Çorum Tandır Ekmeği (Tandır Bread)
Çorum tandır bread is the name of the tandır flatbread tradition that has continued for centuries in the villages of the province. Baked on a saj heated by a wood-fired tandır sunk into the ground and plastered with clayey soil, this thin bread is also known locally as “serme ekmek” (spread bread) or tandır yufkası.
Note: In Çorum, “tandır” traditionally refers to this bread. Meat dishes cooked in a tandır (such as tandır kebab) are a separate culinary concept and should not be confused with the Çorum tandır bread tradition described on this page.
The Tradition
Tandır bread in Çorum villages is team work, not a solo task: while five or six people knead the dough and roll the sheets with an oklava, one person bakes at the tandır. The winter preparation period, beginning in autumn, is when hundreds of flatbreads are baked in the villages and stacked in grain sacks; all winter long, every meal is eaten with this bread. In villages such as Seydim, women still continue the practice of baking and stocking their winter bread in the tandır.
How Is It Made?
The tandır is a wide-mouthed oven pit sunk into the garden and plastered with limed clay mortar. A wood fire is lit inside; the saj leans over its mouth. The thin sheet rolled with an oklava is spread on the saj, flipped when puffed and spotted, and baked. The dough is usually kneaded with salt and water; leavening with a piece taken from the previous batch (sourdough style) is also common.
Geographical Indication Context
Çorum is one of Türkiye’s notable gastronomy centres: with the geographical indication registration of Çorum simidi in March 2026, the province’s registered product count rose to 31 (İhlas News Agency). The official list of the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism includes a long family of local products such as Çorum leblebi, İskilip dolması, Çorum kuru mantısı, Alaca hingali and İskilip Ramazan keşkeği. According to press reports, geographical indication work is also under way to bring tandır bread into this family.
On the Table
Tandır flatbread is served alongside local soups such as toyga aşı and tutmaç, as well as roasts and fries. Dried sheets softened in water are also eaten. In the city centre, bakeries baking tandır bread carry the village tradition to urban tables.
Sources
- İhlas News Agency — Geographical Indication Registration for Çorum Simit
- Çorum Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism — Geographical Indication Studies (official list)
- Türk Patent — Geographical Indications Portal (Çorum Leblebi, registration no: 42)
- Culture Portal — İskilip Dolması
🍳 How to make it
Ingredients
- 2 kg flour
- Lukewarm water
- Salt
- Optional: yeast or starter from previous dough (sourdough style)
Method
- Mix flour with salt and knead with lukewarm water, added gradually, to an earlobe-soft dough; cover and let it rise.
- Light the tandır with wood and heat until the interior is very hot and its walls are white with lime heat.
- Divide into cevnut (walnut)-sized balls; roll thin sheets with an oklava (one person rolls, one bakes, as a team).
- Lay the sheet on the saj leaning over the tandır mouth; bake until puffed and spotted, then flip.
- Stack the baked breads and cover with a clean cloth; let them soften.
💡 Tips
- The right heat of the tandır is learned from the master: too hot and the bread burns, too cool and it dries out.
- Traditionally, a piece taken from the previous batch (starter dough) is used instead of yeast.
A traditional recipe; quantities and times are approximate and vary by household.