Akcakoca Melenguccegi Dessert Product Description and Distinctive Features: Akçakoca Melengücceği Dessert is a flavor with a 700-year history, still continued by the Turks who migrated from Central Asia and settled in Akçakoca, known as "Manav." This dessert has also found its place in the Ottoman Palace Kitchen. The filling, called "dartı," is obtained by processing the cream of milk from cows raised along the Melen River, giving the dessert its authentic regional taste. Akçakoca Melengücceği Dessert is a traditional delicacy preserved in its original form by the Manavs (Greengrocers) living in Akçakoca. In the past, it is said that Manavs used to offer this dessert in its dry, unsyruped form when visiting each other. There are various legends regarding the name of Melengücceği Dessert. The Melen River flows from Akçakoca to the Black Sea. In ancient Turkish, it is said that the dessert was called "Melengücceği" because it meant "small bread" and was derived from the term "güccek," which was used to refer to a small loaf of bread. The name is interpreted to mean "Melen's small bread." Akçakoca Melengücceği Dessert is prepared with wheat flour, eggs, milk, hazelnut oil, baking powder, vinegar, and salt. The dough, prepared with the appropriate technique, is rolled out with a rolling pin, and the "dartı" made from cream of cow's milk is added along with walnuts or hazelnuts. The dough is then deep-fried in oil, soaked in syrup afterward, resulting in a sweet delicacy. The product, when obtained in its unsyruped form by frying, is traditionally consumed during breakfast with a regional cheese called "keş," with a unique aroma of wild strawberry jam made from mountain strawberries, or with chestnut honey. Alternatively, when syruped, it can be served with sprinkled hazelnuts or walnuts on top, accompanied by clotted cream or mountain strawberry jam. It is especially prepared and served during weddings and holidays in the region. Ingredients for Akçakoca Melengücceği Dessert: "Dartı": The name given to the ingredient used inside Akçakoca Melengücceği Dessert, obtained by frying cream from cow or buffalo milk. To make the dartı spread inside the dough, 300 g of cream from cow or buffalo milk is used. For filling between the layers of dough, 200 g of finely ground walnuts or hazelnuts is used. Ingredients for frying Akçakoca Melengücceği Dessert: 2 cups (400 ml) hazelnut oil. Ingredients for the syrup of Akçakoca Melengücceği Dessert: 3 cups (500 grams) granulated sugar, 3 cups (600 ml) water, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) lemon juice. To prepare the syrup, water and sugar are boiled. After reaching the boiling point, it is kept at the boiling temperature for 10-15 minutes. Lemon juice is added, and it is boiled for an additional 2-3 minutes. A thick syrup is obtained, which is then left to cool. To prepare the filling called "dartı" that gives flavor to the dessert, cream from cow or buffalo milk is cooked in a deep pot over low heat, stirring constantly. When the cream turns into sediment, it is removed from the heat. It should not thicken too much. The prepared dartı is left to cool.A dough is prepared by kneading flour, baking powder, salt, egg, milk, vinegar, and hazelnut oil until a homogeneous dough with the consistency of earlobe is obtained. Dough balls of 80-100 g each are prepared and covered with a clean cloth, left to rest for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The prepared dough is rolled out with a rolling pin and flour into a thin sheet with a diameter of 60-70 cm. Two to three ladles of prepared "dartı" are poured onto the rolled-out dough, spreading evenly over the entire surface. The dessert can be prepared in its plain form or filled with finely ground walnuts or hazelnuts, spreading evenly throughout the dough. The dough is then rolled up like a log.The resulting rolled dough is cut into pieces of 6-7 cm in length. The ends of the cut pieces are pinched together and pressed toward each other, forming small round beads. The obtained bead is flattened by hand to give a homogeneous round shape with a diameter of 7-8 cm and a thickness of 1-1.5 cm. The oil for frying the dough is poured into a pot and heated. The shaped and prepared round dessert dough is placed in the hot oil and fried until both sides take on a golden color, turning it upside down during frying. The fried dough is removed with a slotted spoon, drained of excess oil, and rested for 10 minutes. The fried dough is then placed in the previously prepared and cooled syrup for 5-6 minutes, turning it upside down to allow it to absorb the syrup. After being taken out of the syrup, the desserts are served warm or cold, with sprinkled ground hazelnuts or walnuts on top. Optionally, they can be served with clotted cream or a regional delicacy such as mountain strawberry jam. After being produced, Akçakoca Melengücceği Dessert can be stored for approximately 5 days at a temperature of 8-10 degrees Celsius under suitable conditions.