If you asked someone visiting Giresun "what's the local dessert here?", one of the answers you would most likely get is hazelnut paste kadayıf. The name may sound familiar, but this dessert is quite different from the syrup-soaked shredded kadayıf we all know. It is packed with hazelnuts, its syrup is made with milk and its texture is almost like halva. In this post we explain what the dessert is, what goes into it, how it is prepared and why it has become so closely associated with Giresun.
Hazelnut paste kadayıf is a regional dessert in which dried shredded kadayıf pastry is cooked with butter and roasted Giresun Tombul hazelnuts, sweetened with a milky syrup and finally kneaded with hazelnut flour. The Giresun Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry notes that the dessert has a halva-like consistency and is served cut into pieces of roughly 8 x 9 cm.
Perhaps the dessert's most striking feature is its freshness. According to the same source, it is made every day and eaten on the same day. In other words, this is not something that sits in a shop window for days; it is a treat made in the morning and expected to reach the table by evening.
The list of ingredients is short, but each one plays its own part. According to the registration description reported by the local press, the dessert uses dried shredded kadayıf, butter, Giresun Tombul hazelnuts that have been roasted twice and chopped, cow's milk, white sugar and Giresun Tombul hazelnuts ground into flour.
The hazelnut here is no ordinary hazelnut. According to the Türkiye Culture Portal, Giresun Tombul Hazelnut is a registered designation of origin, number 31, defined above all by the flavour it leaves on the palate when eaten raw or roasted. Using the hazelnut in two different forms in the dessert, both chopped and as flour, spreads this flavour through every mouthful.
Let us say this up front: we could not find a recipe with measurements or weights in official sources. So rather than giving you made-up proportions, we describe in our own words the order of preparation set out in the registration description. Anyone who wants to try it at home can adjust the quantities to their own taste.
The first step is preparing the hazelnuts. They are roasted twice and then chopped. Some are set aside to be ground into a fine flour. Roasting twice is an important detail that deepens the hazelnuts' aroma and colour.
In the second step, the dried shredded kadayıf is cooked with butter and the chopped hazelnuts are added to the mixture at this stage. As the kadayıf soaks up the butter, its strands turn lightly golden and blend with the hazelnuts.
The third step is the syrup. Instead of the water and sugar syrup used in classic kadayıf, a cold syrup made from cow's milk and white sugar is used here. The cooked kadayıf is sweetened with this syrup and left to rest for a while so that it fully absorbs the milk.
The final step is the touch that gives the dessert its name. The rested kadayıf is kneaded with the hazelnut flour. This kneading transforms the dessert from a loose, stringy texture into a sliceable, halva-like consistency. It is then cut into pieces and served.
The shredded kadayıf that first comes to mind is a crisp dessert glistening with syrup. Hazelnut paste kadayıf takes a completely different approach. Its syrup is made with milk, the hazelnut is the main ingredient rather than a garnish, and because it is kneaded at the end, its texture is dense and soft. Then there is the same-day rule, which means it is not a dessert to be stored and eaten later.
Giresun also makes a milk kadayıf alongside it. According to an Anadolu Agency report, this dessert uses chopped hazelnuts, milk and butter, with hazelnuts both inside and on top. The report also stresses that only a few masters can achieve the desired consistency. So when people in Giresun talk about "hazelnut kadayıf", they may be referring to more than one tradition.
According to the Giresun Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, the geographical indication work for the dessert was launched jointly in 2021 by the Provincial Directorate and the Giresun Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The final report was submitted to the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office on 2 June 2021, and the application was made. Anadolu Agency also reports that the application was filed by the Giresun Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Provincial Directorate and the local press refer to the dessert as Giresun's 13th product with a geographical indication.
There is one point not to be confused, though: Giresun Hazelnut Paste is a separate geographical indication. According to the Turkish Patent Geographical Indications Portal, its application as an indication of source was made on 22 October 2018 and it was registered on 25 August 2020 under number 526, with Fiskobirlik as the registration holder. So Giresun's hazelnut, its hazelnut paste and this hazelnut dessert all have a place within the geographical indication system.
According to Anadolu Agency, kadayıf is made in Giresun all year round but is eaten most during Ramadan. Hazelnut kadayıf draws interest not only from locals but also from tourists and Giresun people living abroad. For many people from Giresun living far from home, this dessert is like a longing gathered into a single slice.
Let us add a lovely detail about the local dialect. A Giresun dessert maker speaking to the local press explains that he named one of his hazelnut desserts "Dattuk". In the Giresun dialect the word means "my sweet". It would be hard to find a better name to show how much the hazelnut is loved in this part of the world.
With the new hazelnut harvest reaching tables at the end of October, trying this dessert for a festive meal or when you have guests could be a good idea. A tray made with freshly roasted hazelnuts will bring a little of the scent of Giresun into your home.
Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Giresun Provincial Directorate: Registered Flavour, Giresun Hazelnut Paste Kadayıf Dessert
Anadolu Agency: The hazelnut-flavoured kadayıf of Ramadan tables in Giresun
Turkish Patent and Trademark Office Geographical Indications Portal: Giresun Hazelnut Paste registration record
Türkiye Culture Portal: Giresun Tombul Hazelnut geographical indication page
Yeni Şebinkarahisar Gazetesi: The geographical indication description of hazelnut paste kadayıf
Gazete Vatan: Hazelnut desserts in Giresun and the Dattuk dessert
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