The traditional Turkish dessert Antakya künefe, which earned the number one spot on the World’s 100 Best Desserts list by TasteAtlas, stands out for being prepared with a cheese that is protected by a geographical indication.

Drawing from 97,422 evaluations for the 2025 World’s 100 Best Desserts list, in which 2,274 desserts from the platform’s database competed, Antakya künefe ranked first with an average score of 4.51 on TasteAtlas, which offers information on local dishes, beverages, desserts and restaurants worldwide.

On the recently announced list, künefe was followed by different varieties of ice cream from the U.K. and Italy.

Antakya künefe hails from Hatay, Türkiye’s southernmost province, bordering the Mediterranean to the west. It is prepared by placing unsalted, stretchy cheese – a variety itself registered four years ago – between layers of shredded kadayif pastry. The dessert is then fried on both sides in butter and served after being topped with syrup.

It can also be served with ice cream, a la mode.

Dessert, cheese are registered

Antakya künefe, the signature dessert of Hatay, which is listed in UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network for gastronomy, gained wider recognition after receiving a geographical indication registration certificate in 2008.

Abdulkadir Mısırlı, a 26-year-old künefe maker in the historic city of Antakya, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that he is continuing with passion the profession he started years ago as an apprentice.

Hand-cut kadayif and cooking with butter add a distinctive flavor to künefe, he said.

Emphasizing that the most important ingredient is the special unsalted cheese, Mısırlı said they sell 10 trays a day on weekdays and more than 30 on weekends.

Necmettin Berberoğlu, 64, spoke of his pride that a local delicacy is now recognized worldwide.

"Because künefe is a local dessert that perfectly suits our palate, we have been doing our best to promote it for years,” he told AA.

"In every home in Antakya, künefe is definitely served as dessert.”