Karaburun Cuisine

Karaburun, known as the “Frontier of the Aegean”, has such a cuisine that has traces from Aegean cuisine and is promising to enchant you with its flavors by becoming a whole different joy within your trip. Since it is a peninsula surrounded by the sea on three sides, it is possible to find fresh seafood in Karaburun every season. Red mullet, shrimp and lobster are among the most consumed sea food of Karaburun, but we can also say that the scorpionfish of the region is also is of such taste that cannot be experienced anywhere else.

Of course, it is impossible to talk about the cuisine of Karaburun without mentioning the appetizers. Red mullet with vine leaves, fish balls, fried mussels and steamed sardines are just a few of the most delicious appetizers unique to the region, that will make you fall in love with them.

Salads and meals prepared with herbs unique to the Aegean also spice up an average meal in Karaburun. Salads prepared with chicory, artichoke and wild radish stand out as both the most consumed and the healthiest choices. Roasted asparagus, “arapsaçı”, stuffed squash blossoms and “çalkama” are also among the top local delicacies. Karaburun is also considered to be the homeland of artichokes, and therefore, dozens of different dishes are made including stuffed artichokes, artichokes with meat, artichoke jam and rice with artichoke.

It is also important to mention an olive type unique to Karaburun region: “Hurma” olive, with the word “hurma” literally translated as “date” due to its shape. This very special type of olive has come to being in this region as a result of ecological conditions, and it is used in different dishes as well as consumed by itself. According to many sources, this olive type can only be found in Karaburun and is different from all the other olives in the world both with its shape and its taste. For all these reasons, we can say that date olive would be in the top three if we were to make a list of what should definitely be tasted when visiting Karaburun.