A flavor that extends from the Seljuks to the present: Traditional wedding tiridi of Konya

With its history extending from the Seljuks to the present, Konya’s traditional wedding dish, tirit, attracts attention.
Throughout the centuries, Konya has hosted many civilizations, and one of the flavors that has survived from the Seljuks to the present is tirit, known as a dish prepared for the close circle of the wedding host before weddings. Tirit, made to utilize stale bread, is traditionally served with onions, yogurt, roasted meat, and melted butter on top.

“It is one of the most important dishes of Turkish cuisine”
Tayyar Sami Atiker, a restaurant operator specializing in traditional wedding dishes in Konya, explained that tirit dates back to the Seljuk era. Tayyar Sami Atiker stated, “Our traditional Konya wedding tirit is inherited from the Seljuk period. It is currently prepared at weddings, in businesses, and in many places, even in our homes. It is one of the most important dishes of Turkish cuisine made from stale bread. The purpose here is actually the evaluation of stale bread; the tirit culture actually comes from the past. Being able to evaluate this dish under today’s conditions, to combine it with beautiful flavors, and to turn it into a complete dish is the main purpose of tirit in Konya and Turkish cuisine.”

“Our tirit is served to the close guests of the wedding host”
Atiker noted that tirit is made one day before weddings in Konya, saying, “In our method here, the wedding host serves it to their close guests a day before the wedding. We allow people coming from outside Konya to taste it. We start with our bread that has been dried the day before, chop it up, and begin our preparation. Inside, we prepare Konya wedding tirit with onions, tomatoes, peppers, parsley, and then the contents created from beef roast, butter sauce, and yogurt. Initially, we pass the dried bread through meat broth and place it on our plate. After the meat broth, we add the sumac onions on top, our strained yogurt over the sumac onions, and then our sauce to the remaining spaces before pouring the roasted meat on top. Finally, after decorating with parsley and tomatoes, we pour the fried butter over it to ensure that the flavors are fully settled.”
Atiker indicated that tirit is interpreted in various ways in Konya, stating, “Tirit is interpreted in various ways in our Konya. Some make it with diced meat, some with meatballs, and some with roasted meat. The original tirit consists of stale bread, and it is a menu where you can choose whatever you prefer on top. It is somewhat like a toast. Whatever you put between the bread is what you have; similarly, whatever you place on the stale bread is tirit. During times of scarcity in our Konya, when meat was not available, it was made with eggplant, moldy cheese, and vegetables. When we make it with beef, people like it more. Especially with the tirit we make from roasted meat, satisfaction is much higher. Tirit is indeed the traditional dish of our Konya.”