Dishes you should try in Balıkesir: Balıkesir Höşmerim (cheese and semolina dessert), Balıkesir Kaymaklısı (clotted-cream dessert), Susurluk Ayranı and Tostu and Balıkesir Düğün Çorbası (wedding soup). This guide also covers the local products to buy and what Balıkesir is famous for.
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A dessert made with cheese, semolina and syrup, with a registered geographical indication.
A clotted-cream dessert with a registered geographical indication.
Frothy Susurluk ayran, served with the Susurluk toasted sandwich (tost); both are registered.
A traditional soup with a registered geographical indication.
An Ayvalık dessert made with lor (curd) cheese, with a registered geographical indication.
Small-podded okra registered with a protected designation of origin.
Finely minced beef is kneaded with bread crumbs and spices and then grilled. It is the best-known meat dish of Balıkesir and is served in Altıeylül's köfte shops using a traditional recipe.
A traditional Balıkesir dessert made by melting fresh cheese in butter and cooking it with flour and sugar. Served with a caramelised surface, höşmerim is especially preferred in the winter months.
Made by simmering and pounding cracked wheat and lamb for hours, keşkek is an essential dish at weddings and festivals in Balıkesir. It is served with sizzling butter drizzled over it.
Small papalina fish from the Sea of Marmara are floured and fried. It is one of the most characteristic flavours of Balıkesir's seafood cuisine.
Ayvalık Kelle Peyniri was registered as a protected geographical indication on 22 November 2024 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1664). Product group: cheeses. Registered by: Ayvalık Municipality.
Ayvalık Zeytinyağı was registered as a protected designation of origin on 11 June 2007 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 88). Product group: solid and liquid fats, including butter. Registered by: Ayvalık Chamber of Commerce.
This toastie, very famous in Ayvalık, can also be found in large cities. It is made with ingredients such as cheese, sucuk, sausage and pickles.
A fish species specific to Ayvalık and its surroundings, papalina is most often eaten fried.
Keşkek, prepared by slow-cooking and pounding crushed wheat and lamb, is the traditional dish of weddings and festive meals in Balya.
Höşmerim, prepared by frying fresh curd cheese in butter and sweetening it with sugar, is Balya's traditional dessert. It is served warm.
Noodles cut from hand-made dough, served with chicken broth or a yoghurt sauce. It is one of the basic dishes of Balya's rural cuisine.
A butter product bearing the name of Balya, with a protected geographical indication.
Wine is produced in Ilıca town from grapes grown in the vineyards of Çukurcak Neighbourhood.
Bandırma pide, with its thin dough and generous fillings, is the district's best-known speciality, served in minced meat, kaşar cheese and egg versions. It is baked in a stone oven and served hot.
Freshwater sea bass from Lake Manyas, prepared grilled or steamed. The bass, which grows in the clean waters of the lake, is prized for its delicate flavour.
Keşkek, made by slow-cooking crushed wheat and lamb, is the traditional dish of special occasions in Bandırma. It is served with butter and red pepper.
Keşkek, prepared by cooking cracked wheat and lamb for a long time and pounding them, is the traditional dish of wedding and holiday tables in Bigadiç.
Bigadiç mantısı is prepared by boiling small pieces of dough filled with minced meat, then pouring over garlic yoghurt and sizzling butter.
Thinly rolled yufka dough filled with cheese, spinach or potato and cooked on a griddle; one of the basic flavours of Bigadiç's rural cuisine.
Closely associated with the district, this casserole is also known as kid casserole; it is made with kid and lamb meat.
Burhaniye Olive Oil was registered as a protected designation of origin on 11 August 2020 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 518). Product group: solid and liquid oils, including butter. Registered by: Burhaniye Chamber of Commerce.
Artichokes grown in Burhaniye's fertile soil are cooked with olive oil, lemon and fresh herbs. Served cold, this dish is one of the classics of Aegean cuisine.
Papalina fish from the Gulf of Edremit are dusted in flour and fried in olive oil. Served with lemon and rocket, this dish is a staple of the seaside restaurants in Burhaniye.
Höşmerim is made by browning fresh curd cheese in butter and sweetening it with sugar. It is Burhaniye's traditional dessert.
