Dishes you should try in Ortahisar: Trabzon Pide, Kuymak (Muhlama), Karadeniz Hamsisi (Black Sea anchovy) and Trabzon Karalahana Sarması (stuffed kale leaves with Trabzon butter). This guide also covers the local products to buy and what Ortahisar is famous for.
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Prepared closed and boat-shaped, Trabzon pide is the best-known flavour of Black Sea cuisine, in minced meat, cheese and egg varieties. It is baked in a stone oven and served with butter.
Made by stirring cornmeal and Trabzon cheese into melted butter and cooking them together, kuymak is an indispensable dish on Black Sea breakfast tables.
Trabzon's emblematic fish, the hamsi, is prepared in dozens of different ways: fried, steamed, with rice or with bread. It is at its most delicious from November to March.
A local dish made by wrapping kale leaves around rice and minced meat and cooking them. It is served with Trabzon butter.
These dishes are known throughout Trabzon province; see the provincial food guide for details.
Köfte (meatballs) with a registered geographical indication.
Rice pudding with a registered geographical indication.
Kuymak (muhlama) with a registered geographical indication.
Bread with a registered geographical indication.
Pide with a registered geographical indication.
Keşan with a registered geographical indication.
The Empire of Trebizond, which ruled from 1204 to 1461, left the city Hagia Sophia, Trabzon Castle and many churches. This period's cultural heritage forms the basis of the city's historical identity.
The most characteristic folk dance of the Black Sea, the horon is performed with fast, rhythmic movements to the accompaniment of the kemençe (fiddle). It is an indispensable tradition at Trabzon's weddings, festivals and special occasions.
Ortahisar is known for 4 local dishes, above all Trabzon Pide, Kuymak (Muhlama), Karadeniz Hamsisi (Black Sea anchovy) and Trabzon Karalahana Sarması (stuffed kale leaves with Trabzon butter). Prepared closed and boat-shaped, Trabzon pide is the best-known flavour of Black Sea cuisine, in minced meat, cheese and egg varieties. It is baked in a stone oven and served with butter.
Ortahisar is known for Trabzon Pide, Trabzon Hazelnuts (Trabzon Fındığı) and Legacy of the Empire of Trebizond. Its best-known sights include Atatürk Square (Atatürk Meydanı) and Excavation Site (Kazı Alanı).
Local products and souvenirs to buy in Ortahisar include Trabzon Hazelnuts (Trabzon Fındığı) and Trabzon Butter (Trabzon Tereyağı).