Tutmaç Soup

Tutmaç Çorbası is a traditional dish unique to Turkish cuisine, prepared by cooking small pieces of dough with meat or minced meat, then pouring yogurt over the top.

The earliest and most detailed information about tutmaç is found in the 11th-century work Divânu Lügâti’t-Türk by Kaşgarlı Mahmud. According to Kaşgarlı, tutmaç has been known and consumed by Turkic peoples since the time of Zülkarneyn. The word “tutmaç” is derived from the phrase “bizi tutma aç,” meaning “do not leave yourself hungry—eat this dish.” This explanation is believed to originate from folk traditions.

Although Kaşgarlı Mahmud does not provide a direct recipe for tutmaç, the terminology used offers insight into its preparation. According to these sources, tutmaç is made by boiling thicker pieces of dough than those used for ügre (şehriye), straining them, and then serving them with meat and yogurt. The ingredients and utensils used are also detailed in the text. For instance, the dough pieces are strained through a sieve called çovlı, and flavoring agents such as yogurt and vinegar are referred to as katık. Additionally, various plant extracts—including the fruit of the avılku tree and the nectar of the tagna yava plant—were mixed with yogurt for use in the dish.

Throughout history, tutmaç spread to regions inhabited by Turkic peoples, including China, Iran, India, Syria, Egypt, Anatolia, and the Balkans, where it is known by various names. For example, the 14th-century Chinese dietary treatise Yinshan Zhengyao also mentions tutmaç. Similar dishes appear in Arab, Persian, Albanian, Greek, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Russian, and Georgian cuisines.

Ibn Sînâ, in his work Kitâbü’l-Kânûn el-Sağîr fi’t-Tıbb, recommended consuming tutmaç during winter months. The historian Ibnü’l-Esîr evaluated the tutmaç eaten by Great Seljuk Sultan Tuğrul Bey in Nishapur as “good but lacking garlic.” Tutmaç is also mentioned in the works of historians such as Cüzcânî, Cüveynî, and Şerefüddin Ali Yezdî, as well as literary figures like Ali Şîr Nevâî and Mevlânâ Ebû İshak Hallâc-ı Şirâzî. In Mevlevi sources, particularly in the texts of Mevlânâ Celâleddîn-i Rûmî and Şems-i Tebrizî, tutmaç soup is frequently referenced.

Since the Anatolian Seljuk period, tutmaç has held an important place on both folk and palace tables. Information about the dish appears in works such as Dânişmendnâme, Ibn Bîbî’s El-Evâmirü’l-Alâ’iyye, the attributed Kenzü’l-Menâfi by Şeyhî, and Ibn-i Şerîf’s Yâdigâr. During the Ottoman period, it was widely consumed; it was served to pashas in the court of Fatih Sultan Mehmet and presented at the circumcision feast of III. Mehmet in 1582. Tutmaç is also mentioned in Gelibolulu Mustafa Âli’s Câmiu’l-buhûr Der-Mecâlis-i Sûr and Şeyhzâde’s Tabîbnâme.

Today, tutmaç is still prepared in parts of Anatolia, particularly in regions with a high concentration of Turkmen populations. In Turkish, it is known by various regional names such as dutmaç, dutmeç, kesme aşı, velevse, erişte aşı, kikirdekli kesme, börek çorbası, bacaklı çorba, and hamur tutma çorbası. While ingredients and preparation methods vary by region, the essential element remains the cooking of dough pieces with yogurt, meat, and/or legumes.

In Konya cuisine, tutmaç soup is a traditional dish made with erişte, chickpeas, and yogurt. The dough for tutmaç, prepared in summer and dried for winter consumption, can be stored for long periods. To prepare the soup, boiled chickpeas, lentils, and erişte are used; a mixture of yogurt, flour, and egg is added as a thickener. It is served with hot oil infused with mint poured on top. In some regions, small fried pieces of dough called “çığırtmaç” or “mangır” are also added to the soup.

Tutmaç Çorbası (Turkish Tourism Encyclopedia)

Ingredients

For the dough

• 1 egg
• 1 glass of water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Flour as needed (to achieve an earlobe-like softness when kneading)

For the boiling water

• 5 glasses of water
• 1 dessertspoon salt

For the meat and yogurt mixture

• 250 grams cubed lamb
• 5 glasses of water (for boiling the meat)
• 1 glass of yogurt
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1 egg

For the kıkırdağ (topping and flavoring)

• 1 egg
• Salt
• Flour as needed (to make a soft dough)
• 2 tablespoons plain oil

Preparation

Preparing the dough

Knead the egg, water, salt, and flour into a dough with the softness of an earlobe. Let it rest under a damp cloth for approximately 20 minutes. Then roll the dough out to a thickness of 2 mm and cut into 1 cm² squares or erişte shapes. Allow the cut pieces to dry slightly.

Boiling the dough

Add 1 dessertspoon of salt to 5 glasses of water and boil the prepared dough pieces in this water.

Cooking the meat

Place the cubed lamb in 5 glasses of water and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Cook until the meat is completely tender.

Preparing the yogurt mixture

Mix the water from the boiled dough with yogurt, crushed garlic, and one egg, blending thoroughly. Then add the boiled dough and cooked meat to this mixture.

Simmering

Bring the entire mixture to a gentle boil over the stove.

Preparing the kıkırdağ

Knead one egg, salt, and sufficient flour into a soft dough. Roll the dough into long sticks and cut into pieces the size of lentils. Fry these pieces in hot plain oil. Sprinkle the fried kıkırdağ over the soup before serving.

Note: The soup can also be prepared without meat, using only water, according to preference.