Ağaçaltı Tatlıcısı

Ağaçaltı Tatlıcısı is a sweet shop on 195. Sokak in the Haydaroğlu neighbourhood of Yüreğir, Adana, Turkey. It makes tulumba-style syrup sweets known locally as sarı burma, and it is noted for using sugar beet instead of glucose in its syrup. Yüreğir lies east of the Seyhan River and away from the main sights, so the shop mainly serves local residents, but it is of interest to visitors who want to try a traditional dessert prepared by a neighbourhood specialist.

Sarı burma is a fried dough sweet soaked in syrup. The dough is piped or twisted into a ridged shape, fried until golden and then immersed in sweet syrup so that the outside is lightly crisp and the inside is soft and saturated. It is related to tulumba, which is found across Turkey and the Balkans, though the local name and twist shape give it a regional identity. The recorded signature items are sarı burma and syrup sweets in general. The choice of sugar beet rather than glucose for the syrup is the shop's stated point of difference and is said to affect the sweetness and finish.

The venue is a simple sweet shop where customers buy by portion, either to eat on the spot or to take away. Dress is casual and the atmosphere is calm and neighbourhood-oriented. There are no reservations, and none are needed. Syrup desserts are best eaten fresh, soon after frying, so visiting earlier in the day or when a new batch is out is sensible.

Prices are very low, at roughly TRY 60-150 (about $1-3) per portion. Opening hours have not been verified, so visitors should check on arrival. Strong tea or Turkish coffee is a common companion to syrup sweets and balances their sweetness. A taxi is the practical way to reach Yüreğir from the centre.