A cool scoop of Turkish culture has arrived in Long Beach with the opening of a new ice cream shop where authentic flavors meet a bit of showmanship.
Galata Ice Cream and Desserts is a new Turkish ice cream shop that will hold its grand opening on Saturday, May 25 in Long Beach’s Belmont Shore neighborhood.
“It’s the ice cream of the Turkish people. For more than a thousand years we’ve made it. We only use original cow milk and goat milk and we never use gelatin or chemicals, it’s all original,” said Akin Gulec, the manager of the shop.
The ice cream shop joins three other Turkish businesses on Second Street; Galata Turkish Halal Grill, which is two doors down, and a Turkish lamp store called Istanbul Home, located next door. With its corner location and bright pink exterior, the ice cream shop is also likely to be a standout in the neighborhood, especially for those that want to try a style of ice cream that has centuries of tradition behind it.
Known as Dondurma, Turkish ice cream is a centuries-old tradition that hails from Maras, Turkey. It’s unique because it’s made with salep flour, which comes from an orchid that’s grown in the Levant region of the Mediterranean. This gives it a uniquely thick and chewy texture which makes it melt more slowly than traditional ice cream and it will not give you a brain freeze even if you take a big bite.
Pedestrians pass Galata Ice Cream and Desserts, which sits next to a Turkish restaurant and a gift shop specializing in items from Turkey, on Thursday, May 23, 2024, in the Belmont Shore shopping and dining area. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Baran Cetin displays a batch of his handmade ice cream at Galata on Thursday, May 23, 2024, in the Belmont Shore section of Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Baran Cetin prepares a batch of vanilla ice cream at Galata on Thursday, May 23, 2024, in the Belmont Shore section of Long Beach. Cetin, one of the store’s two ice cream makers, learned the special technique from his father at the age of 15. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
See AlsoBELMONT ON BROADWAY What To Know; How To Get There; What’s Happening4 dead, 1 injured after apparent murder-suicide in Elkridge, Howard County Police sayHow the media covered the aftermath of Trump’s conviction — and his remarks the following morningChattanooga Daily Times from Chattanooga, TennesseeBaran Cetin prepares a batch of vanilla ice cream at Galata on Thursday, May 23, 2024, in the Belmont Shore section of Long Beach. Cetin, one of the store’s two ice cream makers, learned the special technique from his father at the age of 15. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
A selection of traditional Turkish Delights is available at Galata Ice Cream and Desserts, shown here on Thursday, May 23, 2024, at the new location on Second Street in Belmont Shore. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
A selection of traditional Turkish Delight with exotic descriptions is available at Galata Ice Cream and Desserts, shown here on Thursday, May 23, 2024, at the new location on Second Street in Belmont Shore. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Galata Ice Cream and Desserts offers a varied selection of pastries, such as Kiwi and Milk Roll Turkish Delight, shown here on Thursday, May 23, 2024, at the new location on Second Street in Belmont Shore. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Turkish ice cream, known as Dondurma and made from salep flour, fills the display case at Galata Ice Cream and Desserts on Thursday, May 23, 2024, on Second Street in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Manager Akin Gulec pays close attention to the aesthetics at Galata Ice Cream and Desserts, as seen on Thursday, May 23, 2024, on Second Street in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
A customer checks out the colorful selection of ice cream flavors at Galata on Thursday, May 23, 2024, in the Belmont Shore section of Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
The store’s manager, Akin Gulec, serves a customer a slice of baklava at Galata Ice Cream and Desserts on Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Long Beach’s Belmont Shore neighborhood. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
of
Expand
“It’s sticky, salty and more creamy. When you eat the ice cream you don’t feel too much cold, your mouth is not freezing,” Gulec said.
The texture also adds to one of the most fun aspects about Turkish ice cream, which is the way it’s served.
Following Turkish tradition, and thanks to the ice cream’s thickness, the servers at the new shop will put on a show as they serve ice cream in cones and cups. Using a long scoop stick, they’ll maneuver the cone or cup around a customer, over their heads and all around them as they dare them to try and grab it before the server pulls it back.
Of course the customer will always get the ice cream, eventually.
“When we serve the ice cream in Turkey we want to make some fun and have people enjoy it. That’s why we do the little tricks and especially the kids love it,” Gulec said.
The new shop has 26 flavors on the menu including pistachio, kiwi, peach and banana, all made with cow and goat milk and shalap powder, which is made from dried Mediterranean orchids.
The star of the menu, Gulec said, is the Mastic Gum.
Made from the resin obtained from the mastic tree that’s found on the Greek island of Chios, the ice cream has a sort of chewing gum texture to it with floral aromas, Gulec said.
“This is really authentic ice cream with an authentic serving style,” he said.
Galata Ice Cream and Desserts
When: Hours are 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, Friday 10 a.m.-11p.m and 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.
Where: 5201 Second St., Long Beach.
Information: 626- 577-2223.
