Turkey's traditional Maraş ice cream exported to Asia, Africa, America

Turkey's traditional Maraş ice cream draws numerous Turks to its birthplace Kahramanmaraş, located at the juncture of southeastern Anatolia and Mediterranean region.

Now, the creamy, elastic dessert, made of goat milk and salep, is becoming a global hit, as Turkey exports to countries like China, South Africa, the U.S. and the Maldives. Kahramanmaraş Commerce and Industry Chamber board member, Erdal Kanbur said Maraş ice cream is exported around the world, to countries in the Far East, Africa and America.

He said the city welcomes a great number of tourists who want to taste its delicious ice cream. For Bahadır Ayvaz, a visitor from Malatya, it is the goat milk that gives Maraş ice cream its unique taste and texture. "It is definitely worth traveling to Maraş just to have a taste of this ice cream," he said.

Kahramanmaraş has also become the last stop for Southeast Anatolian tours. "After our Southeast Anatolia tour, we wanted to visit Maraş, the birthplace of ice cream," Zübeyir Yılmaz, a tour guide said.

Maraş Dondurma, ice cream in Turkish, is made from goat milk, sugar and powder from the tubers of wild orchids, salep.