Dishes you should try in Erzincan: Erzincan Tulum Peyniri (Erzincan goatskin-cured cheese), Erzincan Kesme Kadayıfı (Erzincan cut kadayıf), Kemaliye Lök Tatlısı (Kemaliye lök dessert) and Erzincan Üzümlü Sarucu (Erzincan sarucu with raisins). This guide also covers the local products to buy and what Erzincan is famous for.
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A cheese with a registered geographical indication, matured in a skin tulum.
Kadayıf with a registered geographical indication.
An Eğin dessert with a registered geographical indication.
A local dish with a registered geographical indication.
A rice pudding (sütlaç) with a registered geographical indication.
A traditional soup made by cooking thinly cut pieces of dough in meat broth. It is one of the winter classics of Erzincan cuisine and is served with mint and butter.
Prepared by slowly cooking lamb in a clay tandır oven for hours. Served in Erzincan's restaurants using the traditional recipe, tandır kebab is the region's most beloved dish.
Meatballs made with fine bulgur and minced meat, cooked in a sour tomato sauce. This dish, specific to Erzincan cuisine, is never missing from tables thanks to its intense aroma.
Prepared by slowly cooking lamb in a clay tandır oven for hours, tandır kebab has a distinctive flavour from the meat of the sheep raised on Çayırlı's plateaus.
A traditional soup made by cooking thinly cut pieces of dough in meat broth. Kesme çorbası is never missing from the tables of Çayırlı on cold winter days.
A traditional sweet made with fresh cheese, flour and sugar, fried in butter. In Çayırlı it is served especially at festivals and wedding feasts.
Lamb meat slow-cooked for hours in a clay tandır oven. Prepared on special occasions in İliç's villages, it is the region's most loved dish.
A traditional soup of thinly cut pieces of dough cooked in meat broth. It is an essential part of İliç's winter tables.
Tulum cheese made from goat and sheep's milk from İliç's highland pastures, part of the Erzincan tulum cheese tradition.
Prepared by slowly cooking lamb for hours in a clay tandoor oven. Made on special occasions in Kemah's villages, tandır kebabı is the region's most loved dish.
A traditional soup of thinly cut pieces of dough cooked in meat broth. It is an indispensable part of Kemah's winter tables.
Tulum cheese, made from goat and sheep milk produced on Kemah's plateaus, is matured using traditional methods. Kemah is one of the key production centres of the Erzincan tulum cheese tradition.
A salt produced in Kömür Village, 4 km from Kemah, which has received a geographical indication certificate.
A traditional sweet made by dipping walnut kernels in grape molasses and drying them. It is one of Kemaliye's best-known delicacies and is eaten as an energy source during the winter months.
Prepared by slowly cooking lamb in a clay tandır oven for hours. Tandır kebab is prepared for special occasions in the villages of Kemaliye and is the most beloved dish of the region.
Grape molasses boiled by traditional methods from grapes grown in the region, eaten as an energy source during the winter months. It is an indispensable part of breakfast tables.
Traditional soup made by cooking thin-cut pieces of dough in meat broth, an essential of winter tables in the Erzincan region. Served with butter and mint.
Lamb slow-cooked for a long time in a clay tandır oven. It gains a special flavour from the sheep raised on the high plateaus of Otlukbeli.
Traditional dessert made from fresh cheese, flour and sugar, fried in butter and served. Specific to the Erzincan region, it is prepared especially for festival meals.
Refahiye honey was registered as a protected designation of origin on 18 September 2019 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 457). Product group: honey. Registered by: Refahiye Chamber of Agriculture.
Prepared by cooking thinly cut pieces of dough in meat broth, this soup is one of the most popular hot dishes on Refahiye's cold winter days.
Bread baked in a traditional clay tandır oven, still made by old methods in Refahiye's villages. Its thick, tasty texture makes it an essential part of breakfast tables.
Tercan Honey was registered as a protected designation of origin on 21 November 2025 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1792). Product group: honey. Registered by: Tercan Village Services Union.
Lamb slow-cooked for hours in an earth tandır oven. It takes on a special flavour from the meat of sheep raised on Tercan's highland pastures.
A traditional soup of thinly cut dough pieces cooked in meat broth; a dish never absent from tables in Tercan's harsh winter conditions.
Meatballs kneaded from fine bulgur and minced meat, cooked in a sour tomato sauce. One of the characteristic flavours of Erzincan cuisine, this dish is also widely prepared in Tercan.
Lamb slow-cooked for a long time in a clay tandır oven, served in the traditional restaurants of Üzümlü.
Grape molasses prepared by boiling grapes from the district's vineyards in traditional ways. It is one of the essential sweet flavours on breakfast tables.
Traditional soup made by cooking thin-cut pieces of dough in meat broth, a classic flavour of Üzümlü's winter tables.
A black grape specific to Üzümlü, named after the district's former name, Cimin.
The earthquake, in which 32,968 people lost their lives, led to the city being moved to its present site.
Kemaliye's distinctive tradition of folk songs and laments.
Erzincan is known for 5 local dishes, above all Erzincan Tulum Peyniri (Erzincan goatskin-cured cheese), Erzincan Kesme Kadayıfı (Erzincan cut kadayıf), Kemaliye Lök Tatlısı (Kemaliye lök dessert) and Erzincan Üzümlü Sarucu (Erzincan sarucu with raisins). A cheese with a registered geographical indication, matured in a skin tulum.
Erzincan is known for Erzincan Tulum Peyniri (Erzincan goatskin-cured cheese), Kemaliye Dutu (Kemaliye mulberries) and 1939 Erzincan earthquake. Its best-known sights include Karanlık Canyon and Kemaliye (Eğin).
Local products and souvenirs to buy in Erzincan include Kemaliye Dutu (Kemaliye mulberries), Cimin Üzümü (Cimin grapes), Erzincan Bakır İşçiliği (Erzincan copperwork) and Kemaliye Gazenne Dokuması (Kemaliye gazenne weaving).