Imagine the residents of an entire town — rich and poor alike — cooking the exact same dish on the very same day and all having it for lunch. On the first day of Eid al-Fitr, all the citizens of Gaziantep have the same humble single-pot dish called yuvarlama, or yuvalama in the local dialect.
Designated in the UNESCO list of Creative Cities Network as a Gastronomy City in 2015, southeastern Turkey's Gaziantep is famous for its rich culinary culture. Its long history includes countless stories and legends attached to its numerous dishes.
Two of its most famous are kebab and baklava, but yuvalama is a far cry from either. It is a stew of minuscule ground rice and mincemeat dumplings, lamb cut into small cubes and chickpeas cooked to perfection, all blended with a creamy, tangy yogurt-based sauce and finally drizzled with melted butter infused with dried mint. The word "yuvarlama" comes from the verb to roll — yuvarlamak — so literally it means “rolled into rounds” in Turkish. The main feature of the dish is the ground rice and mincemeat dumplings rolled into beads so tiny that several fit in a spoon. Even after they are cooked and swollen with the juices of the dish, they must remain a tad smaller than a cooked chickpea, another essential ingredient.
The dish is deeply engraved in the hearts of the Antebis, as the city’s natives are known. Even if they live miles from their hometown, they keep the tradition and have this essential meal on their tables, garnished with a deep dose of longing for their beloved city. Since yuvalama is an essential part of any festive occasion — including Eid al-Fitr or for Ramadan feasts — most of the people of Gaziantep have fond memories of it.
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