This ice cream is soft, chewy, and has a unique stretchy texture.

VHO - Türkiye is famous for its dondurma ice cream, which has a chewy, taffy-like texture and hardly melts. This is a unique traditional ice cream with ingredients that create a tough, elastic texture that can be stretched into strings and is less likely to melt than regular ice cream.

The Serez Gurme Dondurma chain of stores is one of the places in Istanbul where visitors can enjoy authentic traditional Turkish Maraş ice cream. Photo: CNN

The resilience of Dondurma

Not all ice cream is the same. American-style ice cream has a high milk content and a light, airy texture. Italian gelato is whipped more slowly and served at a warmer temperature. Indian kulfi is thick, rich, and never whipped.

In Türkiye, Maraş dondurma has a taffy-like elasticity and hardly melts. This exceptional elasticity comes from salep, a powder made from the bulbs of orchids, which is produced exclusively in Turkey.

Most tourists first learn about the unique characteristics of this type of ice cream through performances by street vendors in popular tourist areas such as İstiklal Avenue in Istanbul or Ortaköy Square.

Wearing embroidered vests and red fez hats – the traditional attire of the Kahramanmaraş region in south-central Türkiye, the birthplace of dondurma ice cream – the ice cream vendors appear like magicians, offering impromptu performances amidst the bustling streets.

Standing beside their carts, they use long metal rods to pound and knead the dondurma like a colorful ball of dough, turning it with the skill and enthusiasm of a Neapolitan pizza maker.

The performance begins when customers approach and participate in a game. Long metal rods are used by the vendor to offer the ice cream, then quickly retracted, flipping the ice cream upside down and forcing the buyer to chase after them in a fun and entertaining game.

You may also like

Another reason why 'half of Vietnam' continues to flock to Hue.The film "The Last Empress," set in the Nguyen Dynasty's royal court and filmed at many famous historical sites in Hue, is expected to promote the image of the ancient capital and attract more tourists.

Latest World Cup 2026 standings: USA and Australia advance from Group D.VHO - After the final round of matches in Group D, the two direct tickets to the Round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup have gone to the USA and Australia. Despite losing in the final match, the host nation USA still maintained their top spot in the group, while Australia overtook Paraguay thanks to goal difference.

Türkiye could join the "ICBM Club".Türkiye's announcement of the Yıldırımhan intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) development project is attracting international attention because, if successful, Ankara would become one of the few countries to possess a weapon with a range exceeding 5,000 km.

Clearly, this isn't the typical soft, melt-in-your-mouth ice cream, and for the best dondurma, visitors should seek out a craft ice cream shop specializing in dondurma.

That's Serez Gurme Dondurma - a high-end ice cream chain with 9 branches across Istanbul, established in 2010.

Rich, firm, and smooth

At a branch of the upscale Serez Gurme Dondurma ice cream chain in Caddebostan, the most popular flavor among customers is pistachio. Turkey is one of the world's largest producers of this pale green nut.

The tempting trays of ice cream in various flavors are lined up side by side, ready to be scooped up and stacked into towering ice cream and sorbet towers, seemingly defying gravity.

All ingredients are natural and in their original form, without the use of artificial flavors or additives, resulting in a rich yet creamy taste, a smooth and silky texture, and absolutely no gritty feeling of ice crystals.

The fruit is sourced directly from small farms, and the Serez Gurme Dondurma restaurant chain adheres to a pesticide-free policy.

Each branch of the chain has thick, blue file folders containing laboratory test reports, proving the purity and quality of the ingredients used.

United States - Vietnam: Don't miss

Vietnam encourages US businesses to expand investment in high technology.On the morning of June 26th, at the Government Headquarters, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung received Mr. Jeff Place, Supply Chain Director of Coherent Group (USA). During the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister affirmed that Vietnam encourages US businesses to expand investment, especially in high-tech, innovation, and semiconductor industries.

Encourage U.S. businesses to expand investment in high-tech sectors.Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung said that Vietnam welcomes US businesses to continue expanding their operations in Vietnam, especially in high-tech industries and sectors with high added value.

Vietnam and the United States strengthen cooperation in addressing the consequences of war.VTV.vn - On June 22, General Secretary and President To Lam received Acting Secretary of the US Navy Hung Cao.

In 2025, the culinary guide TasteAtlas voted dondurma the best frozen dessert in the world. A representative from TasteAtlas stated that its "exceptional resistance to melting" and "uniquely chewy, elastic texture set it apart from all other frozen sweets," making dondurma a must-try.

While ice cream varieties like gelato have become household names worldwide, dondurma remains relatively unknown outside of Türkiye.

The reason is that to enjoy authentic and traditional dondurma ice cream, you can only find it in Türkiye. Therefore, food lovers should add this ice cream to their list of must-try dishes when exploring this country.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/du-lich/mon-kem-deo-dai-va-co-do-keo-gian-dac-biet-238488.html