Civil Cheese(Civil Peyniri)
regionalOther names: Çeçil
An Erzurum cheese made from skimmed milk and pulled open into fine strands; also known as cecil. It is eaten at the breakfast table and alongside dried curd. It carries a geographical indication.
The warmed curd is pulled by hand into strands; it is salted and rested in brine or in an earthenware jar.
- Region
- Erzurum · Eastern Anatolia
- Category
- Regional Dishes · Breakfast and Meze
Where to eat ↓4 Michelin matches
Table balance
- Afterwards
- After a light main there is room for a syrupy dessert in this meal.
- Easy to miss
- On a meze table balance beats variety: one yogurt-based, one olive-oil, one sharp is enough.
Suggestions are about taste balance, not health or nutrition advice. Scores are derived from each record's own flavour description.
Shortcuts worth knowing
How to order
The same dish changes name from city to city. Asking about an unfamiliar name is the shortest route.
Pick the good one
Haydari is made with strained yogurt. If it weeps water on the plate, the yogurt was not strained.
How to order
On a meze table balance beats variety: one yogurt-based, one olive-oil, one sharp is enough.
Where this dish is made best
No match verified by field assessment yet — we never invent scores; assessments will be added with field evidence.
Directory venues serving this cuisine
- 01 Adana Cadde Kebap · Bostancı — directory match
- 07 Midye — directory match
- 07 Simit Fırını — directory match
- 100. Yıl Lahmacun — directory match
- 100. Yıl Pide Kebap Salonu — directory match
- 180 Coffee & Bakery — directory match
An alphabetical directory based on each venue's own cuisine declaration; not an assessment. Data: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
From the Michelin selection
distinguished- Turk Fatih Tutak · İstanbul — two Michelin stars + Green Star
- Vino Locale · İzmir (Urla) — two Michelin stars
- Araf İstanbul · İstanbul — one Michelin star
- Maçakızı · Muğla (Bodrum) — one Michelin star
Venues serving this cuisine, distinguished in the Michelin Guide 2026 selection. An external distinction; not a GustoScore assessment. Full selection
These are also easy to miss
- When does breakfast start and when does it end?
Breakfast starts around seven in the morning; tradesmen's places stop at eleven, breakfast houses carry on until noon. A spread breakfast is usually served for two people at least and is a table of an hour and a half to two hours. At weekends many places serve breakfast until midday.