There are 18 olive oil factories in the district.
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.
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.
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.
Served in trout restaurants in the Suçıktı and Saz areas. Those with kaşar cheese and mushrooms are cooked in a clay casserole.
A dessert made in a clay casserole after the trout meal in Dursunbey.
Edremit Zeytinyağı was registered as a protected designation of origin on 13 December 2017 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 273). Product group: solid and liquid fats, including butter. Registered by: Edremit Chamber of Commerce.
Olive oil-cooked artichokes, barbunya pilaki and stuffed vine leaves, prepared with Edremit's world-famous olive oil, are among the finest examples of Aegean cuisine.
Trout grown in the clear streams of Kazdağı, served grilled or pan-fried. Trout freshly caught and served at mountain restaurants is one of the region's most distinctive flavours.
Made by roasting fresh lor cheese with flour and sugar, peynir helvası is Edremit's traditional dessert. It is served warm and sprinkled with cinnamon.
Small papalina fish from the Edremit Gulf, coated in corn flour and fried in olive oil. Served with rocket and lemon, this dish is a classic of the seafront restaurants.
Erdek Kapıdağ olive oil was registered as a protected geographical indication on 6 May 2025 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1733). Product group: solid and liquid fats, including butter. Registered by: Erdek Chamber of Commerce.
A fish soup made with fresh fish from the Sea of Marmara, Erdek's best-known dish. Flavoured with onion, carrot and lemon, it is served in seaside restaurants.
Çinekop caught in the cold waters of the Sea of Marmara is dusted in flour and fried in olive oil. It is the favourite seafood of autumn and winter.
A traditional dessert of Erdek, made by melting fresh cheese in butter and cooking it with sugar.
One of the Pomak dishes still prepared in particular in the Pomak villages that migrated from Greece during the 1924 Lausanne Population Exchange.
Olive oil and wild herb dishes found in the kitchens of Cretan migrants who came to Erdek during the population exchange.
Red onions are produced in large quantities in the district.
Wild herbs gathered among Gömeç's olive groves are cooked with natural extra virgin olive oil. Herbs such as chicory, radicchio and sirken are served as cold mezes.
Papalina fish from the Edremit Gulf are coated in corn flour and fried in olive oil. It is the most popular dish at Gömeç's seaside restaurants.
Thinly rolled yufka pastry filled with cheese, spinach or minced meat and cooked on a sac. Gözleme is an essential part of breakfast tables in rural Gömeç.
A dish presented on Habertürk's programme Nursel's Kitchen as specific to Gömeç cuisine. The recipe is not detailed in the source.
Olive oil produced in Gömeç has won awards in competitions held in Europe.
Balıkesir Gönen Pirinci was registered as a protected geographical indication on 6 May 2025 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1734). Product group: other products. Registered by: Gönen Chamber of Agriculture.
Gönen pide, with thin dough and generous fillings, is the district's best-known flavour, in minced meat, cheese and diced meat varieties. It is baked in a stone oven and served.
Made by cooking and pounding cracked wheat and lamb for hours, keşkek is the traditional dish of wedding and festival tables in Gönen.
Made by melting fresh cheese in butter and cooking it with sugar, höşmerim is Gönen's traditional dessert. It is served warm.
Artichokes grown on the Havran plain are cooked in olive oil and lemon. Served cold, this dish is one of the most loved olive oil dishes of Aegean cuisine.
Made by cooking and pounding cracked wheat and lamb for a long time, keşkek is the traditional dish of wedding tables in Havran.
Thin rolled dough filled with cheese or spinach and cooked on a griddle, gözleme is an essential part of Havran's rural breakfast tables.
One of Havran's known products, roasted chickpeas associated with the district.
İvrindi Kelle Peyniri was registered as a protected geographical indication on 9 February 2022 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1025). Product group: cheeses. Registered by: İvrindi Municipality.
Keşkek, made by simmering and pounding wheat and lamb for hours, is the traditional dish of wedding and holiday tables in İvrindi.
Höşmerim, made by melting fresh cheese in butter and cooking it with sugar, is İvrindi's traditional dessert.
