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Flavors · Ancara

Ankara tava

Shoulder and rib of lamb roasted for hours in a stone oven, served over rice cooked in the meat’s broth in a tinned copper dish with lid: the meat dish of the province of Ankara.

Traditional dish from Ancara

Also known as: Ankara tavası, Ankara tavasi

Updated October 2026

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Ankara tava — Ancara, Turkey — Ankara tava

Ankara tava — Ancara, Turkey

Ankara tava is a meat dish of sheep or lamb with rice, linked to the flocks of the districts of Çubuk, Beypazarı, Kalecik, Polatlı and Haymana, in the province of Ankara. The geographical indication record attributes the dish’s renown to the sheep breeding in those areas, grazed on the region’s pastures.

The registered recipe uses shoulder and rib. The meat is cleaned, cut and left to rest in cold for two to four days. Then it goes into a tinned copper pot inside a stone oven, heated with oak, kermes oak or beech wood, and roasts for about six hours. The only seasoning is salt.

The rice is cooked separately for about 25 minutes in the broth released by the meat, with butter, using a ratio of one part rice to two parts broth. At serving time it is placed in a tinned copper dish with lid: rice first, then the meat on top.

The name "Ankara Tava" has a geographical indication registration since 2017 (No. 234), requested by the Ankara Chamber of Commerce, and the whole preparation must be carried out within the province.

Where it comes from

Ancara
The geographical indication links the dish to the sheep of five districts in the province of Ankara.

Ingredients

Shoulder and rib of sheep or lamb, salt, rice, butter and the meat’s broth.

How it is eaten

In the tinned copper dish with lid: rice below and meat on top; eaten with fork and knife.

When it is eaten

All year round, at lunchtime.

Your questions

Questions about Ankara tava

What is Ankara tava?

It is a dish of sheep or lamb meat, roasted for about six hours in a stone oven, served over rice cooked in the meat’s broth, in a tinned copper dish with lid.

Does Ankara tava have seasonings?

According to the registered recipe, no: the only seasoning for the meat is salt. The flavor comes from the province’s sheep meat and the long oven time.

Where does the meat for Ankara tava come from?

The registration cites the flocks of the districts of Çubuk, Beypazarı, Kalecik, Polatlı and Haymana, in the province of Ankara.

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