Dishes you should try in Muğla: Bodrum Çökertme Kebabı (beef on matchstick potatoes and yoghurt), Muğla Köftesi (Muğla meatballs), Muğla Saraylısı (Muğla pastry dessert) and Milas Tepsi Böreği (Milas tray börek). This guide also covers the local products to buy and what Muğla is famous for.
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A kebab with a registered geographical indication, served as meat on a bed of matchstick potatoes and yoghurt.
Meatballs with a registered geographical indication.
A dessert with a registered geographical indication.
A börek with a registered geographical indication.
A fish dish with a registered geographical indication.
Lamb slowly cooked in a casserole with onion, tomato and pepper. The traditional winter dish of Bodrum, its flavour is enhanced by cooking in a wood-fired oven.
A dish specific to Bodrum, made with finely minced beef that is fried and served on yoghurt and fried potatoes. It is among the geographically indicated dishes of Muğla.
Cracked wheat and meat boiled for hours until they reach a porridge-like consistency. Keşkek, essential at weddings and festive tables, is listed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
A type of seafood pilaf specific to Bodrum cuisine.
A meze made with three ingredients, the main one being caviar.
Çupra fish, caught in the lagoon where the Dalaman River meets the sea, is grilled and served with lemon and rocket. Fresh seafood forms the basis of the district's restaurant culture.
Gözleme made with local herbs and lor cheese, the traditional dish of Dalaman's villages. It is cooked over a wood fire on a griddle and served with butter.
Squash flowers filled with rice, onion and spices, and cooked in olive oil. It is one of the light and healthy flavours of Aegean cuisine.
Datça's geographically indicated almonds are used in biscuits, almond paste and acıbadem sweets. Thin-shelled and intensely aromatic, Datça almonds are a product known around the world.
More than 50 edible herb species that grow on the Datça Peninsula are cooked in olive oil and served. Sirken, radika and gelincik are the most preferred species.
Fresh fish of the day baked in a casserole with tomatoes, peppers and garlic. It is cooked using traditional methods in Datça's fishing villages.
Fethiye Tarhanası was registered as a geographical indication on 11 October 2023 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1484). Product group: dishes and soups. Registered by: Fethiye Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Fethiye's fish restaurants are famous for more than 20 varieties of meze. Sea blite, octopus salad and spicy ezme are among the most popular mezes.
Kuzugöbeği mushrooms, gathered in spring in Fethiye's mountainous areas, are sautéed in butter and served. This rare mushroom is one of the most valued flavours of Aegean cuisine.
Dough opened into a boat shape, filled with minced meat, cheese or mixed ingredients, and baked in a stone oven. The pide ovens of Fethiye's Paspatur Bazaar are especially famous.
Lamb cooked for hours over a wood fire in a clay tandır oven. It is left to cook on a low flame overnight so that the meat is tender and flavourful.
Yoghurt made from the milk of goats raised in Kavaklıdere's mountain villages, known for its tangy and intense flavour. It is an essential part of breakfast tables.
Gözleme made with local herbs and lor cheese, cooked on a griddle and served with butter. It is the traditional dish of Kavaklıdere's villages.
Grey mullet caught in Köyceğiz Lake, prepared grilled or steamed. Grown in the mix of fresh and salt water in the lake, the mullet is known for its distinctive flavour.
Oil obtained from the sığla tree, which is specific to Köyceğiz, is used as a flavouring in traditional dishes. Olive-oil dishes made with sığla oil are among the region's distinctive specialities.
Traditional bread made from corn flour, cooked on a griddle and served with fresh cheese and butter. It is an essential part of the breakfast tables in Köyceğiz's villages.
A dish made with the sılcan plant, which grows at the base of sığla trees. It is frequently served at tables in Köyceğiz and offered to guests.
Grey mullet is produced in Köyceğiz Lake and the Dalyan Strait.
Marmaris Çam Balı was registered as a protected designation of origin on 6 November 2019 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 469). Product group: honey. Registered by: Marmaris Chamber of Commerce.
Fresh octopus baked in a casserole with tomatoes, onions and peppers. It is a popular dish served with sea views in Marmaris's seafront restaurants.
The famous dish of the Muğla region, made with thinly sliced meat that is fried and served on yoghurt and fried potatoes.
Small dumplings specific to the Muğla region, served with yoghurt and garlic sauce. Made with hand-rolled thin dough, mantı is a favourite winter dish.
Lamb cooked in a copper pan with onions, tomatoes and peppers. It is the best-known local dish of Muğla and a product with a geographical indication.
