Maraş Ice Cream

Maraş Dövme Dondurması is a traditional ice cream variety unique to the Turkish province of Kahramanmaraş, produced using traditional methods and officially registered with a geographical indication. This product distinguishes itself from other ice cream types through its production process, ingredient composition, and consumption method, serving as a tangible example of local cultural heritage and traditional food production techniques.

^{Maraş Dondurması (}Kahramanmaraş Büyükşehir Belediyesi⁾

Maraş Dövme Dondurması is a product made with original proportions of goat’s milk, salep, and sugar, which is thickened by pounding and defined by its fibrous texture. The goat’s milk is obtained from goats raised within the boundaries of Kahramanmaraş province, feeding on natural flora such as thyme, keven, hyacinth, and cyclamen, imparting a distinctive flavor and consistency to the product. Salep is derived from the tubers of wild orchids grown in the Ahır Dağı region; the substance known as glucomannan in its composition forms the basis of the ice cream’s elastic and slow-melting structure.

The “dövme” process involves continuously pressing and turning the ice cream mixture in cooled vats using metal rods. This method gives the product a chewy and elastic texture, while the air content is limited to between 15% and 30% to preserve structural integrity. As a result, Maraş Ice Cream is firm enough to be cut with a knife and fork.

Under Law No. 6769 on Industrial Property, and upon the application of the Kahramanmaraş Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office registered Maraş Dövme Dondurması on 18 April 2018 under registration number 344 as a geographical indication. This registration mandates that all stages of production, processing, packaging, and storage must occur within the boundaries of Kahramanmaraş province, thereby tightly linking the product to its geographical origin.

^{Külahta Maraş Dondurması (}Kahramanmaraş Büyükşehir Belediyesi⁾

During the Ottoman period, the foundations of Maraş Dövme Dondurması were laid in Kahramanmaraş with the addition of goat’s milk and salep to a dessert called “karsambaç,” which was originally made with snow collected from highland pastures. According to tradition, a man named “Maraşlı Osman Ağa” produced the first examples by mixing salep, milk, and sugar with snow. Over time, the consistency of this mixture evolved into an elastic texture, forming the earliest prototype of today’s ice cream. The product gradually acquired its current texture and production method through the pounding process.

^{Maraş Dondurmacısı (}Anadolu Ajansı⁾

Goat’s milk is transported to the production site within four hours of milking and then pasteurized. After sugar is added, the milk is boiled again; salep is then incorporated and the mixture is boiled for an additional three to five minutes. The mixture is concentrated to achieve a minimum total dry matter content of 33%. In the next stage, the mixture is pounded at temperatures between -5 °C and -8 °C and shock-frozen to -40 °C to reach a core temperature of -20 °C. The final product can be stored for up to one year at temperatures of -18 °C or lower.

Promotional activities led by the Kahramanmaraş Metropolitan Municipality and local producers have increased awareness of Maraş Dövme Dondurması both within Türkiye and abroad. As of 2019, efforts began to export the product to European Union countries, leading to the development of standardized production methods, hygiene conditions, and packaging techniques. The ice cream is featured at international promotional fairs as one of Türkiye’s representative products and has become one of the most notable elements of gastronomic tourism due to its unique structure.