Muğla Saraylısı

Muğla saraylısı is a dessert produced by stretching dough into thin sheets known as yufka, filling it with walnuts from the Menteşe region, shaping it into a distinctive round form, baking it, and soaking it in syrup. the dough's traditional

Muğla saraylısı belongs to the product group of bakery and confectionery items, dough-based products, and sweets. It has been officially registered by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office as a “geographical indication.” The registration of Muğla saraylısı confirms its unique association with the Muğla region, as this dessert has a history of approximately two hundred years and is distinguished by its use of local walnuts, original rolling and tray-layering techniques, and symbolic meaning in regional engagement customs—representing wealth, nobility, and sincerity.

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Muğla saraylısı is a syrup-soaked dessert characterized by its unique round shape, achieved by placing walnut kernels from the Menteşe region between layers of yufka, rolling them into cylinders, and then arranging these cylinders in a spiral pattern starting from the center of a round tray and extending outward. With a history of approximately two hundred years, this dessert holds an important place in the social life of the city and continues to be an integral part of traditional engagement customs, symbolizing wealth, nobility, and sincerity.

The ingredients and production method for 1 kg of Muğla saraylısı are outlined below.

• 180 g yufka (rolled from dough)
• 170 g walnut kernels (local Muğla walnuts, coarsely ground in a mortar)
• 150 g clarified butter (residue from melted and strained butter)
• 400 g syrup
• 100 g starch (used for rolling out the yufka)

• Syrup is prepared by boiling 60% sugar, 40% water, and a trace amount of lemon salt.

1. Preparing the yufka: A dough portion the size of an egg is separated and rested for 15 minutes, then rolled out with the aid of starch to a thickness greater than that of baklava yufka.
2. Filling and Rolling: The rolled-out yufka is laid on a clean cloth and evenly sprinkled with walnut kernels. One edge of the cloth is then lifted to roll the yufka into a cylindrical shape.
3. Arranging on the Tray: The rolled cylinder is placed in the center of a round tray and rotated around its own axis. Additional cylinders are arranged in concentric spirals around the central one using the same method.
4. Basting and Baking: Clarified butter is generously brushed over the surface. After allowing the butter to be absorbed, the dessert is baked in an oven at 215°C.
5. Syrup Soaking: The prepared syrup is warmed. The baked saraylısı is also warmed (it must be at the same temperature as the syrup). The warm syrup is poured over the warm saraylısı and left to rest for several hours.

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The application for the geographical indication registration of Muğla saraylısı was submitted by the Muğla Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The application, numbered C2017/143, was filed on 21 September 2017. Following the evaluation process, the product was officially registered on 17 April 2018 under registration number 346 as a “geographical indication.” The applicant’s address is recorded as Muslihittin Mahallesi, Şehit Yarbay Alim Yılmaz Caddesi No:3, Muğla.

Monitoring of all stages of Muğla saraylısı production—including preparation, baking, syrup soaking, storage, packaging, and the cultivation, harvesting, and drying of the local Muğla walnuts—is carried out by a designated authority established jointly by the Muğla Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Muğla Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, the Muğla Provincial Directorate of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, and the Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit of Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, Republic of Türkiye.