Katmer is another delicious dessert that is native to Gaziantep city of Turkey. It is a crisp phyllo dough dessert that contains pistachios and clotted cream in it. Gaziantep city locals start the day with this dessert. They prefer to eat it at breakfast because pistachio nuts increase energy levels and reduce morning fatigue. There are some small shops in Gaziantep city that only serves Katmer for breakfast.
The Tradition
This dessert is one of the old dessert varieties of Turkish cuisine. It has been in our culture for more than 500 years. This delicious dessert is also known as Damat Katmeri, in English ‚Groom Katmer.
We call it Damat Katmeri because the father of the Groom sends Katmer dessert to the newlyweds and the bride’s father’s house on the first morning of the wedding to show that he wishes a sweet marriage as Katmer dessert to the newlyweds and let them refresh quickly after the wedding ceremony fatigue.
I believe cultural traditions are very important and meaningful for every country. Traditions unite people and thank god we have many meaningful traditions in our country.
Where to eat Katmer in Gaziantep?
There are many patisseries or restaurants in Gaziantep city that offer Katmer dessert on their menu; however, my personal preference is to eat it at Katmer shops. The one that I like most is called Katmerci Zekeriya Usta. It is by far the best Katmer shop that I know in Gaziantep city.
If you ever come to visit Gaziantep city, don’t forget to stop by this little shop. The shop has been in this business since 1925. Today the second generation is managing the shop and the owner is very good at making this delicious dessert and keeping the original taste as it were. Katmer dessert usually serves in two shapes. It is either a Square shape or a Round Simit shape.
This little Katmer shop offers both classic Square shape Katmer and Round Simit shape Katmer. In terms of taste, they are both the same. The only difference is their look. If you are in a rush and don’t have time to sit and eat, you can go with Simit shape Katmer. It is much more convenient to eat a Simit shape rather than a Square shape one.
How to make Katmer Dessert?
99.9% of my readers are from out of Turkey and I know how much it is difficult to source certain ingredients in every country. And when it comes to pastry, most of the recipes are made with very thin layers of dough sheets in Turkey. Katmer dessert is also made with these very thin layers of dough sheets. If you want to master at Turkish cuisine desserts, you will need to learn how to make these thin layers of dough sheets. Until that time our best option is to use Filo (Phyllo) dough sheets for making Katmer dessert. And don’t forget to use a nuts grinder to grind pistachios. Ground pistachios is the key ingredient for this dessert.
Katmer
Ingredients
- 4 phyllo dough sheet
- 4 tbsp melted butter
- 100 gr clotted cream
- 100 gr finely ground unsalted pistachios
- 2 tbsp sugar
Instructions
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Place the two phyllo sheets on top of each other on a kitchen counter. Brush the phyllo sheets with melted butter.
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Place little dabs of the clotted cream and sprinkle finely granulated pistachios and sugar evenly on the cream.
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Fold the four corners of the phyllo sheets inside and make an envelope shape. Brush the folded surface with melted butter again.
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Put 1 tbsp of butter to the non-stick pan and bring the to medium. After the butter melt put the prepared envelope dough in to the pan and fry both sides evenly.
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After both sides have light golden color, take it from the pan and put to the serving plate.
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Cut in 4 pieces, sprinkle finely ground pistachios and serve hot.
Recipe Notes
Tip: Garnish it with ice cream.
