Hatay Salted Yogurt Soup

Hatay Salted Yogurt Soup is a regional soup with deep roots in Hatay’s culinary culture. It was officially registered as a “geographical indication” on 23 December 2024 under registration number 1677 by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office. The application for registration was submitted by the Hatay Governorate.

This soup is prepared using Antakya salted yogurt , a geographical indication product registered under number 532 and native to Hatay, as its primary ingredient. Other essential components are rice, water and mint-infused oil.

The distinctive feature of this soup lies in its production method specific to Hatay. In this method, cleaned and washed rice is boiled in water. Once the rice grains have opened and softened, Hatay salted yogurt is added directly to the boiling water and stirred continuously until fully dissolved. Another critical step in traditional production is the addition of the soup’s fat—butter and liquid oil—before the mint-infused oil, during the cooking process.

Ingredients:

• 250 g Hatay salted yogurt
• 200 g rice
• 1200 ml water
• 30 g butter
• 20 ml liquid oil
• 10 g dried mint

Preparation:

1. Cleaned and washed rice is placed in a deep pot with 1200 ml of water and brought to a boil.
2. Once the rice grains have opened and softened, Hatay salted yogurt is added to the boiling water and stirred continuously until completely dissolved.
3. Butter and liquid oil are added to the pot.
4. The soup is cooked until all ingredients are fully integrated, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
5. After cooking, the soup is served in bowls, with dried mint lightly fried in oil in a separate pan and sprinkled on top.

The geographical boundary for Hatay Salted Yogurt Soup is the province of Hatay. Since the product’s reputation and production method are inseparable from Hatay, all stages of production must be carried out within the province’s borders.

The compliance of the product with its geographical indication conditions is monitored by a supervisory body composed of experts from the Hatay Governorate and the Hatay Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, under the coordination of the Hatay Governorate.