Dishes you should try in Gaziantep: Antep Baklavası (Antep baklava), Antep Katmeri (Antep katmer), Antep Beyranı (lamb, rice and garlic soup) and Antep Lahmacunu (Antep lahmacun). This guide also covers the local products to buy and what Gaziantep is famous for.
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Made with green pistachios and clarified butter, the first Turkish product to receive EU registration, in 2013.
A registered dessert made with pistachios and clotted cream, eaten in the morning.
A spicy soup made with lamb, rice and garlic, drunk at breakfast.
A lahmacun with minced meat on thin dough, registered as a geographical indication.
A registered festive dish of yoghurt with chickpea-sized meatballs.
Kebab on a bed of yoghurt with smoked aubergine; registered as a geographical indication.
A local kebab of lamb marinated in special spices and cooked over charcoal. It is Araban's own interpretation of Gaziantep cuisine.
Araban's lahmacun, made by spreading a mixture of minced meat, onion, tomato and pepper over thin dough and baking it in a stone oven, is known for its thin dough and generous topping.
Prepared by filling thin yufka with Antep pistachios and kaymak and cooking it on a griddle. Katmer, the emblematic dessert of Gaziantep, is also an indispensable part of breakfast tables in Araban.
A dish made with firik, obtained from young wheat, and preferred especially on special occasions.
A dish that brings together Araban garlic and meat, and is identified with the district.
Garlic grown in Araban, registered with a European Union geographical indication.
A regional kebab made by seasoning lamb with special spices and grilling it over charcoal. It is served in İslahiye's traditional restaurants.
Prepared with chickpeas, small meatballs and pieces of dough, this traditional soup is an essential dish on İslahiye's winter tables.
Keme mushrooms gathered in spring at the foot of the Amanos Mountains around İslahiye are eaten fried in oil or cooked with eggs.
A brand product that has become well known and is exported abroad.
The traditional kebab of Karkamış's Barak Turkmen population, made by preparing lamb with special spices and cooking it over charcoal.
Thin dough spread with a mixture of minced meat and vegetables and baked in a stone oven. Lahmacun is one of the staple everyday dishes of Karkamış.
Fresh künefelik cheese produced in the region is used to make desserts such as künefe and kadayıf. Künefe, served hot, is the district's favourite dessert.
A product registered with TÜRKPATENT as a protected geographical indication.
A kebab made by adding Antep pistachios to minced meat and cooking it on a skewer. It is a regional dish closely associated with Nizip's pistachio production.
A hot soup made with lamb, rice and garlic. It is one of Gaziantep's most famous morning dishes, served in traditional restaurants in Nizip in the morning.
Prepared by filling thin dough with Antep pistachios and cream and cooking it on a griddle. Katmer made with fresh pistachios from Nizip's pistachio gardens is an essential part of breakfast.
A Nizip simit coated with küncü (sesame paste) instead of sesame seeds. Crisp outside and soft inside, it is one of the region's favourite street foods.
A type of olive specific to this region; olive oil production is widespread.
Antep pistachios, collected from gardens in Nizip and sold unprocessed.
This kebab, made by slow-cooking lamb in a clay tandır oven, is known for meat that falls apart in the mouth. It is served in traditional ways in the local restaurants of Nurdağı.
Small dumplings from the Yörük culture of Nurdağı, served with yoghurt and buttered sauce. Their hand-rolled thin dough and minced-meat filling make them a traditional delicacy.
Tarhana, made by drying yoghurt, tomato and wheat flour and grinding them into powder, is an essential soup of Nurdağı's winter months.
The traditional kebab of the Barak Turkmen, made by preparing lamb with special spices and cooking it over charcoal. It is served with onions and sumac.
Minced meat, onion and spices spread on thin dough and baked in a stone oven. Oğuzeli lahmacun is one of the best-loved dishes of Gaziantep cuisine.
A traditional Gaziantep dish made with chickpeas, small meatballs and yoghurt. It is a regular feature on tables in Oğuzeli, especially in the winter months.
Baklava baked with pistachios spread between 40 layers of thin dough and sweetened with syrup, is Gaziantep's world-famous delicacy. Historic baklava makers in Şahinbey continue this tradition from generation to generation.
Küşleme, prepared by cooking a whole lamb in a clay tandır oven for 4-5 hours, is one of Gaziantep's most prestigious dishes. It is served at special occasions and holidays.
Gaziantep lahmacun, baked in stone ovens in Şahinbey's traditional bakeries, is known across the country for its thin dough and generous toppings.
A traditional drink made from the fruit of the menengiç (terebinth) tree, served mixed with milk. Caffeine-free menengiç coffee is one of Gaziantep's original beverages.
A hot soup made with lamb, rice and garlic. It is Gaziantep's most famous morning dish, served from 5:00 am in the historic beyran halls of Şehitkamil.
Prepared by mixing charred aubergine with yoghurt and topping it with bite-sized pieces of lamb. Ali Nazik, one of Gaziantep's world-famous kebabs, is one of the most ordered dishes in Şehitkamil's restaurants.
Prepared by filling thin dough with Antep pistachios and cream and cooking it on a griddle. In Şehitkamil's traditional katmer shops it is an essential part of breakfast.
Gaziantep baklava, made by spreading Antep pistachios between thin layers of dough, baking it and sweetening it with syrup, is a traditional delicacy listed under UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Prepared by marinating lamb with special spices and grilling it on a barbecue. It is served freshly cooked in restaurants on the Euphrates bank.
This traditional morning soup, made with lamb, rice and garlic, is eaten in place of breakfast in Yavuzeli during the winter months.
Freshwater fish caught in the Euphrates, served grilled or fried in a pan. Eating fresh fish in riverside restaurants is one of the highlights of a visit to Yavuzeli.
The resistance, symbolised by Şahin Bey and Şehit Kâmil, that earned the city the title "Gazi" (veteran).
The first Turkish city to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of gastronomy, in 2015.
Held from late August to September, the most important season in the countryside.
The tradition of hammering copper, passed down from generation to generation in the bazaar.
Gaziantep is known for 6 local dishes, above all Antep Baklavası (Antep baklava), Antep Katmeri (Antep katmer), Antep Beyranı (lamb, rice and garlic soup) and Antep Lahmacunu (Antep lahmacun). Made with green pistachios and clarified butter, the first Turkish product to receive EU registration, in 2013.
Gaziantep is known for Antep Baklavası (Antep baklava), Antep Fıstığı (Antep pistachios) and Defence of Antep (1920–1921). Its best-known sights include Zeugma Mosaic Museum and Zeugma Ancient City.
Local products and souvenirs to buy in Gaziantep include Antep Fıstığı (Antep pistachios), Antep Biber Salçası (Antep pepper paste), Antep Menengiç Kahvesi (Antep menengiç coffee) and Antep Kutnu Kumaşı (Antep kutnu fabric).