A brothy Gaziantep spring dish built on yogurt and the thick green stalks of fresh young garlic, made only when that garlic is in season around April and May. Chunks of lamb and chickpeas simmer until tender, then the green garlic and scallions go in, and the whole pot is thickened with egg-tempered yogurt and finished with butter-bloomed dried mint. It is served as a main course rather than a starter, eaten with bread to soak up the tangy broth.
Şiveydiz is a seasonal speciality of Gaziantep, tied to the brief spring window when fresh green garlic appears in the markets; cooks often call it a herald of spring. It carries the protected geographical indication 'Antep Şiveydizi', registered with Turkey's patent office in March 2018 (registration no. 331). The origin of the name is debated: some trace it to an Arabic phrase 'şavi bil dist' (roughly, meat cooked in a cauldron), reflecting the city's long Arabic-speaking heritage, while local folklorists link it to a nearby village or a tribal name. The dish is documented essentially only in Turkish sources.
The broth is creamy-white and gently sour from the yogurt, threaded with soft green garlic that smells sharp raw but turns mild and almost sweet once cooked. Lamb falls apart tender, chickpeas add their earthy bite, and the dried mint over the top brightens the whole bowl with a cool, herby lift. It tastes unmistakably of spring — green and fresh, but warming and substantial enough to be dinner.
As in other Turkish yogurt dishes, the yogurt must be stabilised or it will split when heated. It is whisked smooth with egg — the official recipe uses the whole egg, white and yolk — then warmed gradually with hot broth before being returned to the pot, where it is heated over low heat while stirring constantly in the same direction until it boils once; salt is added only after the boil. The egg protein and the gentle, even heating keep the casein from clumping. Green garlic works better here than mature cloves because its mild, watery stalks can be used in quantity without overpowering the dish.
Variations
When fresh green garlic is out of season, cooks substitute leeks, which give a similar mellow green note. Some recipes add a spoonful of flour along with the egg for a thicker body. The amount of green garlic varies widely between households — some keep it restrained, others let it dominate. The lamb may be cut into cubes or left on the bone, and a few cooks leave the meat out altogether for a lighter, more vegetable-forward pot.
On the Palate
Where Şiveydiz sits in the Turkish flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
6 steps · 40 min active + 50 min waiting
- 150 min
Simmer cubed lamb with the chickpeas in salted water until both are tender, about 50 minutes.
- 210 min
Chop the thick green stalks of young garlic and the scallions, and soften them briefly in butter.
- 38 min
Add the softened green garlic and scallions to the pot of lamb and chickpeas and simmer a few minutes more.
- 48 min
Whisk the yogurt smooth with whole egg, then temper by stirring in hot broth a ladle at a time.
Watch outTemper first — whisk in the hot broth one ladle at a time so the yogurt warms slowly; dump it into a hot pot cold and the casein seizes into curds.
- 510 min
Pour the tempered yogurt back into the pot and heat over low heat, stirring constantly in one direction, until it reaches a single gentle boil; season with salt after boiling.
Watch outStir constantly in one direction over low heat and pull it the instant it lifts to a single gentle boil — a hard rolling boil splits the yogurt into grains; salt only after.
- 64 min
Bloom dried mint in melted butter and drizzle over the bowls just before serving with bread.
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