- Ooh! - Wow!
- [Mr. Taster] Look at that!
(Trevor laughs)
- [Trevor] Oh and there it is.
That's the kuymak. - Oh my.
(Trevor laughs)
- You can play all the time, look. (laughs)
- Alright, check it out guys.
It's Trevor James.
We are with Mr. Taster!
We are on the Black Sea in Turkey.
In Trabzon, the land of seafood.
- The land of pide too? - Yeah.
- Yeah, we're going to meet Chef Ersan,
we're gonna have lots of food.
We're gonna have kofte, we're gonna have fun!
La bup, bup, bup, bup!
- Let's go!
(upbeat music)
This is it, Trabzon.
Right on the Black Sea in Turkey.
And today we're going for some of the best seafood
in the whole country.
Full on with Mr. Taster.
You're not gonna wanna miss this.
So make sure to watch all the way until the end
to enjoy it all with us.
Let's eat!
And first up, bright and early,
Mr. Taster and I are going to try
the number one breakfast specialty in the whole city,
the kuymak. - Yeah, it's kuymak, yeah.
It's cheese and cornmeal.
- Yeah, blend of local cheeses and it's right up here.
- Let's go!
- And here we are.
Going for Kavalti Bahcesi.
We're bright and early
and we just got invited into the kitchen
to see the kuymak.
Here we go. - Morning.
- Good morning! (Trevor laughs)
Oh, here's the kuymak.
- kuymak.
- [Trevor] kuymak. - [Mr. Taster] kuymak.
- [Trevor] It's full of a blend of local cheeses and butter.
Ooh! - [Mr. Taster] Wow!
Look at that!
- [Trevor] Look how tall it goes!
(Trevor and Mr. Taster laughing)
- [Trevor] Ooh!
- [Mr. Taster] Look at that, it's amazing.
- [Trevor] Oh and this is the?
- [Chef] Kaygana.
- [Trevor] Kaygana, Trabzon omelet.
- Trabzon omelet! - [Trevor] Yeah.
- But omelet, but omelet.
- [Trevor] Wow, very nice, thank you!
Oh and there it is!
That's the kuymak.
- Ooh, kuymak.
- Ooh, look at that!
(Mr. Taster laughs)
Everyone's so friendly here.
- Thank you, thank you.
- [Trevor] Oh and here's the Trabzon omelet.
(Mr. Taster laughing) And here it comes!
- Wow. - kuymak!
- There you go, enjoy. - Thank you!
And the Trabzon omelet.
- Omelet.
- Omelet. - Beautiful.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
Oh!
- We can play all the time, look!
(both laughing)
- Look at that blend of cornmeal and local cheeses,
with peynir, their special village cheese here.
And that is thick, look how gooey it is.
Okay, here we go.
She's gonna teach us.
Ooh! - Ah!
- Mm!
Oh, look at how stringy it is.
Ooh!
(Mr. Taster laughs)
Mm!
Oh! (laughs)
- Mm. - Thank you.
- Thank you.
Wow.
(Woman speaking faintly)
- It's very nice
That is awesome. - [Mr. Taster}I love it.
- [Trevor] It's got this cornmeal flavor to it.
And the cheese is actually fairly light.
Look at that! - That's a big bite! (laughs)
- That's a big bite.
It's fairly light, it's just got that cornmeal flavor to it.
(Mr. Taster laughs)
Look at that! (laughs)
That's so stringy.
Look at how! (laughs)
Mm.
- Mm. - Mm.
Lightly salted, just like a white village cheese.
And then we've also got these cheese wraps
filled with peynir, we've got some olives,
we've got some local village butter,
we got some sausage and french fries
and of course local Turkish tea.
Isn't that beautiful?
- [Together] Ooh!
- Life is good with Trevor.
- (laughs) Yeah!
- And Ting.
- And Mr. Taster!
- (laughs) Cheers! - (laughs) Cheers!
- Thank you!
See you!
(woman speaks in foreign language)
Bye bye! (speaks in foreign language)
(woman speaks in foreign language)
Bye bye!
Wow, people are so nice in Trabzon.
(Mr. Taster speaks in foreign language)
(woman speaks in foreign language)
- Thank you very much.
- [Trevor] Thank you.
(Trevor speaks in foreign language)
- Bye bye! - [Trevor] Bye bye!
And next up, we're going to the reason
why we came to Trabzon.
To meet with the number one seafood chef in the city,
Bordomavi Balik.
And having a huge Black Sea seafood feast.
