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Flavors · Çorum

İskilip dolması

Rice cooked for about 12 hours by steam in a copper pot sealed with dough, over the meat and butter, served in a large copper dish: the wedding dish of İskilip, in Çorum.

Traditional dish from Çorum

Also known as: Iskilip dolmasi, İskilip dolma

Updated October 2026

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İskilip dolması — Çorum, Turkey — İskilip dolması

İskilip dolması — Çorum, Turkey

İskilip dolması is not a stuffed dish in the usual sense: it is rice cooked slowly, for many hours, over meat. The name comes from the İskilip district in Çorum province, where the dish is called "saray yemeği" (palace food) and prepared for weddings and special occasions.

There are few ingredients: rice, onion, beef with bone, butter produced in the region, salt, black pepper and water. The preferred rice is Osmancık, a neighboring district also in Çorum. The onion is sautéed in butter, the meat cooks in a tinned copper pot, and the rice, placed in cloth bags called "cağ", sits on a copper tray above the meat. The pot is sealed with a flour-and-water dough and stays about 12 hours on a fire of oak or fruit tree wood.

When serving, everything goes into a large copper dish, the "lenger": first the rice, then the meat broth poured over it and, on top, the meat. A vinegar salad accompanies it. The geographical indication registration requires at least two years of apprenticeship with a master to make the dish.

The name "İskilip Dolması" is registered as a geographical indication (No. 130), requested by the İskilip municipality. The origin is also claimed by Bayat, another district of Çorum. In the region it is said to have been a dish of Ottoman military campaigns, a version without documentary confirmation.

Where it comes from

Çorum
Wedding dish of the İskilip district, in Çorum province.

Ingredients

Rice (preferably Osmancık), onion, beef with bone, butter, salt, black pepper and water.

How it is eaten

In the lenger, the copper serving dish: rice at the bottom, broth on top and the meat on the top; a vinegar salad accompanies it.

When it is eaten

Weddings and special occasions.

Your questions

Questions about İskilip dolması

Is İskilip dolması stuffed?

Despite the name, it is not a stuffed vegetable or leaf. It is rice cooked for about 12 hours by steam, in a sealed pot, over meat and butter.

When is İskilip dolması eaten?

It is the dish of weddings and special occasions in İskilip, in Çorum province. Because it takes many hours, it is usually made in large quantities.

What is İskilip dolması served with?

It is served in a large copper dish, with the meat broth over the rice and the meat on top. A vinegar salad accompanies it.

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