Pontic Greek cuisine

According to Achillefs Keramaris et al., "Pontic Greek traditional cuisine is diverse and simplistic, incorporating traditions from mountainous and coastal regions, ancient Greece, nomadic regions, and influences from Russian, Turkish, Laz, Hemshin, and Armenian cuisines.

[2] Seafood, vegetables, dairy products, and grains are integral to Pontic Greek cuisine.

[4] Pontians served food in deep copper plates; the word for this dish is shahan.

[4] Before refrigeration technology was invented, Pontians cured and preserved meat and seafood to make it last.

While they also ate fresh poultry, beef, pork, and seafood, there were some distinct cured meats.

[6][7] Pontians also made lalánggia, (Λαλάγγια), a type of fried dough similar to pancakes.

They were made with yeast, flour, melted butter, lemon zest, milk, and sometimes raisins.

Hasil refers to a thin flour porridge poured over milk, honey, butter, sugar, or fruit broth.

One dish was kinteata (κιντέατα), a type of nettle soup shared with Iranian cuisine.

[12][13] Another soup, popular in winter, was mavra laxana, made with cabbage, beans, and sometimes jalapeños, based on the cook's preferences.

Tanoménon sorvá or tanofái (τανωμένον σορβά, τανοφάι) was made with onions, mint, and yogurt.

The ingredients in Pontian pilav vary based on region, season, and food availability.

This kind of recipe would have been more popular along the Black Sea coast, where people could fish, as opposed to further inland[18] Another coastal variety was hapsipilavon, anchovy pilav.

Pontian cooks would place fresh-baked phyllo dough in a pot and pour boiling water or stock over them.

As the siron soaked up liquid, toppings such as paskitan (strained yogurt) and garlic would be poured on the dish.

Satz is the Romeika word for a convex iron griddle used exclusively to cook flatbreads.

The bread would be kneaded, shaped into a thin circle, and fried on the satz directly over an open fire.

[24] Pontians also made pishía (pnt) (πιςία),[25] a type of savory fried dough from Turkic cuisine.

Pontians made perek (Περέκ), similar to Turkish börek and Greek tiropita.

Fresh phyllo dough would be dipped in a mix of eggs, salt, milk, and oil, then covered with a cheese filling.

[26] A simpler variation on berek is bereketi, a single sheet of cooked lavashia filled with tsokalik cheese.

Meat had a versatile role in stews, soups, stocks, pies, dumplings, and other dishes when it was available.

Pontian refugees also brought peynirli, a Turkish pie dish that could include meat, vegetables, and cheese, to Greece during the population exchange.

One Pontian salad recipe calls for lettuce, chicken, prunes, walnuts, and sour cream.

To prepare it, one forms a long roll of dough, stuffs it with an herbed potato-cheese filling, and then wraps it into a tight spiral.

[1] Pontians traditionally make chosaf, a type of fruit compote shared with Turkish cuisine.

[40][41][42] They also made türlü, slow-cooked vegetables, and İmam bayıldın, stuffed eggplant; both are shared with Turkish cuisine.

[49] Pontians also made chosaf, or fruit compote; tsorekin, sweet buns; and tsorek' pourma, a baklava variety from the Kars region.

This dessert was made by filling dough with a mixture of tahini, sugar, cinnamon, sesame seeds, and breadcrumbs.

[52] Kollyva is a sweet dish made of boiled grains, nuts, raisins, and sugar.