Zerde

Zerde is a Turkish dessert, a sort of sweet pudding from rice that is colored yellow with saffron. It is a festive dish popular at wedding, birth celebrations and during the first ten days of the sacred month of Muharram.

In Turkey, zerde is very popular in regions where traditionally paddy fields are found. In Edirne Province at Eastern Thrace, which provides almost the half of country's rice production, zerde is a favored dessert. Flavoring ingredients of zerde vary slightly from region to region in Turkey depending on the local fruits.