Dishes you should try in Sinop: Sinop Mantısı, Sinop Lakerdası (salt-cured bonito), Sinop Kotrası and Sinop Nokulu. This guide also covers the local products to buy and what Sinop is famous for.
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Famous Dishes of Sinop
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Sinop Mantısı
Mantı with a registered geographical indication.
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Sinop Lakerdası (salt-cured bonito)
Lakerda with a registered geographical indication.
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Sinop Kotrası
A speciality with a registered geographical indication.
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Sinop Nokulu
Nokul with a registered geographical indication.
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Boyabat Sırık Kebabı (pole kebab)
A kebab with a registered geographical indication.
Local Specialities from the Districts of Sinop
What to eat in Sinop Central District
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Nokul
A pastry made with walnuts and butter, Nokul is Sinop's traditional dessert. Prepared according to recipes passed down through generations, this dish is an important part of the region's culinary culture.
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Fresh Fish
Fresh fish caught in the Black Sea is served grilled or fried in Sinop's seaside restaurants. Anchovy, whiting and turbot are the most preferred species.
What to eat in Ayancık
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Fresh Fish
Fresh fish caught in the Black Sea is served grilled or fried in Ayancık's seaside restaurants.
What to eat in Boyabat
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Boyabat Pide
Boyabat pide is known for its thin dough and generous fillings. It is baked in a stone oven.
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Keşkek
Keşkek, prepared by slow-cooking and pounding wheat and meat, is indispensable at wedding feasts. Prepared in a communal spirit, keşkek is essential to the wedding table.
What to eat in Dikmen
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Keşkek
Keşkek, prepared by slow-cooking and pounding wheat and meat, is indispensable at wedding feasts. Pounding the wheat and boiling it with meat for hours is a process that requires patience.
What to eat in Durağan
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Keşkek
Keşkek, prepared by slow-cooking and pounding wheat and meat, is indispensable at wedding feasts. Serving it with melted butter poured over it is part of the tradition.
What to eat in Erfelek
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Keşkek (wheat and meat porridge)
Keşkek, made by slow-cooking wheat and meat and then pounding them, is an essential dish of wedding tables. Listed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, keşkek is a source of pride in Turkish cuisine.
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Erfelek kestanesi (Erfelek chestnuts)
The district is famous for chestnuts and cherries. Chestnuts are among the most widely grown products in the district's villages.
What to eat in Gerze
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Fresh Fish
Fresh fish from the Black Sea is served grilled or fried in Gerze's seafront restaurants.
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Gerze pidesi
A pide baked on Sundays in bakeries with minced meat and cheese, served to guests at ceremonies such as weddings.
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Nokul
A food associated with the Feast of Sacrifice and Sugar Feast (Bayram) celebrations.
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Bilegi
A dish in Gerze that heralds spring. It is cooked with salted fish when grasses begin to appear in the fields.
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Hamuraşı (kulak hamuru)
A dish in which a filling is placed in the middle of the dough, folded into a triangle shape and cooked in boiling salted water.
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Islama
A dish prepared by folding and cutting yufka flatbreads cooked on a griddle, then moistened with chicken broth.
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Corn soup
A soup made by simmering crushed corn and barbunya beans with bone-in meat over low heat.
What to eat in Saraydüzü
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Keşkek
Keşkek, prepared by slow-cooking and pounding wheat and meat, is indispensable at wedding feasts. Small differences in each village's keşkek recipe add to the richness of the dish.
What to eat in Türkeli
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Taze Balık
Fresh fish from the Black Sea is served grilled or fried at Türkeli's seaside restaurants.
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Taze alabalık
Fresh trout can be eaten at the trout farms in Gökçealan and Çatak villages.
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Kestane
Chestnuts, which grow wild, are noted as a source of income in the district.
What to Buy in Sinop: Local Products
- Sinop Kestane Balı (Sinop chestnut honey) Honey registered with a geographical indication (designation of origin).
- Boyabat Gazidere Domatesi (Boyabat Gazidere tomato) Tomato registered with a geographical indication (designation of origin).
- Boyabat Ezmesi (Boyabat ezme) An ezme (spread) with a registered geographical indication.
- Ayancık Keten Bezi (Ayancık linen cloth) A weave with a registered geographical indication.
- Durağan Mahraması (Durağan mahrama) A handicraft product with a registered geographical indication.
What Sinop Is Famous For: Culture and Traditions
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Diogenes heritage
Ancient Sinope, where the philosopher Diogenes was born.
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Fishing and lakerda
Making lakerda in the bonito (palamut) season.
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Çember and mahrama
Traditional weaving in Boyabat and Durağan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I eat in Sinop?
Sinop is known for 5 local dishes, above all Sinop Mantısı, Sinop Lakerdası (salt-cured bonito), Sinop Kotrası and Sinop Nokulu. Mantı with a registered geographical indication.
What is Sinop famous for?
Sinop is known for Sinop Mantısı, Sinop Kestane Balı (Sinop chestnut honey) and Diogenes heritage. Its best-known sights include Sinop Castle and Sinop Historic Prison.
What to buy in Sinop?
Local products and souvenirs to buy in Sinop include Sinop Kestane Balı (Sinop chestnut honey), Boyabat Gazidere Domatesi (Boyabat Gazidere tomato), Boyabat Ezmesi (Boyabat ezme) and Ayancık Keten Bezi (Ayancık linen cloth).