts of Dursunbey continue their nomadic livestock tradition. Yörük festivals, the traditional setting up of goat-hair tents and yoghurt making are living examples of this culture.
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Ormancılık Kültürü (Forestry Culture)
The district's extensive forests have shaped the way of life of its people. Woodcutting, beekeeping and gathering forest products are traditions maintained for generations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I eat in Dursunbey?
Dursunbey is known for 5 local dishes, above all Keşkek (pounded wheat and meat), Çullama (lamb on yufka), Höşmerim and Alabalık (trout). Keşkek, made by cooking pounded wheat and lamb for hours and then pounding it, is the traditional dish of wedding and holiday tables in Dursunbey.
What is Dursunbey famous for?
Dursunbey is known for Keşkek (pounded wheat and meat), Dursunbey Yatık and Yörük Geleneği (Yörük Tradition). Its best-known sights include Alaçam Dağları (Alaçam Mountains) and Suçıktı Mesire Yeri (Suçıktı Picnic Area).
What to buy in Dursunbey?
Local products and souvenirs to buy in Dursunbey include Dursunbey Yatık, Çam Balı (pine honey) and Kestane (chestnut).
Dursunbey Travel Guide
- Things to Do in Dursunbey 7 places to visit
- What to Eat in Balıkesir All the famous dishes of the province
What to Eat in Other Districts of Balıkesir
- Altıeylül 4 dishes Balıkesir Bandırma Köftesi (Bandırma meatballs), Höşmerim (cheese dessert) and Keşkek (cracked wheat and meat dish)
- Ayvalık 5 dishes Ayvalık Kelle Peyniri/Ayvalık Sepet Peyniri, Ayvalık Lor Tatlısı and Ayvalık Zeytinyağı (Ayvalık olive oil)
- Balya 5 dishes Keşkek, Höşmerim and Ev Eriştesi
- Bandırma 3 dishes Bandırma Pidesi, Kuş Gölü Levreği and Keşkek
- Bigadiç 4 dishes Keşkek (wheat and meat porridge), Mantı (dumplings) and Gözleme (savoury flatbread)
- Burhaniye 5 dishes Burhaniye Olive Oil, Zeytinyağlı Enginar and Papalina Tava
- Edremit 5 dishes Edremit Zeytinyağı (Edremit olive oil), Edremit Zeytinyağlı Yemekleri (vegetables cooked in olive oil) and Kazdağı Alabalığı (Kazdağı trout)
- Erdek 7 dishes Erdek Kapıdağ Zeytinyağı, Erdek Balık Çorbası (fish soup) and Çinekop Tava (fried çinekop fish)
- Gömeç 5 dishes Olive Oil Wild Herb Dishes, Papalina Tava and Gözleme
- Gönen 4 dishes Balıkesir Gönen Pirinci (Gönen rice), Gönen Pidesi and Keşkek (cracked wheat and meat dish)
- Havran 4 dishes Zeytinyağlı Enginar (artichokes in olive oil), Keşkek (cracked wheat and meat dish) and Gözleme (stuffed flatbread)
- İvrindi 5 dishes İvrindi Kelle Peyniri, Keşkek (pounded wheat and meat) and Höşmerim (sweet cheese dessert)
- Kareşi 4 dishes Balıkesir Köftesi (grilled beef meatballs), Höşmerim (fresh cheese dessert) and Keşkek (pounded wheat and lamb)
- Kepsut 3 dishes Kepsut Bükdere Küflü Katık Peyniri, Höşmerim (cheese and semolina dessert) and Balıkesir Tiridi (lamb and bread stew)
- Manyas 4 dishes Manyas Kelle Peyniri, Göl Levreği (Lake sea bass) and Keşkek (wheat and lamb porridge)
- Marmara 3 dishes Ada Balığı (island fish), Avşa Şarabı Eşliğinde Meze (meze with Avşa wine) and Gözleme
- Savaştepe
- Sındırgı 3 dishes Keşkek (wheat and lamb porridge), Çullama (lamb and onion on yufka) and Höşmerim (cheese and semolina dessert)
- Susurluk 4 dishes Susurluk Ayranı, Susurluk Tostu and Keşkek (wheat and lamb porridge)