Thin dough filled with cheese or spinach and cooked on a griddle, gözleme is an indispensable part of the rural breakfast tables of İvrindi.
Kelle sheep's cheese produced in the district, said to be well known.
Finely minced beef kneaded with bread crumbs and spices and grilled. It is Balıkesir's most famous dish and is served with the traditional recipe at Karesi's historic köfte shops.
A traditional Balıkesir dessert made by melting fresh cheese in butter and cooking it with flour and sugar. It is served hot, with a caramelised surface.
Keşkek, made by boiling and pounding wheat and lamb for hours, is the traditional dish of wedding and festival tables in Balıkesir.
Ayvalık tostu, made with sucuk, kaşar cheese, tomato and sauces, is a common street food throughout Balıkesir. It is also served with the traditional recipe at Karesi's toastie shops.
Kepsut Bükdere Küflü Katık Peyniri was registered as a protected geographical indication on 3 January 2025 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1683). Product group: cheeses. Registered by: Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality.
Balıkesir's famous dessert höşmerim is made with fresh cheese and semolina.
A hearty tirit in which lamb meets stale bread and yoghurt.
Manyas Kelle Peyniri was registered as a protected geographical indication on 16 December 2020 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 628). Product group: cheeses. Registered by: Manyas District Governorship.
Freshwater sea bass from Lake Manyas, prepared grilled or steamed. Raised in the clean waters of the lake, the bass is the district's best-known dish for its delicate flavour.
Keşkek is made by cooking cracked wheat and lamb for hours and then pounding them together. In Manyas it is the traditional dish of weddings and festive holiday tables.
Thinly rolled yufka dough filled with cheese or spinach and cooked on a griddle. Gözleme is an essential part of Manyas's rural breakfast tables.
Fresh fish from the clean waters of the Sea of Marmara, prepared grilled or steamed. Bluefish, bonito and sea bass are the most popular species.
Local wine made from grapes grown on Avşa Island, served with seafood mezes. The island's winemaking tradition goes back centuries.
Gözleme cooked on the griddle by island women, in cheese, spinach and herb varieties, are an essential part of island breakfasts.
Keşkek is made by cooking cracked wheat and lamb for hours and then pounding them together. In Sındırgı it is the traditional dish of weddings and festive holiday tables.
Prepared by frying lamb with onion and pepper and pouring it over yufka bread. One of the distinctive flavours of Sındırgı's rural cooking.
Made by melting fresh cheese in butter and cooking it with sugar, höşmerim is Sındırgı's traditional dessert.
Susurluk ayran, with its thick froth and creamy texture, is the most famous ayran in Türkiye and is whipped by special methods. The production tradition that began in the 1950s has earned a geographical indication.
Served alongside Susurluk ayran, the toastie is made with sucuk, kaşar and tomato. It is an essential refreshment stop for travellers on the Istanbul–Izmir road.
Keşkek is made by cooking cracked wheat and lamb for hours and then pounding them together. In Susurluk it is the traditional dish of weddings and festive holiday tables.
The district is known for its ayran.
The congresses held in 1919–1920 laid the foundations of resistance on the western front.
The province bore the name Karesi until 1926.
The centuries-old olive groves of the Gulf of Edremit and the historic oil mills.
The famous chief wrestler spent most of his life in the village of Kurtdere in Balıkesir.
Balıkesir is known for 6 local dishes, above all Balıkesir Höşmerim (cheese and semolina dessert), Balıkesir Kaymaklısı (clotted-cream dessert), Susurluk Ayranı and Tostu and Balıkesir Düğün Çorbası (wedding soup). A dessert made with cheese, semolina and syrup, with a registered geographical indication.
Balıkesir is known for Balıkesir Höşmerim (cheese and semolina dessert), Ayvalık Zeytinyağı (Ayvalık olive oil) and Kuvâ-yi Milliye and the Balıkesir Congresses. Its best-known sights include Ayvalık Old Town and Cunda (Alibey) Island.
Local products and souvenirs to buy in Balıkesir include Ayvalık Zeytinyağı (Ayvalık olive oil), Edremit Zeytinyağı (Edremit olive oil), Manyas Kelle Peyniri (Manyas kelle cheese) and Havran Siyah İnciri (Havran black figs).