Dishes you should try in Çanakkale: Gelibolu Peynir Helvası (Gelibolu cheese halva), Ezine Peyniri (Ezine cheese), Biga Peynir Tatlısı (Biga cheese dessert) and Bayramiç Tahin Helvası (Bayramiç tahini halva). This guide also covers the local products to buy and what Çanakkale is famous for.
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Cheese halva with a registered geographical indication.
A white cheese made from cow's, sheep's and goat's milk, with a registered geographical indication.
A syrupy dessert with a registered geographical indication.
Halva with a registered geographical indication.
Sardines caught in the rich waters of the strait.
Cheese halva, prepared by mixing fresh cheese with flour and sugar and cooking it in a pan, is Çanakkale's best-known dessert. It is also eaten at breakfast tables.
Fresh sardines from the Dardanelles are coated in cornmeal and fried. They are served with rocket and lemon at seaside restaurants.
A börek made with the famous Ezine cheese of Çanakkale, baked with plenty of cheese between thin layers of yufka pastry.
Prepared by cooking cracked wheat and meat for a long time and then pounding them together. In Ayvacık villages, keşkek is the traditional dish of wedding and festival tables.
Ayvacık's Aegean cuisine is rich in herb dishes cooked with olive oil. Wild herbs such as sirken, mallow, radika and chicory are cooked in olive oil.
Soup prepared with fresh fish from the Aegean Sea, flavoured with onion, carrot and lemon. It is often eaten in fishing villages during the winter months.
Bayramiç Zeytinyağı was registered as a designation of origin on 25 April 2022 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1091). Product group: solid and liquid fats including butter. Registered by: Bayramiç Chamber of Agriculture.
Thin-dough pide topped with minced meat, kaşar cheese or egg and baked in a stone oven. It is an important part of Biga's bakery culture.
Prepared by cooking cracked wheat and meat for a long time and then pounding them together. In Biga, it is the traditional dish of wedding and festival tables.
Prepared by stirring fresh cheese with flour and sugar and cooking it in a pan. It is one of the best-known desserts in the Çanakkale region.
Mussels from the island's clear waters are prepared fried or stuffed. Bozcaada mussels are famous for their large size and flavour.
Fresh octopus is cooked in a clay pot with tomatoes, peppers and potatoes. It is one of the best-loved seafood dishes of Aegean cuisine.
Jam made from Bozcaada's famous tomatoes, with a sweet and slightly sour flavour, is an essential part of breakfast tables.
Çanakkale Oak Honey was registered as a protected designation of origin on 12 May 2026 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1856). Product group: honey. Registered by: Çanakkale Beekeepers' Union Commercial Enterprise.
Minced beef kneaded with onion and spices, then grilled. It is among the traditional meat dishes of Çan.
Prepared by cooking cracked wheat and meat for a long time and then pounding them together. It is the traditional dish of weddings and festive meals. Keşkek, an essential part of wedding feasts, is prepared in a communal spirit.
Prepared by mixing fresh cheese with flour and sugar and cooking it in a pan. It is one of the best-known desserts of the Çanakkale region. Prepared by local people on special occasions, this delicacy is a symbol of hospitality.
Fresh sardines caught in the Dardanelles are coated in cornmeal and fried. They are served fresh in restaurants on the Eceabat shore.
Prepared by mixing fresh cheese with flour and sugar and cooking it in a pan. One of the best-known desserts of the Çanakkale region. Being prepared with fresh, natural ingredients makes it a healthy option.
Prepared by cooking fresh artichokes with olive oil, carrots and peas. One of the classic dishes of Aegean cuisine.
A börek made with Ezine's world-famous white cheese, baked with a generous filling of cheese between thin layers of filo. It is known for its crisp pastry and intense cheese flavour.
Wild herbs gathered around Ezine are cooked in olive oil and served. Sirken, mallow and radika are the most commonly used herbs.
Fresh fish from the Aegean Sea, coated in cornmeal and fried. It is served fresh in the restaurants of Dalyan village.
Fresh sardines from the Sea of Marmara and the Dardanelles are coated in cornmeal and fried. It is Gelibolu's best-known dish.
Fresh anchovies are steamed with onion, tomato and peppers. It is a traditional fish dish eaten frequently in the winter months.
Prepared by mixing fresh cheese with flour and sugar and cooking it in a pan. It is one of the best-known desserts of the Çanakkale region. The recipe, passed down from generation to generation, varies slightly in every family.
Goats raised on the pastures of Gökçeada are slow-cooked in a tandır oven. Its tender texture and intense aroma make it the island's most distinctive delicacy.
Fresh octopus is boiled and served with olive oil, lemon and parsley. It is one of the classic meze dishes of Aegean cuisine.
Traditional ice cream flavoured with mastic (damla sakızı), it is one of the island's best-loved desserts. It is eaten at seaside cafés in the summer months.
A dish called cullama, made with local wild herbs in Zeytinli village.
Fresh fish from the Çanakkale Strait, coated in cornmeal and fried. Served fresh in restaurants along Lapseki's seafront.
Made by mixing fresh cheese with flour and sugar and cooking it in a pan. It is one of the best-known sweets of the Çanakkale region, and can be tasted in its most authentic form at local markets and family restaurants.
Made by cooking fresh artichokes with olive oil, carrot and peas. It is one of the classic flavours of Aegean cuisine. Prepared by local people for special occasions, this dish is a symbol of hospitality.
Prepared by cooking wheat and meat for a long time and then pounding them. In Yenice it is the traditional dish of wedding and festival tables.
Wild mushrooms gathered from the Yenice forests, sautéed with onion and pepper. It is enjoyed at its most flavoursome in the autumn months.
Made by filling yufka dough with cheese, spinach or potato and cooking it on a griddle. It is a traditional flavour often prepared at village markets and at home. Gözleme cooked on the griddle by village women is the most sought-after flavour at markets.
On 18 March 1915 Corporal Seyit of Havran, Balıkesir, carried a shell on his back at the Rumeli Mecidiye Battery, helping to sink the battleship Ocean.
A dawn service is held at Anzac Cove every year.
Homer's Iliad and the Trojan Horse.
A distinctive pottery tradition produced in the city in the 17th–19th centuries.
Çanakkale is known for 5 local dishes, above all Gelibolu Peynir Helvası (Gelibolu cheese halva), Ezine Peyniri (Ezine cheese), Biga Peynir Tatlısı (Biga cheese dessert) and Bayramiç Tahin Helvası (Bayramiç tahini halva). Cheese halva with a registered geographical indication.
Çanakkale is known for Gelibolu Peynir Helvası (Gelibolu cheese halva), Bayramiç Elması (Bayramiç apples) and 18 March and Corporal Seyit. Its best-known sights include Troy Ancient City and Troy Museum.
Local products and souvenirs to buy in Çanakkale include Bayramiç Elması (Bayramiç apples), Lapseki Şeftalisi (Lapseki peaches), Bozcaada Çavuş Üzümü (Bozcaada çavuş grapes) and Çanakkale Meşe Balı (Çanakkale oak honey).