A traditional sherbet made from cornelian cherries that grow in the Muğla mountains. Its tart-sweet flavour makes it a refreshing summer drink.
Roasted aubergine layered with cheese and parsley between sheets of yufka pastry and baked. It is one of the distinctive flavours of Muğla cuisine.
Milas Ciğer Kavurması was registered as a protected geographical indication on 28 May 2024 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1594). Product group: processed and unprocessed meat products. Registered by: Milas Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Milas Çıntar Kavurması was registered as a protected geographical indication on 25 October 2023 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1490). Product group: dishes and soups. Registered by: Milas Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Milas Ekşili Köfte was registered as a protected geographical indication on 6 September 2022 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1209). Product group: dishes and soups. Registered by: Milas Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Milas Kanlı Kavurması was registered as a protected geographical indication on 6 September 2022 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1210). Product group: dishes and soups. Registered by: Milas Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Milas Köftesi was registered as a protected geographical indication on 23 August 2024 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1633). Product group: processed and unprocessed meat products. Registered by: Milas Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Milas Zeytinyağı was registered as a protected designation of origin on 6 December 2016 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 201). Product group: solid and liquid fats, including butter. Registered by: Milas Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Milas Zeytinyağı Sabunu was registered as a protected geographical indication on 7 June 2023 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1379). Product group: other products. Registered by: Milas Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Sea bass caught in the Dalyan Channel and prepared grilled or steamed. Grown in a mix of fresh and salt water, it has a distinctive flavour and is the most popular dish in Dalyan's restaurants.
Artichokes grown on the Ortaca plain are cooked in olive oil with carrots and peas. It is one of the most loved olive oil dishes of Aegean cuisine.
Fresh courgette flowers stuffed with rice, onion and spices, then cooked in olive oil. A light and tasty summer dish.
A grey mullet fishing competition was held in the Dalyan Channel. After the competition, about 6 tonnes of mullet sandwiches were handed out.
Dried mullet roe, packaged and exported to Italy and America.
Trout raised in the natural spring waters of Yaka village, served grilled or pan-fried in butter. Fish raised in cold spring water has firm, flavourful flesh.
Bread baked in traditional tandır ovens in the villages of Seydikemer, known for its thick, soft texture. It is eaten at breakfast with fresh cheese and olive oil.
Keşkek, prepared by slow-cooking cracked wheat and lamb for hours, is the traditional dish of weddings and festive meals in Seydikemer.
Thick bread made from leavened dough cooked on a griddle, Ula's traditional breakfast treat. It is served with fresh butter and honey.
Fresh fish and prawns from Gökova Bay are served grilled or as güveç in Akyaka's seafront restaurants. Gökova prawns are especially famous.
Wild herbs gathered locally are sautéed in olive oil with onion and garlic. It is one of the healthy, light dishes of Aegean cuisine.
A sesame product grown in Ula and its surroundings, registered as a geographical indication.
Prepared by slow-cooking lamb in an earth tandır oven for hours. The meat is expected to be soft enough to come away from the bone, and it is served on rice.
Prepared by cooking cracked wheat and lamb for a long time until they reach a porridge-like consistency. It is the traditional dish of wedding and holiday tables in Yatağan.
Prepared by layering fried aubergine slices with a minced-meat filling and baking. One of the most loved recipes among Yatağan's home dishes.
The tradition of gulet cruises, named by Halikarnas Balıkçısı (the Fisherman of Halicarnassus).
A festival held when the almond trees are in bloom.
The tradition of highland pasture life and weaving, which continues in the interior.
Buildings of the principality period in Beçin and Milas.
Muğla is known for 5 local dishes, above all Bodrum Çökertme Kebabı (beef on matchstick potatoes and yoghurt), Muğla Köftesi (Muğla meatballs), Muğla Saraylısı (Muğla pastry dessert) and Milas Tepsi Böreği (Milas tray börek). A kebab with a registered geographical indication, served as meat on a bed of matchstick potatoes and yoghurt.
Muğla is known for Bodrum Çökertme Kebabı (beef on matchstick potatoes and yoghurt), Datça Nurlu Bademi (Datça Nurlu almonds) and Blue voyage (Mavi yolculuk). Its best-known sights include Bodrum Castle (Castle of St Peter) and Mausoleum of Halicarnassus.
Local products and souvenirs to buy in Muğla include Datça Nurlu Bademi (Datça Nurlu almonds), Bodrum Mandarini (Bodrum mandarins), Muğla Çam Balı (Muğla pine honey) and Milas El Halısı (Milas hand-woven carpet).