Heading To Manisa? Local Dishes And Drinks You Should Not Leave Without Trying
Manisa, the Aegean province known as the 'city of princes' for the Ottoman heirs who once governed there, has a table full of local flavours. If you ever pass through for a trip or for work, here are the dishes and drinks worth tracking down before you leave. Fair warning: you may get hungry while reading.
Start with the fruit and olives the region is known for.
Kırkağaç melon
A perfect match for cheese. Hung in a net from the ceiling, it can keep until February or March. You can buy it from the melon sellers along the İzmir–Istanbul road.
Sultaniye grapes
This seedless white grape grown around Sarıgöl is the variety known around the world as sultanas. It is fleshier and more pointed than many other grapes.
Akhisar olives and olive oil
Olive trees line the roadsides and even the pavements in Akhisar. Many shops and restaurants let you taste and buy the local olives and olive oil.
Mesir paste has its own festival in Manisa.
Mesir paste
According to local tradition, this spice paste was first prepared for Hafsa Sultan, mother of Suleiman the Magnificent, from a mix of 41 spices. Every year Manisa holds a Mesir festival, when the paste is scattered to the crowd from the Sultan Mosque, where it was first made. If you are there at that time, expect thousands of people trying to catch it.
Meat dishes
Akhisar köfte: made without spices and served on buttered pide.
Salihli odun köftesi: a light lamb meatball with only salt and a little flour, served with roasted peppers, tomatoes and yoghurt.
Manisa kebab: served with tomato sauce and yoghurt.
Kula güveci: a clay-pot meat dish for anyone passing through Kula.
Bohça kebabı: crêpes filled with diced meat, topped with béchamel and baked.
Pideli paça: a morning dish of pide soaked in broth and topped with head meat and tongue, also known as Kırkağaç paçası.
Keşkek: not unique to Manisa, but the version made in Akhisar is worth trying.
Finish with local breads, sweets and drinks.
Breads and pastries
Akhisar katmeri: made on a griddle with egg, cheese and parsley and cooked in olive oil.
Şekerli pide: a Kula speciality, a pide filled with unsalted cheese and sprinkled with sugar after baking.
Tahinli ekmek: a round bread made with tahini and sugar, especially popular in Kula.
Simit ekmeği: a chickpea-leavened bread from Akhisar.
Something different
Kulak çorbası: a yoghurt soup served with mint and melted butter.
Börülce tarator: black-eyed peas in a lemon and olive oil dressing.
Sinkonta: spiced, oven-roasted pumpkin.
Drinks
Sultan çayı (Mesir tea): a heavily spiced tea served in some places in central Manisa and also sold in tea bags.
Cilveli kahve: coffee topped with almonds and cooked over a wood fire, traditionally offered to visitors who came to ask for a daughter's hand. You can try it at Ayn-ı Ali and Yeni Han in central Manisa.
Akhisar gazozu: a local fizzy drink many Akhisar locals remember from childhood.
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