Aksaray Tulum & Testi Kebab Tasting Tour

The Aksaray Tulum & Testi Kebab Tasting Tour explores two of Central Anatolia's most distinctive meat preparations across a four-to-five-hour walk through the food streets of Aksaray city centre, beginning at the Aksaray Museum car park on Zafer Caddesi. Tulum kebab, a specialty unique to this region of Turkey, is cooked in a sealed marinade inside a lamb-stomach casing, producing intensely tender meat with a characteristic smokiness and depth of flavour; participants typically encounter it at a dedicated kebab house near the historic bazaar. The second centrepiece is testi kebab, in which meat and vegetables are slow-cooked inside a sealed clay pot before being brought to the table and cracked open theatrically at the diner's side — a presentation that has become emblematic of Central Anatolian hospitality. Between the two main courses, the route includes a stop for regional mezes — roasted pepper paste, white bean salad, cacık — alongside fresh ayran (chilled yoghurt drink) and locally baked bread. The experience concludes with a Central Anatolian dessert: either höşmerim, a fried cheese pastry drizzled in grape syrup, or sarığıburma, walnut-filled filo rolls that are a speciality of the Karamanlı tradition. The tour is self-guided using the walking map provided, or can be arranged with logistical support through Karamanlı Konağı guesthouse, which can advise on current restaurant openings and seasonal variations. A self-guided version requires only the cost of food (₺350-550 per person), while the assisted arrangement through the guesthouse runs ₺600-900. The tour operates year-round, though several restaurants observe reduced capacity during Ramadan fasting hours. Vegetarian mezes can replace the kebab courses on request at individual restaurants, though this Central Anatolian cuisine is strongly meat-centred and options are limited.