Zerde is a Turkish rice pudding with saffron. It is a traditional dessert whose origins date back to the Ottoman Empire. The name comes from the Persian word “zard” (“yellow”).
Zerde has been prepared in Turkish cuisine for centuries and is a popular sweet dish, especially in the Anatolian region. It is often part of festive occasions, weddings, and religious holidays.

The main ingredient of the zerde dessert is rice, which is cooked in water along with sugar and saffron. Thanks to saffron, the dessert acquires its characteristic golden-yellow color. Before serving, zerde is usually garnished with cinnamon, pine nuts, pistachios, dried fruits (raisins or currants), and sometimes pomegranate. The consistency of this dessert is thinner than that of sütlaç, another well-known Turkish rice dessert.
Difference Between Turkish Zerde and Iranian Sholeh Zard
Since I visited Turkey after exploring Iranian cuisine, I couldn’t help but notice the similarity between the Iranian dessert sholeh zard and the Turkish dessert zerde.
The Iranian dessert sholeh zard is very similar to Turkish zerde. Both desserts share the Persian word “zard” in their name, referring to the yellow color achieved by using saffron. However, sholeh zard has a thicker, creamier consistency than Turkish zerde and typically includes rose water and sometimes cardamom in addition to rice, sugar, and saffron.
It is unclear which of these two desserts came first. Both have historical roots dating back to medieval Persia and the Ottoman Empire. It is likely that the two variations developed in parallel and influenced each other due to the close cultural connection between Persia and the Ottoman Empire.
I had the chance to try zerde at the renowned Mithat Tirit restaurant (see Where to Eat in Konya), which specializes exclusively in the dish tirit and offers zerde as its only dessert. The restaurant does not have any other dishes on the menu, which, as you may know, I find particularly charming.
The dessert was light, refreshing, and pleasantly sweet. Compared to the Iranian dessert sholeh zard, which was still fresh in my memory, it was significantly thinner. One portion cost me 130 TRY (3 EUR).
Bon appétit!
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