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 dessert 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 ingredient that gives the dessert its unique flavor. Akçakoca Melengücceği Dessert is a traditional treat still preserved by the Manav people living in Akçakoca. It's said that in the past, the unsweetened, dry version of this dessert 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's small bread."