Dishes you should try in Aralık: Kuzu Çevirme (whole roast lamb), Erişte (homemade noodles), Lor Peynirli Börek (lor cheese börek) and Miskali Grapes (Iğdır White Grapes). This guide also covers the local products to buy and what Aralık is famous for.
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A whole lamb is turned over a wood fire and cooked for hours. Prepared especially at weddings and festivals in Aralık, this dish is the most prestigious offering of the region.
Handmade dough strips are dried and stored for winter. Served with yoghurt or meat broth, erişte is one of the traditional winter dishes of Aralık.
A filling of fresh lor cheese and herbs is wrapped in thin yufka and cooked on a griddle. It is an essential breakfast flavour in the villages of Aralık.
A grape variety grown in Aralık district, especially in Kadıkışlak village.
These dishes are known throughout Iğdır province; see the provincial food guide for details.
A dish with a registered geographical indication, cooked with chickpeas, meat and vegetables.
A meatball dish with a registered geographical indication.
A soup with a registered geographical indication.
A jam with a registered geographical indication.
Because Aralık lies on the borders with Nakhchivan and Iran, it is an area where different cultures interact. Azeri, Kurdish and Turkish communities live together, and this diversity is reflected in the musical and culinary traditions of the region.
The centuries-old nomadic livestock tradition on Aralık's plateaus continues in summer, when herds are taken up to the high pastures. This tradition also contributes to the region's dairy and wool production.
Aralık is known for 4 local dishes, above all Kuzu Çevirme (whole roast lamb), Erişte (homemade noodles), Lor Peynirli Börek (lor cheese börek) and Miskali Grapes (Iğdır White Grapes). A whole lamb is turned over a wood fire and cooked for hours. Prepared especially at weddings and festivals in Aralık, this dish is the most prestigious offering of the region.
Aralık is known for Kuzu Çevirme (whole roast lamb), Aras Valley Apricot and Border Culture. Its best-known sights include Dilucu Border Gate and Southern Slope of Mount Ararat.
Local products and souvenirs to buy in Aralık include Aras Valley Apricot and Border Trade Products.