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Flavors · Kahramanmaraş

Maraş dondurması

Ice cream made from goat's milk, sugar and salep, dense, elastic and slow to melt: Maraş ice cream, from Kahramanmaraş, that stretches and is chewed.

Traditional sweet from Kahramanmaraş

Also known as: Kahramanmaraş dondurması, dövme dondurma, Maras dondurmasi

Updated October 2026

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Maraş dondurması — Kahramanmaraş, Turkey — Maraş dondurması

Maraş dondurması — Kahramanmaraş, Turkey

Maraş ice cream is known for its texture: dense, elastic, slightly chewy, bright white in color, and slow to melt. The secret is salep, a powder made from orchid tubers that thickens the mix, and goat's milk.

According to the geographical indication registration, the milk is 100% from goats raised in the province of Kahramanmaraş. It is pasteurized and concentrated, then sugar and salep are added, it is boiled for a few minutes and then cooled and whipped with little air. The base is worked until it reaches an elastic consistency; hence the popular name "dövme dondurma", beaten ice cream.

The name "Maraş Dondurması" has a geographical indication registration since 2018 (No. 344), requested by the Kahramanmaraş Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The registration itself recounts, as a legend, the origin: a merchant named Maraşlı Osman Ağa, who sold salep to palaces during the Ottoman period, allegedly left the mixture of salep, sugar and milk overnight and found a thick, elastic mass that gave rise to the ice cream.

Maraş ice cream is sold year-round, plain or flavored, and Kahramanmaraş exports it to dozens of countries. For the registration, it must retain its qualities at 18 degrees below zero or colder.

Where it comes from

Kahramanmaraş
Ice cream made with milk from goats raised in the province of Kahramanmaraş.

Ingredients

Goat's milk, sugar and salep (powder from orchid tubers).

How it is eaten

In slices or scoops, plain or flavored; the firm mass is eaten slowly, almost chewed.

When it is eaten

All year round.

Your questions

Questions about Maraş dondurması

Why does Maraş ice cream stretch?

Because of the salep, a powder made from orchid tubers, and the goat's milk. The mixture is whipped until dense and elastic, which is why it stretches and melts slowly.

Is Maraş ice cream made with cow's milk?

According to the geographical indication registration, no: the milk is 100% from goats raised in the province of Kahramanmaraş.

Are Maraş and Kahramanmaraş the same place?

Yes. Maraş is the old and popular name of the city and province of Kahramanmaraş, in southern Turkey.

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