Black Sea — Karadeniz

History & landscape

The Black Sea region contains many local histories. Sümela in Trabzon province is one example: a cliffside monastic complex with Byzantine and later building phases, recorded on Türkiye’s UNESCO Tentative List. It helps place one eastern district in context; it is not a history of the entire coast, and its antiquity should not be transferred to modern dishes.

Living culture

Karadeniz is a broad regional name rather than a single uniform cuisine. GoTürkiye distinguishes the hazelnut-producing areas of Ordu and Giresun, eastern tea-growing areas, and Kastamonu’s separate food repertoire. A regional introduction is most useful when it leads back to individual places instead of making every tradition belong equally to the whole coast.

Food & ingredients

Rainy mountain landscapes accompany a repertoire of corn breads, anchovy dishes, cabbage or kale, cheese and butter. Kuymak is one of the region’s breakfast dishes. The same regional account also includes inland foods, so fish alone is an incomplete picture. Our first connected recipe approaches these traditions through Trabzon’s dairy-and-cornmeal cooking.

How our recipes connect

Trabzon-style kuymak is listed through the city’s Black Sea association. This does not establish a single origin or a universal formula. As other coastal and inland dishes are researched, their specific places and differences should remain visible alongside this broader guide.

Sources & further reading

• GoTürkiye: Black Sea gastronomy

  Rainy mountain landscapes, corn, anchovies, cabbage, dairy, tea and variations across the region.

• UNESCO Tentative List: Sümela Monastery

  The cliffside monastery in Trabzon province and its Byzantine and later architectural history. This is a Tentative List entry, not World Heritage inscription.

• GoTürkiye: Taste Trabzon

  Kuymak, anchovies, kale, breads, dairy products and tea in Trabzon’s food culture.