What to Eat in Hakkari: Local Specialities

Q: Is the food in Hakkari hearty?

Yes u2014 the food of Hakkari is the hearty cooking of the high country: the rich soups, the grilled lamb, and the dairy of the pastures, the dishes that sustain the mountain life through the long winters.

By All Over InformationUpdated August 10, 20267 min read

The food of Hakkari is the honest cooking of the mountain frontier: the kebabs, the soups, the dairy of the highlands, and the breads of the far southeast. The cuisine is little known beyond the region, and that is its charm — the traveler who eats in Hakkari eats the food of the mountain borderland, cooked the way the region has cooked it for generations. This guide collects the essential local food of Hakkari.

The Kebabs of the Region

The kebab tradition of the southeast runs through Hakkari, with the local versions of the classic grills. The meat of the region is the lamb of the mountain flocks — the sheep of the highlands, grazing the mountain pastures — and the kebabs of Hakkari grill that lamb over the coals: the skewers of the meat, the flatbread, the onions, and the sumac of the region. The ciğer — the liver kebab — is the second great grill, the skewers of the lamb liver served with the onions and the parsley.

The kebab houses of Hakkari are the honest tables of the province: the grills in the windows, the queues at the lunchtime, and the prices of the local life. The kebabs are the everyday meat of the region, and the visitor who eats them eats the food of the southeast at its most direct.

The Soups and the Breakfasts

The soups of the region open the meals of Hakkari. The mercimek — the lentil soup — is the classic of the daily table, and the soups of the region — the chickpea, the bean, and the yogurt soups — follow the season. The breakfast of the region is the spread of the southeast: the cheese, the olives, the eggs, the kaymak and the honey, the sucuk, and the flatbreads of the region, with the tea of the morning.

The breakfast houses and the lokantas of the city serve the regional spread at the local prices, and the morning meal of Hakkari is the honest start of the day — the food of the region, in the rooms where the region takes it.

Hakkari, Turkey — Photo by Fotografikarabulut on Pixabay

The Dairy of the Highlands

The dairy is the glory of the Hakkari table: the milk of the mountain flocks, turned into the cheese and the yogurt of the highlands. The cheeses of the region — the white cheeses of the mountains, the aged and the fresh — carry the taste of the high pastures, and the yogurt of the region is the thick, rich yogurt of the mountain dairy. The kaymak — the clotted cream of the region — is served with the honey of the highlands, the breakfast treat of the mountains.

The dairy of Hakkari is the product of the yayla life — the summer pastures and the highland herds — and the visitor who tastes it tastes the mountains themselves: the cheeses, the yogurt, and the cream of the far southeast.

The Breads of the Region

The bread is the foundation of the Hakkari table. The flatbreads of the region — the thin breads baked on the saç, the metal griddle — accompany every meal, and the tandır breads of the villages are the daily bread of the countryside. The bread is served with every kebab and every soup, torn and shared at the table, and the bakeries of the city sell the fresh breads through the day.

The bread of Hakkari is the simple glory of the regional table: the fresh, the warm, and the essential. The visitor who eats the local food eats it on the local bread.

The Sweets and the Drinks

The sweets of the region close the Hakkari meals. The künefe — the hot pastry of the cheese and the syrup, the great sweet of the southeast — is served in the sweet shops of the city, and the baklava of the region follows the local style. The tea is the drink of the region — the black tea of the tulip glasses, served with the sugar — and the ayran accompanies the kebabs.

The sweet shops of Hakkari serve the künefe fresh from the oven, and the tea houses of the city hold the social life of the region around the glasses of tea.

The Lokantas of the City

The lokantas of Hakkari — the working restaurants of the province — serve the daily food of the region: the stews, the rice, the beans, the soups, and the vegetables of the season, at the prices of the local life. The lokanta is the honest face of the Hakkari table: the trays of the day’s dishes, the room full of the workers and the regulars, and the food of the region at its most direct.

The visitor who follows the locals to the lokanta at the lunchtime eats the food of Hakkari the way the province eats it — the honest dishes of the region, in the rooms where the region takes its meals.

The Food of the Mountain Life

There is a deeper quality to the food of Hakkari: the food is the food of the mountain life. The region is the high country of the far southeast, and the table of Hakkari follows the rhythm of the mountains — the lamb of the summer flocks, the dairy of the high pastures, the produce of the short valley seasons, and the hearty dishes that sustain the mountain people through the long winters. The cooking is the simple, generous cooking of the highlands: the meat, the wheat, the dairy, and the fire.

The mountain quality shows in the details: the rich soups that warm the cold seasons, the dairy that carries the taste of the pastures, and the breads of the village ovens. The food of Hakkari is the taste of the high country, and the visitor who eats it shares the life of the mountains.

The Structure of the Food Day

There is a structure to the food day in Hakkari that the visitor can follow. The morning belongs to the breakfast — the spread of the southeast, with the cheese, the kaymak, and the flatbread. The midday belongs to the lokanta — the stews and the beans of the working city, with the soup to open. And the evening belongs to the kebab — the grills of the city, and the künefe of the sweet shop. The visitor who follows the structure tastes the region whole.

The Rhythm of the Table

There is a deeper rhythm to the table in Hakkari that makes the food more than the meals. The dishes of the region carry the story of the place: the lamb of the mountain flocks, the dairy of the high pastures, and the breads of the village ovens. The kitchens of the province carry the story too — the family recipes, the local produce, and the hospitality of the borderland. The visitor who eats through Hakkari eats through the region — and the meal is never just the meal; it is the life of the far southeast, on the plate.

The Tea Culture

The tea is the social drink of the Hakkari table, and the tea houses of the province hold the daily life of the region. The black tea of the region is brewed strong in the double pots — the small top pot of the strong brew, the larger bottom pot of the water — and poured into the tulip glasses that are the emblem of the Turkish hospitality. The tea house of Hakkari is the meeting place of the province: the games of backgammon, the conversation, and the glasses that refill through the afternoon and the evening.

The visitor who sits in the tea house of Hakkari shares the social life of the borderland: the tea, the company, and the slow hours of the mountain province. The tea culture is the frame around the food of the region — the glass before the meal, the glass after, and the tea house as the social heart of the Hakkari day. And the tea of the highlands, taken in the villages and the yayla of the mountains, is the same tea that the shepherds have shared for generations — the drink of the mountain life, and the welcome of the region.

Frequently asked questions

What food is Hakkari known for?

Hakkari is known for the honest cooking of the mountain borderland: the lamb kebabs, the soups, the dairy of the highlands — the cheeses and the kaymak — and the breads of the region. The food is the taste of the mountain life.

Where can I eat local food in Hakkari?

The lokantas of the city center serve the daily dishes of the region, the kebab houses serve the grills, and the sweet shops serve the künefe. The local food is eaten where the province eats it.

Is the food in Hakkari hearty?

Yes — the food of Hakkari is the hearty cooking of the high country: the rich soups, the grilled lamb, and the dairy of the pastures, the dishes that sustain the mountain life through the long winters.

All Over Information

The All Over Information editorial team researches and writes practical English-language guides to Turkey. Facts are checked against official and local sources before publication, prices are published as dated ranges rather than quotes, and guides are revised when things change. We accept no sponsored posts, paid placements or paid links.