Traditional Local Dessert: Şambali

How is your relationship with street delicacies? If yes, what about desserts? I would like to introduce you to a traditional local dessert: Sambali...

Sambali (Şambali) is a dessert made with semolina, yogurt and syrup. Before supermarket chains multiplied, it became famous as a street food. Nowadays, it can be found in supermarkets across the country. The dessert, which is consumed cold, is not as famous as baklava. However, it is a product that those who love sorbet dessert may want to try.

The name of the dessert is rarely mentioned as Damascus Dessert (Şam Tatlısı); but its general usage is Sambali.

Geographical Indication

The Turkish Patent and Trademark Office certifies these products as a result of the evaluation of local products in Türkiye in terms of tradition and quality. The institution made the following statement on its website:

"Geographical indication and designation of origin is an industrial property right describing a product originated from any region or attributable to any region due to its quality, reputation or other characteristics."

In December 2016, this dessert was registered with İzmir. 

If you have a chance to try Şambali one day, I think you should not miss this opportunity. Apart from İzmir, it can be found in the dessert menus of restaurants in other cities such as İstanbul and Antalya. However, I recommend you to buy from peddlers, whose numbers are decreasing day by day, especially in İzmir. You can choose Turkish tea or a cold lemonade with it. Bon appetit now...