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Best Kemal Pasha dessert in London

“Fried dough balls of unsalted cheese and semolina, dunked in syrup. Fresh with kaymak in winter, or with ice cream in summer.”

Kemal Pasha dessert

What the real thing tastes like

Kemal Pasha dessert (Turkish: Kemalpaşa tatlısı) is a Turkish dessert dish. It originates from the district of Mustafakemalpaşa, Bursa Province, in Turkey. Traditionally it is made using a cheese variety that is particular to the region. The dessert is prepared from a dough of flour, unsalted cheese, semolina, egg, water and baking powder. The dough is formed into small balls that are fried and then boiled in syrup. It can be eaten fresh or dried. In dried form, it is often packaged in boxes of 24-50 portions. It is served with kaymak in winter and with ice cream in summer.

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Kemal Pasha dessert arrives as golden-fried dough balls that crack when you bite them, giving way to a soft interior of unsalted cheese and semolina. Born in Mustafakemalpaşa, a district in Bursa, this regional specialty gets dunked in syrup and emerges glossy and tender. In winter, it's paired with kaymak's cool tang; in summer, melting ice cream cuts through the sweetness. You can eat it fresh or keep it dried—the kind of dessert that travels in neat boxes, ready whenever you want it.

Order it here when it has

  • regionally distinct cheese
  • versatile serving styles
  • shelf-stable dried form

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