Breakfast
Muhlama
Origin: Rize, Black Sea
Rize dish of cornmeal roasted in butter, cooked with water and topped with melted kolot cheese, served hot in a copper pan.
Muhlama is made from butter, cornmeal, salt, water and kolot cheese, a local cheese also called koleti. Butter, cornmeal and salt are roasted in a copper pan and stirred with a wooden spoon. Once the mix has browned, boiling water is added from the edges and stirred until smooth. When it is as thick as a milk pudding, thin strands of cheese are laid on top and pressed in lightly, not stirred. It goes back on high heat for 10 to 15 seconds and is served hot.
The Rize Chamber of Commerce and Industry registered "Rize Muhlaması" as a geographical indication on 26 March 2021. The registration lists it among the wedding dishes of Rize. It is also a common breakfast. In Trabzon a similar dish is called kuymak.
Dietary notes: contains butter and cheese and is high in fat. Cornmeal has no gluten, but some cooks use wheat flour, so ask if you avoid gluten.