Traditional Syrupy Walnut Dessert from Alanya Cuisine

🧾 Ingredients

For the Dough

• 1 glass water
• 1 tea glass milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tea glass vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Flour as needed

For Rolling the Dough

• 500 g flour
• 500 g starch

For the Filling

• 1 kg crushed walnuts

For the Topping

• 250 g butter
• 1 glass vegetable oil
• 1 package margarine

For the Syrup

• 2.5 kg sugar
• 3 liters water
• Juice of ½ lemon

👩‍🍳 Preparation

In a bowl, mix and knead water, milk, egg, vegetable oil, vinegar, baking soda, and salt until a soft dough (slightly firmer than earlobe consistency) is formed.

Divide the dough into portions and roll out very thin sheets using a mixture of flour and starch. Sprinkle crushed walnuts over each sheet.

Gently crumple the sheets with both hands and shape them into a circular form. Place them into a baking tray and repeat the process until the tray is filled.

🔥 Baking

Melt and heat the butter, vegetable oil, and margarine together. Pour the hot fat mixture evenly over the entire dessert, ensuring no dry spots remain.

Bake in a preheated oven at 150°C (300°F) until golden brown.

For the syrup, combine sugar and water in a pot and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Add lemon juice 10 minutes before removing from heat. Continue simmering until slightly thickened, then let it cool until warm.

Once the dessert has completely cooled, pour the warm syrup over it.

🍽️ Serving Suggestion

Allow the dessert to fully absorb the syrup before serving. It is best served with Turkish tea or coffee.

🌾 Local Heritage

Kıvrım is one of the traditional syrup-based desserts of Alanya cuisine. It is made by shaping thin walnut-filled dough sheets into a crumpled circular form. It is especially prepared for holidays and special occasions and remains an important part of Alanya’s culinary heritage.