Dishes you should try in Kayseri: Kayseri Mantısı (Kayseri dumplings), Kayseri Yağlaması (layered yufka with mince), Kayseri Nevzinesi (tahini and walnut dessert) and Kayseri Fırın Ağzı Kebabı (oven-mouth kebab). This guide also covers the local products to buy and what Kayseri is famous for.
Last updated:
Mantı with a registered geographical indication, famous for its tiny parcels.
A dish with a registered geographical indication, made with layers of yufka and minced meat.
A dessert with a registered geographical indication, made with tahini and walnuts.
A kebab with a registered geographical indication.
A baklava with a registered geographical indication.
Tarhana, prepared with yoghurt, wheat and vegetables, is an essential soup on winter tables. Tarhana prepared in autumn is dried to be eaten over the winter.
The Akkışla Yoghurt and Kilim Festival is traditionally held at Üsküdar Plateau.
Tarhana, prepared with yoghurt, wheat and vegetables, is an essential soup on winter tables. Every household has its own tarhana recipe; some are more sour, others more spicy.
A fruit known locally as Giraboğlu, and one of the district's important sources of income.
Cıvıklı, prepared with minced meat, onion and pepper, is one of Develi's distinctive flavours.
Tarhana, prepared with yoghurt, wheat and vegetables, is an essential soup on winter tables. Dried tarhana, a long-lasting natural food, has been served at tables for centuries.
Kayseri pastırma coated with fenugreek paste (çemen) is also prepared by traditional producers in Hacılar.
Kayseri pastırma coated in fenugreek paste is also prepared by traditional producers in İncesu.
Animal products made in the district, sold in Kayseri and Ürgüp.
Grapes are grown commercially in the district; viticulture is one of İncesu's important agricultural activities.
Prepared by frying Kayseri pastırma with eggs in a pan. An indispensable part of breakfast tables.
Kayseri pastırma is prepared by salting and drying beef and then coating it with fenugreek paste (çemen). It is a world-famous delicatessen product.
Kayseri sucuk is made by kneading veal with spices, stuffing it into casings and drying it. It is a product with a geographical indication.
Özvatan Flower Honey was registered as a designation of origin on 16 November 2020 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 593). Product group: honey. Registered by: Özvatan District Governorship.
Tarhana, prepared with yoghurt, wheat and vegetables, is an essential soup on winter tables. A hot bowl of tarhana soup at breakfast is the local way to start the day with energy.
Pınarbaşı Uzunyayla Çerkes Peyniri was registered as a protected designation of origin on 14 April 2021 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 724). Product group: cheeses. Registered by: Pınarbaşı Municipality.
Tarhana, made with yoghurt, wheat and vegetables, is an essential soup of winter tables. Tarhana prepared in autumn is dried to be eaten through the winter.
Tarhana, prepared with yoghurt, wheat and vegetables, is an indispensable soup on winter tables. Every household has its own tarhana recipe; some are sourer, others spicier.
Tarhana, prepared with yoghurt, wheat and vegetables, is an indispensable soup on winter tables. Dried tarhana, a long-lasting natural food, has been served at tables for centuries.
Talas Çörekotlu Çömlek Peyniri was registered as a protected geographical indication on 12 March 2024 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1560). Product group: cheeses. Registered by: Kayseri University, Talas Municipality.
Kayseri pastırma coated with fenugreek paste (çemen) is also prepared by traditional producers in Talas.
Tarhana, made with yoghurt, wheat and vegetables, is an essential soup of winter tables. A hot bowl of tarhana soup at breakfast is the local way to start the day with energy.
Snacking pumpkin seeds produced in the tuffaceous soils on the slopes of Mount Erciyes; the district name has been registered as a geographical indication.
Tarhana made with yoghurt, wheat and vegetables, an essential soup at winter tables. Tarhana is prepared in autumn and dried to be eaten throughout the winter.
A local product of Yahyalı. Yahyalı Municipality began work to obtain a geographical indication for this product (news report dated 2016).
A type of kofta made from a mixture of minced meat and bulgur, pounded in a wooden mortar.
Usually made at weddings, a dish of black raisins, boiled chickpeas, pekmez and black meat.
A dish prepared in the winter months and served to guests.
Yufka baked in tandır ovens in preparation for winter, prepared as tandır böreği with cheese and egg.
Tarhana, prepared with yoghurt, wheat and vegetables, is the indispensable soup of winter tables. Every household has its own tarhana recipe; some are sourer, others spicier.
With its hospital, madrasas and tombs, some of the richest Seljuk monuments in Anatolia.
The chief architect of the Ottomans, born in Ağırnas.
Kayseri's commercial culture, which has produced merchants and industrialists.
Skiing and snowboarding events.
Kayseri is known for 5 local dishes, above all Kayseri Mantısı (Kayseri dumplings), Kayseri Yağlaması (layered yufka with mince), Kayseri Nevzinesi (tahini and walnut dessert) and Kayseri Fırın Ağzı Kebabı (oven-mouth kebab). Mantı with a registered geographical indication, famous for its tiny parcels.
Kayseri is known for Kayseri Mantısı (Kayseri dumplings), Kayseri Pastırması (Kayseri pastırma) and Seljuk heritage. Its best-known sights include Mount Erciyes and Ski Resort and Kültepe (Kaniş-Karum).
Local products and souvenirs to buy in Kayseri include Kayseri Pastırması (Kayseri pastırma), Kayseri Sucuğu (Kayseri spiced sausage), Develi Cıvıklısı (Develi cıvıklı cheese) and Bünyan El Halısı (Bünyan hand-woven carpet).