Culinary scholars, experts and eaters agree: the food culture in Kuşadası is spectacular.
With characteristics similar to that of Aydın, Kuşadası’s cuisine can be enjoyed in authentic or modern restaurants. In addition to local specialties and seafood, the most famous products of the region include figs, grapes, and olives.
You can sample fresh-caught fish and daily made appetizers in fish restaurants along the coastline, and, in villages, delicious village breakfasts with organic products and scrumptious homemade jams.
Kuşadası is an active district in terms of gastronomy. For one, Kuşadası boasts the world’s largest open buffet record. The annual Kuşadası Food Festival (Kuşadası Yemek Festivali), promoting the rich cuisine of Kuşadası, draws hundreds of visitors. In recent years, various other food competitions have been organized, both to increase the interest of foreigners living in the district and to promote the Kuşadası cuisine.
Olive oil dishes, soups, seafood, citrus fruits and jams, and wines made from figs and grapes figure highly, as do desserts such as semolina halva, saffron and rice desert, rice pudding, asure, lokma, and pelvize, a pudding with walnuts and cloves. Spicy casseroles, black-eyed peas with olive oil, stuffed grape leaves, Kırlı fry (fried eggplant and pepper with onion and tomato sauce) with olive oil, gypsy pilaf (cottage cheese with tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers), roasted ivy and asparagus, fennel, artichoke with meat and roasted eggplant are also among the indispensable flavours of Kuşadası Cuisine. Other renowned regional dishes include şevketi bostan (blessed thistle), yuvarlama, paşa pastry, the local special vegetable grill, and a range of salads (purslane, horseradish, eggplant, etc.).
