Trabzon has its own distinct Black Sea food culture, centred on fish, corn bread (mısır ekmeği), anchovies, and dairy products from the highland pastures. The local anchovy preparations — fried, steamed, rice-cooked — are a regional obsession, and visiting in autumn when the fresh Black Sea anchovy (hamsi) season opens is strongly recommended. The hamurkemaya dessert made with cornmeal and butter is a local speciality with no equivalent elsewhere.
The seafood restaurants along the harbour and waterfront are the main destination for visitors. Nimet Lokantası near the port is one of the oldest and most reliable; the fish market at the western end of the harbour has a cluster of meyhanes (taverns) where you can buy fish at the market and have it cooked to order. For the proper tea experience, the Boztepe tea gardens above the city are essential.