Ice cream is a common treat in many cultures, but Turkey has a recipe that’s all it’s own. Maraş Dondurma (mah-rash don-dur-mah) is most fondly known as “stretchy ice cream” or “cut ice cream”. Aside from being entirely delicious, this ice cream is known for its rich, creamy and yes, stretchy, texture. Wondering what’s inside? The unique ingredients include goats milk, gum mastic (a type of resin harvested from trees along the Aegean Sea), and salep (a powder made from grinding the dried bulb of the purple orchid – native to the Karahmanmaraş region where this ice cream originated). 

Recipe for Maraş Dondurma

Ingredients:

• 500 ml goat’s milk,
• 1/2 cup sugar,
• 1 wiping tablespoon of pure salep
• 1 tiny piece of mastic

Preparation:

1. Crush mastic into powder,
2. Beat the milk, sugar, salep and mastic powder in a small saucepan,
3. Cook over medium heat until it starts to boil, stirring constantly,
4. After boiling, continue stirring and cook for another minute then remove from heat,
5. Using a hand blender, blend constantly until it becomes room temperature (you can put it in a bowl of ice to speed up the process),
6. Pour the mixture into a 20 x 26 cm baking dish suitable for freezer and place into the freezer,
7. Remove from the freezer and blend thoroughly every half hour until it is completely thickened,
8. After thickening, (you can eat immediately if you wish) transfer to a freezer-appropriate container and store in freezer.

Looking for a good spot in Bursa to enjoy custom handmade stretchy ice cream? During the warm months, it’s never too difficult to find a vendor in the malls or marketplaces. Be warned! They put on quite a performance before finally handing over your treat. In the winter, try Tekin Usta Dondurma in Özlüce (Instagram: @tekinustadondurma). Another amazing experience is ice cream topped with sweetened semolina (dondurmalı irmik helvası). Helvacı Ali has locations across Bursa and Turkey and you won’t be disappointed (Instagram: @helvaciali_bursa).

And for those of you reading this on this cold February publication date, if a frozen treat doesn’t appeal to you, fear not! A steaming cup of Salep is a perfect solution to give you a taste of Turkey’s incredible sweet creations without making you shiver. 

Images Courtesy of:

• https://www.pexels.com/@jameshausley/

Other Sources:

• https://yummyistanbul.com/turkish-ice-cream-dondurma/
• https://www.tasteatlas.com/maras-dondurmas
• https://www.trtworld.com/turkey/turkey-s-unique-and-popular-maras-ice-cream–6801
• https://www.fethiyetimes.com/eat/18268-maras-ice-cream-thats-stretch.html
• https://www.alaturka.info/en/life/culinary/5293-dondurma-typical-turkish-ice-cream-from-maras