ISTANBUL, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- With the aroma of a golden mixture of sizzling butter, cornmeal, skim milk, and creamy Golot cheeses filling the air, Kuymak, a traditional dish popular in Türkiye's Trabzon, offers tourists an authentic taste of Black Sea flavors.
Trabzon, a port city in northeastern Türkiye, boasts rich cuisine with locally sourced ingredients. Gastronomy has played a vital role in boosting the city's tourism, Trabzon Mayor Ahmet Metin Genc told Xinhua.
"We've curated our menu with local products to deliver an authentic Black Sea gastronomic experience to both locals and tourists," said Ahmet Serdar, a chef at Akpinar Restaurant in Trabzon. "Our dishes feature regional butter, unique cheeses, and cornmeal sourced from nearby villages. These ingredients are essential to our traditional flavors."
"Black Sea cuisine is rich and diverse. Dishes like fried anchovies, Kuymak, mushroom pie, and cornbread impressed all of us," Kutay Guler, an Istanbul resident, shared his experience of accompanying German visitors to the Eastern Black Sea, where they were delighted with local food. "The visitors can't stop talking about it."
Erdal Ceri, owner of a travel agency, told Xinhua that there is a rich culinary heritage in many Black Sea cities, including Trabzon, as different cultures, tribes, religions, and ethnicities throughout history contribute to the diversity of local dishes.
"Traditional meals, like those cooked by mothers, offer tourists an authentic and valuable experience," Ceri said, believing that tourism focusing on offering authentic experiences will thrive.
He added that promoting Black Sea cuisine requires educating locals on its potential as a valuable source of income, understanding and sharing the stories behind these dishes, and standardizing recipes to maximize their impact.
Culinary tourism is steadily growing in Türkiye, with cities like Gaziantep and Hatay in the southeast recognized by UNESCO as Creative Cities of Gastronomy.
The Black Sea region is also gaining attention among tourists worldwide. Trabzon alone attracted 1.23 million tourists in the first 10 months of 2024, becoming the region's most popular destination for visitors, according to the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism.
Visitors who savor the Black Sea culinary delights are expected to share experiences upon returning home, which will, in turn, further strengthen the region's growing reputation as a gastronomic destination.
