Food to Try in Rize 2026: Fresh Tea, Hamsi and Black Sea Mountain Food

Rize food shares the Black Sea food culture with Trabzon — hamsi in season, mıhlama, cornbread, and mountain dairy — but adds the specific tea dimension and the Hemşin culinary tradition from the mountain valleys. Drinking fresh tea here, from leaves picked in the surrounding hills, is a qualitatively different experience from the packaged Çaykur tea used everywhere in Turkey.

For the cultural context, see Rize food guide.

Fresh Rize tea

The fundamental Rize food experience: drinking fresh-brewed Rize çayı from leaves grown on the hillsides visible from the café window. The Turkish tea drunk daily across the country is overwhelmingly grown in this province; drinking it at the source has a completeness to it.

Where to drink it: The tea houses (çay bahçesi) with plantation views above the city; the farm visits where tea is brewed immediately after processing; the Atatürk Tea Garden at the top of the city.

Fresh vs packaged: Freshly harvested tea from local small producers has a lighter, more fragrant character than the mass-market Çaykur blend. Ask at local tea shops or farm visits for fresh single-harvest tea.

Cost: ₺20–35 per glass everywhere.

Hamsi (anchovy)

The same anchovy culture as Trabzon — October–February season, multiple preparations (hamsi pilavı, tava hamsi, hamsi köfte, hamsi in bread). The hamsi supply comes from the same Black Sea shoals.

Rize specificity: The restaurants in Rize and Pazar district are less tourist-oriented than Trabzon, so the hamsi preparation is more straightforwardly local.

Mıhlama and Black Sea corn dishes

Mıhlama/kuymak — the corn and cheese fondue — is the same as in Trabzon. The local kolot and tulum cheese quality in Rize is excellent, particularly the varieties from the Hemşin valley producers.

Rize-specific preparation: Some valley restaurants in the Hemşin area make kuymak with higher-quality local cheese than the city versions — worth seeking if in the valleys.

Hemşin pastry (Hemşin böregi)

The Hemşin people of the mountain valleys above Rize are known for their pastry-making tradition. Hemşin böreği is a sweet layered pastry made with local butter and honey — different from the standard savoury börek of the rest of Turkey.

Where to find: Pastry shops in Çamlıhemşin and Ayder; some Rize city bakeries. ₺40–80 per piece.

Mountain honey (dağ balı)

The wildflower meadows of the Kaçkar yaylalar produce exceptional honey — dark, intensely flavoured, from bees foraging on the high-altitude flora.

Types:

• Çiçek balı (wildflower honey): General mountain honey. ₺200–400/kg.
• Deli bal (mad honey): A specific honey from rhododendron nectar — contains grayanotoxin in small quantities, producing a mild intoxicating effect. Sold in limited quantities at valley markets. ₺400–800/kg. Note: consume only in very small amounts; larger quantities cause poisoning.

Where to buy: Market stalls in Rize; beekeepers in the mountain villages; the Ayder market.

Rize city market

The Rize market (Tuesday and Friday main markets; daily smaller market) has excellent fresh produce:

• Tea leaves (fresh and dried)
• Mountain honey (multiple types)
• Local kolot and tulum cheese
• Hazelnuts (the regional hazelnut is particularly good)
• Fresh Black Sea fish in season

Price summary

Food	Where	Cost
Tea (glass)	Çay bahçesi	₺20–35
Fresh plantation tea (50g)	Tea shop/farm	₺40–100
Mıhlama	Lokanta	₺100–160
Tava hamsi	Restaurant	₺100–150
Hemşin pastry	Bakery	₺40–80
Mountain honey	Market	₺200–400/kg
Deli bal (small jar)	Valley market	₺100–200

For the food culture, see Rize food guide.