Akçakoca Melengücceği Dessert

 

Akçakoca Melengücceği Dessert is a 700-year-old delicacy still practiced by the Turks who migrated from Central Asia and settled in Akçakoca, known as "Manav." It's a delicacy that even made its way into the Ottoman Palace Cuisine. The filling, called "dartı," is made from the cream of buffalo milk raised along the Melen River, and it's a regional flavor that gives the dessert its unique taste. Akçakoca Melengücceği Dessert is a traditional delicacy still preserved by the Manav people living in Akçakoca. It's said that in the past, this dessert, in its unsweetened, dry form, was a treat offered by the Manav people when they visited each other. The dessert is still made and served in the region, especially at weddings and holidays.

 

There are various legends surrounding the origin of the name Melengücceği Dessert. The Melen River flows into the Black Sea from the Akçakoca district. It is said that this dessert, which was consumed without syrup in the past, got its name from the Old Turkish word "güccek," meaning "small bread," and was therefore called "Melengücceği," meaning "Melen small bread."

 

Akçakoca Melengücceği Dessert Ingredients:

 

3 cups wheat flour

1 cup milk

1 egg

1 cup vegetable oil (preferably hazelnut oil)

2 tablespoons butter

200 g buffalo cream

200 g dill

200 g walnuts

100 g ground hazelnuts

Enough honey

½ packet baking powder

A pinch of salt

1 liter water

How to Make the Dough for Akçakoca Melengücceği Dessert:

 

Break one egg into a bowl and add one cup of milk. Then mix the milk and egg together. Make sure the egg dissolves completely during this process. Next, melt two tablespoons of butter and add it. A pinch of baking powder, salt, and some flour are added to this mixture. Mixing continues until the dough is no longer sticky and has the consistency of an earlobe. Then, let the dough rest. It's important that the dough isn't too dense.

 

Take a tangerine-sized piece of dough and roll it out with a rolling pin. Spread the prepared filling evenly over the dough. Add walnuts and hazelnuts to the dough. Then, roll the dough into a log and cut it into pieces about two to three fingers wide. Gather the ends and roll each piece out again with a rolling pin until it's about the size of a palm.

 

The prepared dough pieces are then fried in oil until lightly browned. They are then lightly drained and placed in a bowl filled with honey to absorb the syrup. It's important that the honey is cold. After this, they are lightly drained again from the honey and placed in separate plates. Sprinkle with the desired amount of walnuts and hazelnuts, and serve with buffalo cream. Here, the buffalo cream added on top is as important as the "dartı," the filling of our dessert. Optionally, ice cream and wild strawberries can also be added on top during the season.

 

How to Prepare the "Dartı" Used in Akçakoca Melengücceği Dessert

 

To prepare the filling called "dartı," which gives the dessert its flavor, buffalo or cow's milk cream is placed in a deep pot and cooked over low heat, stirring constantly. When the cream thickens, it is removed from the heat. The consistency should not become too thick. The prepared dartı is left to cool. Dartı is the most important ingredient in the Akçakoca Melengücceği Dessert, a flavor synonymous with the region.

 

Preparation Time: 90 minutes 18/20 pieces