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Flavors · Nevşehir

Nevşehir testi kebabı

Meat and vegetables cooked inside a clay pot from Avanos, sealed with a flour dough; at the table the pot is broken when served. It is the best-known dish of Cappadocia.

Traditional dish from Nevşehir

Also known as: testi kebabı, Kapadokya testi kebabı, Nevsehir testi kebabi, testi kebabi

Updated October 2026

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Nevşehir testi kebabı — Nevşehir, Turkey — Nevşehir testi kebabı

Nevşehir testi kebabı — Nevşehir, Turkey

The testi kebabı ("kebab in a pot") is the dish almost every visitor to Cappadocia tries. Lamb or beef, diced onion, pepper, garlic, tomato and seasonings are placed raw into a narrow-necked clay pot. The opening is sealed with a flour-and-water dough, and the pot goes into a wood-fired oven or tandır for two hours or more. Inside, the meat cooks in its own steam and the vegetables' juices.

The pot comes from Avanos, a pottery town on the banks of the Kızılırmak River, where the clay is taken from the river's ancient beds. Avanos ceramics have their own geographical indication record, and the town says clay pots have been made there since the Hittite period.

When serving, the pot is brought to the table and broken near the neck with a sharp strike; in many households the customer themselves breaks it. The contents are poured onto a plate, and the kebab is served with rice or bread.

The name "Nevşehir Testi Kebabı" has a geographical indication registration since 2021 (No. 836), requested by the Nevşehir Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Avanos sub-governorate. Yozgat, a neighboring province, has its own "desti kebabı", registered in 2023, and the two provinces dispute the dish's origin.

Where it comes from

Nevşehir
Cappadocian dish, with a provincial geographical indication; the pots come from Avanos.

Ingredients

Lamb or beef (leg or shoulder), chopped onion, green pepper, garlic, tomato, salt, black pepper and other seasonings; Avanos clay pot; flour-and-water dough to seal.

How it is eaten

The pot is broken at the table and the contents go onto the plate; served with rice or bread.

When it is eaten

All year round.

Your questions

Questions about Nevşehir testi kebabı

Why is the testi kebabı pot broken?

Because the pot is sealed with dough before going into the oven so the meat cooks in its own steam. When serving it is broken near the neck and the contents are poured onto the plate. In many places the customer breaks it.

Is testi kebabı from Nevşehir or Yozgat?

Both provinces have the dish, with their own names and registrations: Nevşehir testi kebabı (2021) and Yozgat desti kebabı (2023). The pots used in Cappadocia come from Avanos, in Nevşehir.

Is the meat in testi kebabı lamb or beef?

It can be either. The meat goes into the pot raw, with chopped onion, pepper, garlic and tomato, and cooks for two hours or more.

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