Discover Tekirdağ
Explore Tekirdağ’s Ottoman heritage, museums, Marmara coastline and regional flavours, from famous meatballs to cheese halva and Hayrabolu Tatlısı.
Explore TekirdağUnlike many Turkish desserts whose exact origins have disappeared into centuries of culinary history, Hayrabolu Tatlısı has a relatively recent and documented story.
Production of the dessert began in Hayrabolu in 1972. During its earliest years it was known as Kadı Göbeği Tatlısı, a name that was gradually replaced as the dessert became increasingly associated with the town where it was produced.
Eventually, customers simply began referring to it as Hayrabolu Tatlısı — Hayrabolu Dessert. Because fresh unsalted cheese is one of its defining ingredients, it has also sometimes been described more generally as a peynir tatlısı, or cheese dessert.
The agricultural landscape surrounding Hayrabolu played an important role in its development. The recipe depends heavily on fresh dairy, particularly unsalted cheese produced from cow’s milk, together with semolina, flour and eggs.
Over the decades, the dessert spread beyond Hayrabolu and became increasingly familiar throughout Turkish Thrace and other parts of Türkiye. Local families began serving it during celebrations and gatherings, while visitors often purchased dried versions to prepare later.
Its reputation eventually led to formal protection. Hayrabolu Municipality applied for geographical-indication registration in January 2021.
On 9 August 2021, Hayrabolu Tatlısı was officially registered as a Mahreç İşareti with registration number 839.
Today, Hayrabolu Dessert remains a living local tradition — one that visitors can still experience in the district where its story began.
