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Flavors · Rize

Rize muhlaması

Cornmeal toasted in butter, cooked in water until it becomes a creamy porridge, with melted kolot cheese on top that stretches: Rize muhlama, made in a copper pan with a wooden spoon and served hot.

Traditional dish from Rize

Also known as: muhlama, mıhlama, Rize muhlamasi

Updated October 2026

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Rize muhlaması — Rize, Turkey — Rize muhlaması

Rize muhlaması — Rize, Turkey

Muhlama is the hot dish of the tea-covered slopes of Rize, in the eastern Black Sea region. In the copper pan, butter, cornmeal (fubá) and salt are toasted together until ready. Then boiling water is poured in around the edges and stirred with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth, like a cream.

On top goes kolot cheese, which in Rize is also called "koleti peyniri." It is shredded over the cornmeal cream and gently pressed without stirring. At the end, the heat is raised for a few seconds, and the cheese melts and forms long threads when the spoon is lifted.

The name "Rize Muhlaması" has a geographical indication registration since 2021 (No. 704), requested by the Rize Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The registration states that the dish has been made in Rize for many years and is part of the meals served at weddings in the region.

Muhlama is brought to the table in its pan to be eaten hot, dipping pieces of corn or wheat bread. Along the Black Sea coast the dish has other names and versions: mıhlama, and kuymak from Trebizond, which also has its own registration.

Where it comes from

Rize
The geographical indication is for the province of Rize, where the dish is served at weddings.

Ingredients

Butter, cornmeal (fubá), kolot cheese, salt and water.

How it is eaten

Hot, in the copper pan, dipping pieces of bread; the cheese forms threads.

When it is eaten

All year round; it is part of the region's wedding meals.

Your questions

Questions about Rize muhlaması

What is the difference between muhlama, mıhlama and kuymak?

They are regional names and versions of the same type of Black Sea dish: cornmeal, butter and melted cheese. Rize registered its version as muhlama; Trebizond has kuymak, with its own registration.

Which cheese is used in Rize muhlama?

Kolot cheese, called koleti peyniri in Rize. It is shredded over the cornmeal cream and melts forming threads.

How is muhlama eaten?

Very hot, in the pan itself, dipping pieces of bread. It is common to share the pan at the table.

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