Dishes you should try in Isparta: Isparta Kabune Pilavı (lamb and rice pilaf), Yalvaç Hamursuzu (Yalvaç pastry), Senirkent Samsa Tatlısı (Senirkent syrupy samsa) and Uluborlu Kuyruğu Sulu Böreği (Uluborlu boiled-pastry börek). This guide also covers the local products to buy and what Isparta is famous for.
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A pilaf cooked with lamb and rice, with a registered geographical indication.
A pastry with a registered geographical indication.
A syrupy dessert with a registered geographical indication.
A börek with a registered geographical indication.
A local dish with a registered geographical indication.
Prepared by marinating lamb with special spices and cooking it over a wood fire. Isparta kebab is served with finely chopped onion and sumac.
Turkish delight made with rose water obtained from Isparta's world-famous rose oil, the best-known sweet of the city. It stands out for its pink colour and intense rose aroma.
Wheat and meat are pounded together and cooked for a long time. Keşkek, the traditional dish of weddings and festive tables in Isparta, is served with butter.
A local stuffed dish made with carp from Lake Eğirdir.
Wheat and lamb are pounded together and cooked for a long time. It is the traditional dish of weddings and festive tables in Aksu.
A traditional Yörük soup made with yoghurt, flour and mint, still prepared in the old way in the mountain villages of Aksu.
Jam made from fresh rose petals, the best-known flavour of Atabey. An indispensable part of breakfast tables, rose jam stands out with its light floral aroma.
A soup prepared by slow-cooking lamb, chickpeas and vegetables in a tandır oven. It is the traditional flavour of Atabey's winter tables.
Freshwater crayfish caught in Lake Eğirdir, the district's most famous delicacy. Served boiled or grilled with a lemon and garlic sauce.
Pike-perch and carp from Lake Eğirdir are coated in flour and fried in a pan. Eating fresh fish with its crisp texture by the lake is a pleasure in itself.
Made with slices of Eğirdir's famous apples caramelised with cinnamon and sugar. It is served with ice cream or kaymak.
Apples grown in the orchards by the lake.
Listed on the Isparta Governorship's promotional page as crayfish found in Eğirdir.
Listed on the Isparta Governorship's promotional page as a dish recommended to be ordered by groups of four or more people in Eğirdir.
A cookie made with Gelendost's famous apples, sweetened with cinnamon and walnuts. Served with tea, this cookie is the most loved snack of the area.
Fish caught in Lake Eğirdir are consumed fresh in Gelendost. Pike-perch fried in a pan is the most popular way of preparing them.
Jam made from fresh rose petals, the best-known flavour of Gönen. With its natural rose aroma and light sweetness, it adorns breakfast tables.
Traditional bazlama bread cooked on a griddle, still made in the old way in the villages of Gönen. It is eaten with butter and cheese at breakfast.
Turkish delight made with rose water, Keçiborlu's best-known sweet. It stands out for its pink colour and intense rose aroma.
Wheat and lamb are pounded together and cooked. In Keçiborlu it is the traditional dish served at weddings and festive meals.
Senirkent Üzüm Pekmezi was registered as a protected geographical indication on 17 March 2022 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1051). Product group: processed and unprocessed fruits and vegetables and mushrooms. Registered by: Senirkent Municipality.
The meat of goats grazing in the mountains of Sütçüler is cooked for hours in a clay tandır oven. The tender texture and natural aroma of the meat make it one of the most distinctive flavours of the local cuisine.
A traditional Yörük soup made with yoghurt, flour and mint, still prepared in the old way in the mountain villages of Sütçüler.
Traditional bazlama bread cooked on a griddle, eaten with butter and honey at breakfast. Bazlama cooked over a wood fire in the villages of Sütçüler is especially delicious.
Carp and pike-perch caught in Beyşehir Lake, served fried in a pan or grilled.
Cracked wheat and lamb cooked and pounded together. In Şarkikaraağaç it is the traditional dish of wedding and holiday feasts.
Traditional bread baked in a clay tandoor oven, still made using old methods in the district's villages.
Tahini halva, foam halva and sesame halva made by Şarkikaraağaç's master confectioners, now popular throughout Türkiye.
Wheat and lamb are pounded together and cooked for a long time. It is the traditional dish of weddings and festive tables in Uluborlu.
Traditional bread baked in a clay tandır oven, still made in the old way in the villages of Uluborlu.
Thin-crusted pide with minced meat, baked in a stone oven. It is served hot with a layer of butter and is the district's best-known dish.
A traditional dessert made with fresh cheese, flour and sugar, caramelised in a pan. It is an essential dessert at weddings and festivals in Yalvaç.
Wheat and lamb are cooked together and pounded for a long time. Keşkek, prepared in Yalvaç especially for weddings, is served drizzled with butter.
Hamursuz bread with a registered geographical indication, produced through the bakery tradition kept alive by women in Yalvaç.
A dessert made by thickening milk with yoghurt water, layering it with wafers and pouring syrup over it. It is favoured at weddings, festivals and special occasions.
Buffalo cream specific to Yalvaç.
The most common börek in Yalvaç, served to guests at festivals and weddings. The local flavours made in its bakeries have become a kind of fast food.
Another local dish known in Yalvaç, made from beans or spinach.
The meat of goats grazing in the mountains of Yenişarbademli is prepared by slow-cooking it in a tandır oven.
A traditional soup made with yoghurt, flour and mint, still prepared in the old way in the mountain villages of the district.
A traditional harvest carried out in the early hours of the morning from late May to June.
A hand-woven carpet tradition that has continued since the 19th century.
A long-distance walking route stretching from Perge to Yalvaç.
The visits that fill Kuyucak village in July for the lavender.
Isparta is known for 5 local dishes, above all Isparta Kabune Pilavı (lamb and rice pilaf), Yalvaç Hamursuzu (Yalvaç pastry), Senirkent Samsa Tatlısı (Senirkent syrupy samsa) and Uluborlu Kuyruğu Sulu Böreği (Uluborlu boiled-pastry börek). A pilaf cooked with lamb and rice, with a registered geographical indication.
Isparta is known for Isparta Kabune Pilavı (lamb and rice pilaf), Isparta Gülü (Isparta rose) and Rose harvest. Its best-known sights include Lake Eğirdir and Eğirdir Castle.
Local products and souvenirs to buy in Isparta include Isparta Gülü (Isparta rose), Isparta Gülyağı (Isparta rose oil), Isparta Gül Suyu (Isparta rose water) and İnce Isparta (Hasgül) El Halısı (fine Isparta hand-woven carpet).