Dondurma - Wikipedia
Dondurma is the Turkish name for ice cream. Outside Turkey, it typically refers specifically to mastic ice cream, which is believed to originate from the city and region of Kahramanmaraş and is known as maraş dondurma in Turkish.[ 1] [ a] This is made from cream, salep (the ground-up tuber of an orchid), mastic (plant resin), and sugar.
Two qualities distinguish Turkish ice cream: hard texture and resistance to melting, brought about by inclusion of the thickening agents salep, a flour made from the root of the early purple orchid, and mastic, a resin that imparts chewiness.[ 2]
The Kahramanmaraş region is known for Maraş dondurması, a variety which contains distinctly more salep than usual. Tough and sticky, it is sometimes eaten with a knife and fork.[ 3]
Dondurma is commonly sold from both street vendors' carts and store fronts, where the mixture is churned regularly with long-handled paddles to keep it workable. Vendors often perform magic tricks and practical jokes, with examples including presenting the ice cream cone on a long stick or pole, and then taking away the dondurma by rotating it around, or serving it with an extra cone that comes away from the actual cone when the stick is lifted. These tricks serve the additional purpose of attracting prospective customers, as well as entertaining people waiting in line.[ 4]
