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The Sivas Table and Its Geographical Indication Flavours

The table of Sivas is the table of the steppe. Cattle and sheep grazing on the high pastures, mulberries ripening at high altitude, stone ovens and rock salt form the foundation of this cuisine.

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The Sivas Table and Its Geographical Indication Flavours

The table of Sivas is the table of the steppe. Cattle and sheep grazing on the high pastures, mulberries ripening at high altitude, stone ovens and rock salt form the foundation of this cuisine. The geographical indication database of the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office holds 22 entries for Sivas, and most of them are foods. Starting from those entries, this article introduces the registered flavours of Sivas, how they are made, and how you can get to know them as you travel through the province.

What a geographical indication means

TÜRKPATENT defines a geographical indication as a quality mark that shows and guarantees a product's origin, its characteristic features and the link between those features and a geographical area. Geographical indications are registered in two types. If all or the essential qualities of a product come from the natural and human factors of a particular region and every stage of production takes place there, it is called a designation of origin. If at least one of the production, processing or other stages takes place in the region, it is a geographical sign.

The Sivas Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism publishes documents on its website that introduce each of the province's registered products. These documents summarise the registration number and date, who registered the product, and the method of production. All of the information below comes from those documents.

Sivas köfte and the importance of salt

Sivas Köftesi was registered as a geographical sign in 2011 on behalf of the Sivas Chamber of Commerce and Industry. According to the registration summary, the first thing that sets these meatballs apart is the meat: it comes from cattle and sheep fed on alfalfa, vetch and wild thyme on the high pastures of Sivas. The document states that the flora of the pastures gives the meat a distinctive aroma.

The second key element is that nothing is added. Apart from salt, no other ingredient goes into the mixture; no tomato paste, vegetables, black pepper or suet are added. That is why the salt itself matters. The salt used is a natural spring salt produced in the village of Tuzlagözü in the Zara district, which undergoes no chemical treatment. According to the document, this salt also keeps the meatballs from changing colour and darkening while they rest.

The meat is passed through a mincer once, kneaded, rested for at least twelve hours and minced again. The meatballs are shaped in the palm into a thin oval, with the hand dipped lightly in water. Sivas köfte is served with fresh greens and salad.

Pastırma, çemen and steppe air

Sivas Pastırması was registered in 2022 on behalf of the Sivas Commodity Exchange. According to the registration summary, the pastırma is made from the back and tenderloin of male cattle that are at least two years old. The meat is salted with a fine grained underground spring salt known as karıncabaş, dried in natural air and coated with çemen, a fenugreek paste.

The point the document underlines is that drying is done entirely in natural air; controlled climate rooms are not used. The production time varies with the season and takes longer in winter than in summer. The çemen paste contains no artificial colouring, and the çemen coating is kept thin and even. Sivas pastırma sold in slices is also cut very thin; the document sets a maximum thickness of two millimetres. The document states that the history of Sivas pastırma began in the early 1900s in the village of Kızılca in Sivas and spread over time across the whole province.

The morning katmer

Sivas Katmeri was registered in 2018 on behalf of the Sivas Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It is a savoury pastry made with water, flour, fat, fresh yeast, egg yolk and salt, and it has a flat, rectangular shape. According to the registration summary, in Sivas it is eaten especially at breakfast, but it can be enjoyed at any time of day.

The secret of katmer lies in the layers that give it its name. The dough is rolled out ten to fifteen times, solid fat is placed in the middle, and it is folded like an envelope and rolled out again and again. At the final rolling, lines in a lattice pattern are scored on the surface with a fine blade and egg yolk is brushed on. According to the document, katmer in Sivas is baked by bakers who have stone ovens, because the stone oven gives a different taste.

Divriği's upturned pilaf

Divriği Pilavı, also known as Alatlı Pilavı, was registered in 2020 on behalf of the Divriği District Governorship. The pilaf is built in layers. Meat that has been boiled and shredded is mixed with spices and spread over the bottom of the pot, boiled chickpeas and raisins go on top of it, and rice goes on top of everything.

According to the registration summary, this pilaf was once made for charitable occasions and weddings. The amounts of rice and meat are equal, and the butter is half the amount of the meat. After the cooked pilaf has rested, the pot is turned upside down onto a tray and the pilaf is served with its layers on show. It is offered with a compote of raisins.

