Cappadocia Food Guide: Pottery Kebab, Local Wine and What to Eat

Cappadocia has its own food identity, separate from Istanbul’s seafood-heavy cuisine or the kebab culture of southeastern Turkey. The region’s signature dishes use the land: lamb slow-cooked underground, vegetables from the high-plateau farms, and wine produced from grapes grown in volcanic soil. The most memorable meal here involves a clay pot being smashed at your table.

Testi Kebab (Pottery Kebab)

The testi kebab — also called the pottery kebab or clay pot kebab — is Cappadocia’s most distinctive dish and the one that justifies a restaurant booking. Lamb or chicken is sealed inside a hand-thrown clay pot from Avanos with vegetables, tomatoes, peppers and spices, then cooked in a wood-fired oven for several hours. When the waiter brings it to the table, they crack the clay seal with a knife and the pot splits open, releasing steam and the concentrated cooking liquid.

The ceremony is part of the appeal, but the food holds up independently: the slow, sealed cooking intensifies the flavour and keeps the meat genuinely tender. Prices run TRY 400–600 per portion at most restaurants in Göreme.

Where to find it: most mid-range restaurants in Göreme offer it. Pumpkin Göreme Restaurant and Topdeck Cave Restaurant are frequently cited for consistent quality. Book ahead for dinner in peak season.

Kayseri-Style Manti

Manti — small Turkish dumplings similar in concept to tortellini — appear across Turkey, but the Kayseri version is distinctive and famous enough to have a regional designation. Kayseri, the large city 75km east of Göreme, produces dumplings that are far smaller than standard versions: each one barely fits a grain of meat inside. A single serving might contain 40–50 tiny dumplings.

The dumplings are served with a generous layer of garlic yoghurt, drizzled with melted butter coloured with dried tomato paste or Aleppo pepper, and finished with dried mint. The combination of the savoury dumpling, cool yoghurt and warm spiced butter works in a way that seems unlikely until you eat it.

You can find Kayseri-style manti in most Cappadocian restaurants. Prices: TRY 150–250 per portion.

Gözleme

Gözleme is a filled flatbread cooked on a round griddle — a sac. The dough is hand-rolled thin, stuffed with spinach and white cheese, minced meat or potato, then folded and cooked over the flame. In Cappadocia, small family-run gözleme spots operate in Göreme’s outdoor market area and near the Open Air Museum.

Price: TRY 60–100 depending on filling. It is the most straightforward and affordable hot food option in the region, typically served folded in half and eaten by hand.

Cappadocian Wine

Viticulture in Cappadocia dates back at least 4,000 years. The volcanic soil — silica-rich, well-drained, with significant mineral content — produces wines with strong acidity and distinctive mineral notes. The altitude (1,000–1,200m above sea level) extends the growing season and concentrates flavours.

The two main commercial producers are Kocabağ and Turasan, both based near Ürgüp. Both operate visitor centres where you can taste and buy directly.

Kocabağ (near Ürgüp) is the larger operation, producing reds from Öküzgözü and Boğazkere grapes and whites from Emir, the local white variety. Their Emir white is crisp and dry with citrus notes and represents the clearest expression of Cappadocian terroir. Tastings are free or low-cost at the cellar.

Turasan is Ürgüp’s oldest winery, founded in 1943. Tastings and tours are available by appointment; their rosé from local grapes is worth trying.

By the glass at restaurants: TRY 80–150. A bottle to take from the cellar: TRY 200–500 depending on label.

For context on Turkish wine geography more broadly: Cappadocia, Thrace and the Aegean coast are the three significant regions. Cappadocia’s wines are less well-distributed internationally than Thracian wines but are easier to find and taste if you are in the region.

Other Local Dishes

Güveç: A clay pot stew (not the same as testi kebab — güveç is cooked in a smaller open pot) of vegetables and meat. Common on menus throughout the region. TRY 200–350.

Yaprak sarma: Vine leaves stuffed with rice, pine nuts and dried fruit, served cold with yoghurt. The vine leaf version found here uses leaves from local vineyards. TRY 80–120.

Pekmez: Grape molasses made from reduced grape juice. Used as a syrup over cheese or yoghurt at breakfast. You will see it in Avanos market stalls.

Where to Eat in Göreme

The main street in Göreme has dozens of restaurants. Quality varies and the tourist-facing menus in the busiest spots are not always the best value. A few consistent options:

• Pumpkin Göreme: reliable testi kebab and local dishes, rooftop seating
• Topdeck Cave Restaurant: cave setting, solid food, popular for dinner
• Dibek Restaurant: in a 475-year-old stone building, manti and traditional dishes
• Nazar Börek: cheap, local börek and breakfast items for early mornings before balloon flights

Budget for dinner with wine: TRY 600–1,000 per person at a mid-range restaurant.