Dishes you should try in Bursa: İskender Kebap (döner on pide with butter and yoghurt), İnegöl Köfte (İnegöl grilled meatballs), Bursa Pideli Köfte (meatballs on pide) and Bursa Kestane Şekeri (candied chestnuts). This guide also covers the local products to buy and what Bursa is famous for.
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Developed by İskender Efendi in 1867, this is döner served on pide with butter, tomato sauce and yoghurt, registered as Bursa döner kebabı.
Lightly spiced, grilled meatballs with a registered geographical indication.
Registered meatballs served on pide with butter and yoghurt.
A confection with a registered geographical indication.
A syrupy dessert with a registered geographical indication.
A registered Bursa pide with a minced-meat filling.
Keşkek, prepared by boiling cracked wheat and lamb for hours and then pounding them, is an indispensable dish at weddings and festive meals in Büyükorhan.
Local mantı is prepared by placing minced meat inside small pieces of dough and is served with a garlic yoghurt sauce. Büyükorhan mantı is known for its thin dough and generous filling.
Bazlama, baked on a griddle, is the staple bread of village breakfasts. It is eaten with fresh butter and honey.
Prepared by cooking fresh artichokes in Gemlik olive oil, this dish is served with lemon and dill. It is where the cuisines of the Aegean and Marmara meet.
Prepared by steaming fresh fish from the Sea of Marmara with vegetables. It is the best-known flavour of Gemlik's seafood tradition.
Prepared by arranging grilled meatballs on pide bread and serving them with a buttered tomato sauce. It is one of the classic flavours of Bursa cuisine.
Table olives with a distinctive flavour grown in Gemlik; Gemlik is the district where the most olives are produced.
Bursa's best-known souvenir.
Minced meat, onion and pepper are spread over thinly rolled dough and baked in a stone oven. It is one of the leading traditional oven dishes of Harmancık.
Prepared by boiling cracked wheat and meat for a long time and then pounding them together. Prepared at weddings and special occasions, this dish is one of the region's oldest culinary traditions.
Cheese, spinach or potato is placed on yufka dough and cooked on a griddle. It is an indispensable treat at breakfast and in the afternoon in Harmancık's villages.
A version of İnegöl köfte served on pide bread with a buttery tomato sauce and yoghurt. It is one of the most popular combinations in Bursa cuisine.
A branded meatball dish cited as the most important dish of the district.
A dish served together with İnegöl Köfte.
Prepared by coating freshwater fish from İznik Lake in cornmeal and frying them. Served fresh in restaurants on the lakeside.
Prepared by kneading a mix of beef and lamb mince with onion and bread crumb, then grilling. Served with piyaz and roasted peppers.
A traditional dessert made by mixing fresh cheese with flour and sugar and cooking it in a pan. It is also eaten at breakfast tables in İznik and the surrounding area.
Crayfish, carp and pike from Lake Uluabat are among the best-known delicacies of the region. They are served fresh in the restaurants of Gölyazı village.
Thin dough topped with minced meat, kaşar cheese or egg and baked in a stone oven. It is an important part of Karacabey's bread-making culture.
Prepared by stirring and cooking milk, flour and sugar for a long time. It is one of Karacabey's traditional desserts and is made on special occasions.
Keles Sorgun Peyniri was registered as a protected geographical indication on 24 June 2026 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1873). Product group: cheeses. Registered by: Bursa Metropolitan Municipality.
Prepared by cooking cracked wheat and meat for a long time and then pounding them together. In Keles, keşkek is the traditional dish of wedding and festival tables.
A local flour soup prepared with flour toasted in butter and meat broth. It is a nourishing soup often eaten in the winter months.
Thick bread baked on a griddle, the staple of village breakfasts. Served with fresh butter, kaymak and honey.
Keles güveci is made with goat or kid meat. The baker adjusts the heat of the oven that is lit in the morning so the casserole can slow-cook. There is a strong long-standing link between Keles güveci and the Keles market, held in the district centre on Fridays.
Prepared from chestnuts gathered on the foothills of Uludağ, cooked in sugar syrup to achieve a soft, sweet consistency. It is one of Bursa's best-known sweets.
Prepared by stirring milk, flour and sugar together over a long period of cooking. It is one of the traditional festival desserts and is often made in Kestel.
