Dishes you should try in Bolu: Mengen Kedibatmaz, Mengen Kaldırık Dolması (stuffed kaldırık), Bolu Kabaklı Gözlemesi (Bolu pumpkin gözleme) and Göynük Uğut Tatlısı. This guide also covers the local products to buy and what Bolu is famous for.
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A Mengen dish with a registered geographical indication.
Dolma (stuffed dish) with a registered geographical indication.
Gözleme (stuffed flatbread) with a registered geographical indication.
A Göynük dessert with a registered geographical indication.
Halva with a registered geographical indication.
A sweet with a registered geographical indication.
Prepared by marinating lamb in special spices and cooking it over a wood fire. It is one of the best-known flavours of Bolu's culinary tradition.
Bolu mantısı is made with thin, hand-rolled dough and served with garlicky yoghurt and a butter sauce. It is the most loved traditional dish of the region.
Fresh trout from the facilities around Abant Lake is served grilled or pan-fried. Trout grown in its natural environment is one of Bolu's signature dishes.
Bolu pidesi, baked in a stone oven, is known in minced meat, cheese and egg varieties. It reflects the culinary tradition of Bolu in everyday meals.
Made by cooking cracked wheat and meat and then pounding them together, keşkek is the traditional dish of wedding feasts in Dörtdivan.
Mushroom soup made with wild mushrooms gathered from the forests, one of the distinctive flavours of Dörtdivan cuisine.
A type of rice dish made in Dörtdivan. Depending on preference, barley or fine vermicelli is used.
"Gerede Şakşak Helvası" was registered as a protected geographical indication on 6 November 2020 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 587). Product group: bakery and confectionery products, pastries, desserts. Registered by: Gerede Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Keşkek, made by slow-cooking crushed wheat and meat, is one of the basic dishes of Bolu cuisine.
This kebab, of lamb and vegetables cooked in a casserole, is specific to the Bolu region.
Gözleme served hot at the facilities on the Ankara–İstanbul road, a classic of the Gerede break stop.
"Bolu Göynük Uğut Tatlısı" was registered as a protected geographical indication on 9 December 2020 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 622). Product group: bakery and confectionery products, pastries, desserts. Registered by: Bolu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
"Göynük Dik Börek" was registered as a protected geographical indication on 7 December 2020 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 618). Product group: bakery and confectionery products, pastries, desserts. Registered by: Göynük Municipality.
"Göynük Kabaklı Yufka Tatlısı" was registered as a protected geographical indication on 7 December 2020 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 619). Product group: bakery and confectionery products, pastries, desserts. Registered by: Göynük Municipality.
Uğut marmalade, counted among Göynük's famous products.
Keşkek, made by slow-cooking and pounding crushed wheat and meat, is the traditional dish at wedding tables in Kıbrıscık.
Wild mushrooms gathered from the forests are prepared as sautés and soups. They are an important part of Kıbrıscık cuisine.
"Mengen Peyniri" was registered as a protected geographical indication on 6 October 2023 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1482). Product group: cheeses. Registered by: Mengen District Governorship and Mengen Municipality.
Mudurnu Bal Kabaklı Gözlemesi was registered as a protected geographical indication on 12 April 2021 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 716). Product group: bakery and pastry products, dough products, sweets. Registered by: Mudurnu District Governorship.
Mudurnu Kaşık Sapı was registered as a protected geographical indication on 28 May 2021 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 775). Product group: bakery and pastry products, dough products, sweets. Registered by: Mudurnu District Governorship.
Among the regional dishes of Mudurnu.
Also known as pişmaniye, a halva whose production centre is Mudurnu.
Mudurnu baklası is included in the list of regional dishes of Bolu.
Keşkek, made by cooking cracked wheat and meat for a long time and then pounding them, is the traditional dish of wedding tables in Seben.
Mushroom soup made with wild mushrooms gathered from the forests is one of the distinctive flavours of Seben's cuisine.
Apples produced in Seben and associated with the area; they contribute greatly to the district's economy.
Çeltikdere rice is counted among Seben's local products as a heirloom seed variety.
Iza bulgur, as a heirloom seed variety, diversifies Seben's local products.
Fresh trout from the facilities around Yeniçağa Lake is served grilled or fried in a pan.
Made by boiling wheat and meat for a long time and then pounding them, keşkek is the traditional dish of wedding tables in Yeniçağa.
Held in Mengen every year on the third weekend of June.
Held in July on the Köroğlu Plateau in Dörtdivan.
The story of the folk hero Köroğlu and the Bey of Bolu is set in these lands.
Bolu is known for 6 local dishes, above all Mengen Kedibatmaz, Mengen Kaldırık Dolması (stuffed kaldırık), Bolu Kabaklı Gözlemesi (Bolu pumpkin gözleme) and Göynük Uğut Tatlısı. A Mengen dish with a registered geographical indication.
Bolu is known for Mengen Kedibatmaz, Bolu Manda Kaymağı (Bolu buffalo clotted cream) and Mengen Cookery and Tourism Festival. Its best-known sights include Lake Abant National Park and Yedigöller National Park.
Local products and souvenirs to buy in Bolu include Bolu Manda Kaymağı (Bolu buffalo clotted cream), Bolu Sarı Patatesi (Bolu yellow potatoes), Bolu Kıbrıscık Pirinci (Bolu Kıbrıscık rice) and Mudurnu Kaşık Sapı (Mudurnu spoon handle).