Some people enjoy their ice cream in a cone, while others prefer it scooped on top of another dessert or perhaps accompanying some melon. However you like it though, one thing is for sure in Turkey -- when summer comes, there is ice cream everywhere. And a rainbow of flavors at that: There is pistachio, chestnut, raspberry, melon, sweet plum, honey, sour cherry, red mulberry, fig, walnut and many more. You can also find some quite unusual flavors, such as red pepper, eggplant, tomato, corn, olive and even yogurt. And Turkey's own Maraş-style ice cream is gaining almost as much popularity these days as Italian gelato. There are large, well-known ice cream chains in Turkey, as well as boutique operations that also have their own devotees. There are ice cream places that have been operating for 40 years now and show no signs of slowing down. Here are some notable ice cream destinations to check out:
Ice cream made with pure fruit and sugar Yaşar Usta Ice Cream (Bostancı):
Yaşar Usta's ice cream is known for incorporating simply pure fruit and sugar and absolutely no additives. You can get up to 70 flavors of ice cream here, though the shop offers only around 10 different types on a daily basis. The ice-cream menu is refreshed and changed every day! But the most famous product here is the fruit ice cream, with Yaşar Çallı buying the fruit to be used every day early in the morning and using it to turn out delicious flavors for all. This ice-cream eatery has been in Bostancı now for 40 years. Note that you can also place orders here for more unusual flavors of ice cream, such as pepper, eggplant, yoghurt or corn! There have been no changes in ice-cream prices for the past five years either: one scoop is TL 1, while one kilogram is TL 25.
Get your ‘cut Maraş' ice cream at Mado Mado Ice Cream:
Mado is one of the first names to come to mind when ice cream is mentioned in Turkey. They are especially known for their legendary “cut Maraş” ice cream, which is produced in Mado's Kahramanmaraş factory. Mado is also known for making all its ice cream from goat's milk and salep. There are around 200 Mado outlets throughout Turkey. This yearö for the first time, Mado is offering customers honey ice cream and ice cream cake. At Mado, two scoops will cost you TL 3, while a portion of ice cream will set you back TL 7.5 TL.
Ice cream cake has its fans! Özsüt:
Known in the past for its milky desserts, Özsüt is now making waves with its ice cream flavors, too. This year, it has added flavors such as “amarenalı” (made from the amerana cherries), cookies ice cream (with chunks of cookie mixed into the ice cream) and sour cherry. Altogether, Özsüt now boasts 18 kinds of ice cream. Customers also rave about their strawberry-chocolate ice cream cake, their pistachio-chocolate ice cream cake and their cream-chocolate ice cream cake. There are no additives used in Özsüt ice cream, and fresh fruit is always used. Costs are TL 1.5 per scoop, TL 22 for a kilogram and TL 7 for a portion. An ice cream cake costs TL 40, while a slice costs TL 7.
Milky desserts served up with ice cream Sütiş:
Another spot famous for its range of delicious milky desserts is Sütiş, which now offers ice cream made with seasonal fruits. Their “damla sakızlı” (mastic gum ice cream) and nutty ice creams are also very popular. Customers like to order ice cream as an addition to whatever milk-based dessert they may be eating at Sütiş. For example, you might want to get a scoop of your favorite flavor alongside your rice pudding, your “ tavukgöğsü” or your “kazandibi.” Sütiş produces and sells all of its foods on a daily basis. There are no leftovers served here. One scoop of ice cream is TL 1, while one portion is TL 5 and a kilogram is TL 20.
40 years of service in the same spot Yeşilköy Roma Ice Cream (Yeşilköy):
Italian ice cream has a home in İstanbul, and that original home is Yeşilköy Roma Dondurmacısı, which has been serving up scoops of delicious Italian-style ice cream in the same location for 40 years now. The milk, fruit and salep used in the production of this ice cream has been purchased from the same place for the past 30 years. You can get a range of classic flavors in addition to chestnut, red mulberry, almond and mastic gum. The nut products used in this ice cream is from the very best suppliers. The shop has a devoted customer base that has not wavered much over the years -- people who appreciate well-made ice cream and attention to detail. There are three outlets of Yeşilköy ice cream now, with one on the coastline, one in central Yeşilköy and one in Bayramoğlu. A cone is TL 1.5 and a kilogram is TL 25.
Other great places to get ice cream
Sim Pastaneleri Ankara, Kafkas Bursa, Nur Pastaneleri (burnt ice-cream) Antalya, Sevinç Pastanesi İzmir, Yaşar Pastanesi, Ferah Pastanesi Maraş, Dosa Dondurma Konya, Güloğlu Pastanesi Trabzon, Pado Dondurma Erzurum, Ferah Dondurma Şanlıurfa
