Turkey's Rize aims to shine with its culinary delights

Known for its natural beauty, historical sites and local delicacies, the pearl of Turkey's Black Sea region, Rize province, wants to reach the place it deserves in gastronomy. 

The mayor of Rize municipality, Rahmi Metin, told Anadolu Agency that Rize has not yet claimed the spot it deserves in the world with its geography, climate and very special regional foods, but with the GastroRize festival, the city will take its well-deserved place.

Touching on the aim of the 1st GastroRize National Rize Gastronomy Days organized between July 1-3, Metin said that with the event, they aimed to present people with the hidden tastes of Rize.

"When Rize is mentioned, you see that some of our restaurants shine with their doner kebab. Some come to the forefront with their black cabbage rolls," he said.

Rize has many local delicacies, ranging from deserts such as Laz Boregi and Pepecura to fruits and nuts unique to Rize, he added.

He also talked about the most popular dishes in Rize, saying their tastes come from the fact that they are made from butter obtained from cows in the highlands of Rize.

Metin said they expect more tourists to come to Rize together with gastronomy tourism, adding the number of tourists coming to the city will increase in a short time with the events held.

"Currently, over 1 million tourists, both domestic and foreign, come to Rize every year," he noted.

Regarding the opening of the airport in Rize, Metin said: "Hopefully, the first planes will land at Rize Airport towards the end of 2021. This will provide serious benefits for both regional tourism and Rize."

With GastroRize, local flavors of Rize will be recognized across the world, he added.

The northeastern province of Rize attracts...