And this is it guys, Trabzon.
We are going for a big food adventure here.
Look at the snow on the mountains.
And we've just pulled over on the side of the road,
and found this incredible view of Trabzon,
right on the Black Sea.
- It's gorgeous, really beautiful.
- And there's honey farms everywhere here.
Let's go for a fish! (laughs)
- Yeah (laughs)
- And here we are (laughs)
(Mr. Taster laughing)
Hi! (speaks in foreign language)
Nice to meet you. - How are you, okay?
- Wow.
And we have a lot of fish here too.
- [Mr. Taster] Yeah.
- [Merchant] Sea bass.
- [Trevor] Sea bass? (merchant speaking faintly)
- [Merchant] This is anchovy.
- [Trevor] Anchovy.
- [Mr. Taster] Ooh.
We've got the whiting fish.
- [Mr. Taster] Oh.
That's the whiting fish, Black Sea whiting fish.
Oh that's the eggs. - [Mr. Taster] Ah!
- [Trevor] It's tasty?
- [Merchant] Sargan. - [Trevor] Sargan.
- [Merchant] This is sargan.
This is farm fish.
- [Trevor] Farm fish. - Farm fish, yeah.
- [Trevor] Ooh, and what are these?
- [Merchant] Salmon.
- [Trevor] Salmon! - [Merchant] Salmon, yes.
- [Trevor] Wow, very nice!
Oh these are the scorpion fish, with poison.
Oh, gotta take out the spikes.
- [Merchant] You cannot touch.
- [Trevor] Oh, poison in there.
And how will he prepare these?
- [Merchant] Tomato sauce.
- [Trevor] Tomato sauce.
- [Mr. Taster] Wow, nice.
- [Trevor] Nice.
So this is the scorpion fish.
- Yes.
- [Trevor] Oh, and what are these?
- Mezgit, this is mezgit.
- [Trevor] Mezgit?
- Mezgit.
- And Chef Ersan is just giving us a show here.
Not only these scorpion fish,
but these mezgit as well.
And he's just separating the eggs.
- [Mr Taster] He likes the caviar.
- [Trevor] He likes the cavier, yeah. (laughs)
Now you can see Chef Ersan is a pro here
at cleaning and preparing the fish.
- [Mr. Taster] Oh.
- [Trevor] And a salmon!
(Ersan speaking faintly)
Gonna be a nice meal.
(both laugh)
Oh-ho, Look at the color there.
- [Mr. Taster] Wow.
- [Trevor] Amazing skills.
Look at that.
- Thank you.
- [Trevor] Thank you.
Excited Ting?
It's really beautiful.
- Thank you.
We're gonna have a big feast.
Fish are going right into the kitchen.
Hi, how are you.
And we're going into the kitchen.
Thank you very much.
Oh, these are the mezgit, with the eggs
oh, tomato, and garlic,
the scorpion fish - [Mr. Taster] Scorpion fish!
- [Trevor] And Chef Ersan masterfully removed
the poisonous spikes from that,
salt and chili and a little butter,
oh a lot of butter,
and their beautiful.
And here goes the salmon,
the salmon kebob,
seasoned with salt, a little bit of tomato
and green pepper on there.
It's going to be a fresh fish feast.
(laughs)
Wow, just a little salt, corn flour, and eggs.
Look at that.
There's so many pans of fish fizzling in the back
right now as we speak
and Chef Ersan is masterfully creating each one.
He sliced them with precision.
He's preparing them expertly.
And it just goes right on the grill.
Oh, and here's the oil.
Wow, they all look delicious.
But this one, the scorpion fish, looks divine.
It's just bubbling with delight.
Soft scorpion fish.
It looks really good, doesn't it?
- I'm so excited, yeah.
So excited.
- [Trevor] And there it is.
Look at that, that's the whitefish with the eggs.
Wow, look at that speed.
Oh wow, and this is the hamsi
with onion, chili and coriander
and he's just seasoning it.
The moment of truth, we're gonna flip the whitefish.
He's draining the oil,
and then he's gonna flip it right there.
Boom.
- [Mr. Taster] Ooh hoo hoo.
- [Trevor] It's like a fried fish pie.
And there's a rice pudding, too.
Look at this, and those are gonna go
right in the oven, wow.
Finished?
- Finished.
- Incredible.
Oh, and here's the scorpion fish.
Wow, bubbling in that tomato and garlic.
And there's the whitefish.
- [Mr. Taster] Whitefish, yeah.
- [Trevor] The mezgit.
