İskilip Su Kabağı Yemeği (Bottle Gourd and Beef Stew)

Geographical Indicationana-yemek

İskilip Su Kabağı Yemeği is a sour beef stew made with bottle gourd (su kabağı), closely associated with the name of İskilip, a district of Çorum province in north-central Turkey.

Geographical indication

Following an application by İskilip Municipality (16 June 2025, file no. C2025/000167), the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office registered the dish on 17 April 2026 as a place-of-origin indication (registration no. 1841). The geographical area is İskilip district, and the certificate requires all production stages to take place within it.

Product description

The certificate says that getting the consistency right, balancing the beef with the other ingredients, and the cooking stages all require skill. The stew is generally made in the months when bottle gourds are harvested; according to the certificate, dried, frozen or canned gourds may also be used.

Local use

According to the certificate, the stew is eaten on ordinary days and also served when hosting guests and on invitations, religious holidays and festivals. The certificate gives a six-person ingredient list and order of preparation, and recommends serving it hot.

Other registered dishes of İskilip

For other registered İskilip foods see İskilip Dolması, İskilip Sirke Salatası, Çorum Yırtma Yemeği and İskilip Tepsisi. The full list is on Geographical Indication Products of Çorum.

Sources

• Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, Geographical Indications Portal, İskilip Su Kabağı Yemeği, Registration No. 1841 (entry: https://ci.turkpatent.gov.tr/cografi-isaretler/detay/13110; certificate: https://ci.turkpatent.gov.tr/Files/GeographicalSigns/530f3f79-9032-451b-94b0-215e788f2448.pdf)

🍳 How to make it

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg bottle gourd (su kabağı)
• 300 g beef
• 250 g tomato (optional)
• 250 ml water
• 100 g onion
• 100 g tomato paste or pepper paste
• 30 g parsley, dill, mint (optional)
• 10 g salt
• 5 g citric acid
• 5 g crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• Butter (mentioned in the method; no quantity given in the certificate)

Method

1. Peel the bottle gourds, remove the seeds and chop.
2. Boil the chopped gourd in a separate pot for about 10 minutes.
3. In another pot, fry finely chopped onion, butter and paste thoroughly; add the beef and keep frying for about 5 more minutes.
4. Drain the boiled gourd, add it to this mixture and fry it well.
5. Add hot water and the remaining ingredients and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes.
6. Serve hot, optionally garnished with parsley, dill, mint and red pepper flakes.

💡 Tips

• The stew is generally made in the months when bottle gourds are harvested; dried, frozen or canned gourds can also be used.

A traditional recipe; quantities and times are approximate and vary by household.

← All Çorum dishes