The red mullet (trilye, barbunya) caught in the Sea of Marmara is Mudanya's most famous delicacy. It is cooked in a pan or on the grill and served with fresh rocket and lemon.
Fresh artichokes cooked in olive oil with carrots and peas. It represents the Aegean-influenced cuisine of Mudanya.
Fresh mussels stuffed with rice, onion and spices. Sold as a street food on the Mudanya seafront.
A type of bread made in Tirilye.
A thick-textured yoghurt variety that is much loved.
A type of simit made and sold in bakeries in Tirilye.
Counted among the local dishes of Tirilye.
Kemalpaşa Tatlısı was registered as a protected geographical indication on 18 June 2021 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 784). Product group: bakery and pastry products, dough products, desserts. Registered by: Mustafakemalpaşa Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Made by slow-cooking cracked wheat and meat and then pounding them together. It is an essential dish at weddings and festive meals.
A traditional dessert made by mixing fresh curd cheese with flour and sugar and cooking it in a pan. In Mustafakemalpaşa it is also eaten at breakfast.
Mustafakemalpaşa cheese dessert; registered by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office on 18.06.2021 and granted a geographical indication.
Traditional village breakfast served in Cumalıkızık village, consisting of homemade jams, fresh butter, village cheese, gözleme and local herbs. It attracts thousands of visitors at weekends.
Prepared from chestnuts gathered on the foothills of Uludağ, chestnut candy is one of Bursa's best-known sweets. Cooked in sugar syrup, it acquires a soft consistency.
Prepared by cooking and pounding cracked wheat and lamb for hours. It is the traditional dish of weddings and festival feasts in Orhaneli.
Small pieces of dough filled with minced meat are boiled and served with a yoghurt and garlic sauce. Orhaneli mantı is known for its thin dough and generous filling.
Yufka dough filled with cheese, spinach or potato is cooked on a griddle. It is a traditional treat often prepared at village markets and at home.
Carp, roach and whitefish from İznik Lake are among Orhangazi's best-known dishes. They are served fresh in restaurants by the lakeside.
Prepared by grilling meatballs, arranging them on pide bread, and serving them with a buttery tomato sauce and yoghurt.
Prepared by crushing local olives and mixing them with spices and olive oil. It is an essential flavour at breakfast tables.
Prepared from chestnuts gathered on the foothills of Uludağ, chestnut candy is cooked in sugar syrup to achieve a soft consistency. It is Bursa's best-known sweet and gift product.
Prepared by stirring milk, flour and sugar together over a long period of cooking. It is one of Bursa's traditional desserts and an essential part of festival tables.
Thin dough topped with minced meat, kaşar cheese or egg and baked in a stone oven. It is an important part of Yenişehir's bread-baking tradition.
Cracked wheat and meat cooked slowly for a long time and then pounded together. It is the traditional dish of wedding and holiday feasts.
A traditional dessert made by mixing fresh cheese with flour and sugar and cooking it in a pan. In Yenişehir it is also eaten at breakfast.
Prepared by grilling meatballs, arranging them on pide bread and serving them with buttery tomato sauce and yoghurt. It is one of the classic flavours of Bursa cuisine.
Prepared by soaking cheese dough in syrup, this dessert is one of the best-known sweets in the Bursa region. It is served with kaymak or ice cream.
The memorial tomb of the legendary heroes of the shadow play is in Çekirge.
The sword-and-shield dance that is unique to Bursa.
Silk is still sold at Koza Han today.
The Ottoman hammams and thermal springs of Çekirge.
Bursa is known for 6 local dishes, above all İskender Kebap (döner on pide with butter and yoghurt), İnegöl Köfte (İnegöl grilled meatballs), Bursa Pideli Köfte (meatballs on pide) and Bursa Kestane Şekeri (candied chestnuts). Developed by İskender Efendi in 1867, this is döner served on pide with butter, tomato sauce and yoghurt, registered as Bursa döner kebabı.
Bursa is known for İskender Kebap (döner on pide with butter and yoghurt), Bursa İpeği (Bursa silk) and Karagöz and Hacivat. Its best-known sights include Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami) and Green Mosque (Yeşil Cami).
Local products and souvenirs to buy in Bursa include Bursa İpeği (Bursa silk), İznik Çinisi (İznik tiles), Gemlik Zeytini (Gemlik olives) and Bursa Siyah İnciri (Bursa black figs).