Altınyayla's tonus köftesi

Tonus Köftesi was registered in 2023 on behalf of the Altınyayla Municipality. A dough made of bulgur, minced meat, onion, flour, egg and spices is filled with a stuffing prepared from kidney fat, salt and pepper, and the dumplings are boiled in salted water. According to the document, the bulgur comes from the Zeron variety of wheat and the minced meat from beef back meat.

Tonus köftesi is served hot in copper bowls, usually with an apricot compote. The dough is kneaded until the bulgur swells, small balls are hollowed with the thumb, and the stuffing is placed in the hollow before each dumpling is closed. The registration summary states that this dish has an important place in the culinary culture of Altınyayla and is offered especially on special days and at gatherings.

Ulaş, at the foot of Mount Tecer

Ulaş, a district in southeastern Sivas at the foot of Mount Tecer, has two registered flavours. Both were registered in 2020 on behalf of the Ulaş District Governorship. Ulaş Etli Pidesi is baked in a stone oven over a wood fire. Its dough is made from the flour of Zeron wheat grown in Sivas, and its topping from the rib meat of cattle raised in the area. Tomato, onion and green pepper are mixed into the minced or diced meat. Parsley is scattered over the pide when it comes out of the oven, and it is served with an onion salad dressed with sumac and with lemon slices.

Ulaş Yaprak Döneri is made from beef opened into thin sheets and marinated overnight in a sauce of milk, spices, grated onion and olive oil. The meat is stacked on the skewer in rows alternating with sheep tail fat and cooked by slowly turning it in an upright position. The registration summary notes that the district's position on a caravan route contributed to the formation of this dish.

Zara's bread and honey

The Zara district's two registered products were recorded on behalf of the Zara Chamber of Agriculture. Zara Sac Ekmeği is made with wheat flour, çökelek curd or whey, rock salt and yeast, and is baked on a sac, a domed iron griddle set over a wood fire. It is produced in three forms, plain, with potato or with çökelek, and its upper surface is given an uneven pattern with the fingers.

Zara Balı is a flower honey produced by bees that feed on plants such as wild thyme above all, as well as milk vetch, horehound and alfalfa, on the district's high pastures. According to the registration summary, the harvest begins in mid August and lasts until mid September, and the honey is sold either in the comb or strained.

Mulberries, guelder rose and pickles

Five of the Sivas entries are designations of origin, which means every stage of production takes place in their own area; Gürün mulberry molasses and Gemerek guelder rose are among them. Gürün Dut Pekmezi is made from white mulberries grown at high altitude, from fruit gathered between early June and the end of August. The mulberries are shaken from the trees, their juice is boiled in a copper cauldron and then left in trays under the sun. According to the document, no additives are used in production.

Gemerek Gilaburusu is a red, chickpea sized fruit of the guelder rose that grows in the valleys of streams flowing into the Kızılırmak. The registration summary states that the fruit ripens in bunches at the end of summer, and that the soil of the area and the difference between day and night temperatures give it its distinctive taste and colour.

Sivas Pezik Turşusu is a pickle unique to the area, made from beet stalks. According to the document, this pickle was once prepared in large cauldrons in front of houses. Suşehri Kuru Fasulyesi, meanwhile, is grown from heirloom seed in fields at high altitude watered with cold spring water, and its beans do not shed their skins when cooked. The newest food entry on the list is Sivas Kellesi; the TÜRKPATENT database shows it as registered in 2026 on behalf of the Sivas Commodity Exchange.

Following these flavours through Sivas

The nicest thing about these registrations is that each one is tied to a place. Look for Sivas köfte and katmer in the city centre, and think of Altınyayla for tonus köftesi, Ulaş for etli pide and yaprak döner, Zara for sac bread and honey, and Divriği for the pilaf. If you spread a trip to Sivas across these districts, every dish on your plate will also tell you about the road you travelled.

The season matters too. Mulberry picking in Gürün takes place in summer, the honey harvest in Zara in August and September, and the guelder rose of Gemerek ripens at the end of summer. When buying products, check that the geographical indication name and the registered area of the product are stated. You can check the registration details and product definitions in the TÜRKPATENT database or on the page of the Sivas Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism.

Sources

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