What to eat and drink in Antalya, from signature dishes and local drinks to markets, dietary needs and restaurant etiquette.
Food & drink
Antalya's most distinctive dishes are protected or promoted by name. Antalya piyazı, a bean dish dressed with a tahini tarator sauce and eaten as a main course rather than as a salad, is registered as a geographical indication (No. 315, in 2017 according to GoTürkiye), and the Antalya Chamber of Commerce and Industry has also obtained registrations for Antalya pumpkin dessert, serpme börek and turunç (bitter orange) and bergamot peel jams. Şiş köfte, skewered meatballs made from minced meat and salt alone and grilled over charcoal, is presented by GoTürkiye as the natural partner of tahinli piyaz. The Provincial Culture and Tourism Directorate's list of traditional dishes adds the upland side of the cooking: Yörük kebabı, kid goat in a clay pot, several tarhana soups and milk-based soups. The coast contributes citrus (GoTürkiye says about 23% of Turkey's orange production is in Antalya, and Finike oranges are a registered geographical indication) and fish baked in a salt crust.
White beans, historically the small çandır bean, served on a plate under a tarator sauce of tahini, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar and olive oil, topped with tomato, parsley and optionally egg. The Ministry's culture portal says it differs from piyaz elsewhere because it is eaten as a main dish and dressed with tarator; it holds geographical-indication registration No. 315, of the 'mahreç işareti' (place-of-origin) type.
Skewered meatballs in which salt is the only ingredient besides minced meat, cooked over a charcoal fire. GoTürkiye recommends eating them with tahinli piyaz.
A meze of tahini beaten with garlic, cumin, hot red pepper, salt and lemon juice, loosened with water to a boza-like consistency and served with hot pepper fried in olive oil, according to the Antalya Governorate's recipe. The Provincial Directorate lists it among Antalya's traditional dishes.
Cubed lamb or kid simmered with pearl onions, courgette, carrot, potato, green beans and cooked noodles, with butter and olive oil, in the Culture Portal's recipe. GoTürkiye says it is made with plenty of meat and vegetables and highland spices, reflecting nomadic pastoral traditions.
Listed by name among Antalya's traditional dishes by the Provincial Culture and Tourism Directorate and by ATSO; the name describes kid goat cooked tandır-style in a clay pot (güveç). No recipe was read, so no method is stated.
GoTürkiye describes a white-fleshed Mediterranean fish, lagos, cooked in a crust made from rock salt, eggs and a little soda.
Desserts & sweets
Local drinks
The Antalya Chamber of Commerce and Industry's page on the city's flavours lists Taurus thyme as consumed as a tea. No other drink specific to Antalya could be sourced from a primary source.
Detailed dietary information is being prepared.
Detailed restaurant etiquette for Antalya is being prepared.
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Experiences & attractions
What there is to do in Antalya: the major sights, local experiences and the practical detail you need to plan around them.
Know before it happens
Common scams, tourist traps and avoidable problems in Antalya, with practical advice on how travelers can recognize and avoid them.
Bring home the right things
What to buy in Antalya, where to shop, typical prices, authenticity advice and which souvenirs are genuinely connected to the destination.
When to go
A month-by-month guide to weather, crowds and seasonal conditions in Antalya, and how to choose when to go.
Family travel
Visiting Antalya with babies, toddlers and children, including strollers and changing facilities.
Travel for more people
Accessibility information for Antalya, including walking difficulty, wheelchair access, transport, stairs, seating and sensory considerations.
After dark
A practical introduction to nightlife in Antalya, including nightlife areas, atmosphere, late-night considerations and safety.
Money & budgeting
What a trip to Antalya costs, including typical daily budgets, transport, food, attractions, payments and common money mistakes.
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