Thank you Chef Ersan.
Here it is. (laughing)
Look at those.
- Scorpion Fish
- [Trevor] Oh, it's hot!
Oh, look at that!
Oh, and the salmon kebob.
- [Mr. Taster] Salmon!
- Ooh hoo!
Pure onion!
- [Mr. Taster] You remember the
(speaks in foreign language)?
- Yeah.
Oh, you just eat the onion?
Oh, it's sweet!
You can just scoop it up.
It's like a fish glove.
- Ready?
- Let's try.
Mmmmm, ooh.
One of the, if not the best fish, I've ever eaten.
It's so flavorful, yet elegantly smooth.
I'm gonna be saving that wherever we go
all over the world, I'm gonna be
thinking back to this,
and what a contrast.
We've got fresh salads, sour nice clean delicious pickles.
Delicious scorpion fish and then this, here.
We've gotta try this, the mezgit with the eggs.
So you take the spine,
oh, and then you can take the egg with it.
Let's try (both laugh)
Mm, oh, it's creamy.
- [Mr. Taster] It's good.
- [Trevor] This is the dish
we came to Trabzon for, the hamsi.
- [Mr. Taster] The hamsi, yeah.
- [Trevor] The anchovy.
Oh ho ho ho. - [Mr. Taster] Oh!
Mmm, crunchy,
Wow, sauce filled with the sweet onion.
A little spicy, but not overpowering.
Very nice, mm.
Did you like that meal, Ting?
Really good, right?
Thank you.
Now Chef Ersan is gonna take us
to some of his favorite locations
in Trabzon next.
What an awesome guy, awesome chef.
That was some of the best fish I've ever eaten.
Okay, we're going.
Thank you, see you.
And we're off.
Chef Ersan is bringing us for more food.
- And next up, we're trying some of the best
meatballs in the country,
and visiting a local seafood market,
we're going to try the number one specialty from Trabzon,
the pide Turkish pizza boat.
- And Chef Ersan is bringing us for a walk tour here
to see the beautiful Trabzon.
What do you think, Hamid?
- [Mr. Taster] I'm so happy.
- [Trevor] Wow, look at this, you can have tea here,
overlooking the city.
- [Mr. Taster] Wow.
- [Trevor] Beautiful, what do you think, Ting?
- Beautiful.
- [Trevor] Well we're traveling down the back alleys
of Trabzon going for pide next.
Wow, this is one of the most beautiful cities
I've ever visited.
Beautiful, yeah!
Here it is, we're going in for number one pide.
High five, buddy!
(both laugh)
- [Trevor] Hi, how are you? Thank you.
(speaks in foreign language)
How are you?
And we've just walked into a pide factory,
and here is a perfect spot to view.
And these are the ingredients,
right here, guys.
We've got Trabzon cheese, we've got ground beef,
we've got a sabzi, onion, tomato, chili mixed,
and then Trabzon butter.
Look at that cheese, it's so thick.
It's almost like a cottage cheese.
We've got these long, paddle-shaped one,
and we've also got these circular
delicious ground beef vegetable mixture pide.
Now, you can see, the oven is just packed
in the very back.
That's a long paddle.
Wow, there they are.
Pide delivery.
Those are the cheese ones.
That is incredible.
Look at the cheese bubbling and the butter just melting.
And then he's covering the edges with butter.
So much butter, oh, and here's the egg.
Oh, that is the Trabzon cheese, butter and raw egg mixture.
He is going to mix that egg yolk up.
Oh. (laughs)
That is incredible.
And they just come right out to either take away
or to the long line of customers.
Looks good!
Oh, and there just putting some tomato, bell pepper,
and then some Trabzon cheese.
- [Mr. Taster] Oh ho ho ho ho.
- [Trevor] Famous.
It's amazing.
And they go right in the oven.
And that's the Trabzon pide.
- Trabzon pide.
And they come right out of the oven.
So many different varieties.
And it's the Terminal Pide.
- Terminal Pide.
- Thank you.
It's beautiful.
Trabzon oil, beef, tomato, (speaks in foreign language)
and that's just one of the many different varieties here.
Okay, and they're letting us cut the pide.
Look at that, wow.
Look at that.
It's full of cheese.
Oh ho.
Thank you.
This is the most buttery, cheesy filled, pide factory.
Look at that, so much cheese.
Oh, and he's gonna drop an egg on there.
Oh ho ho.
And there it is, the Terminal Pide.
- Yeah, number one pide in the world.
- Number one in the world.
- You ready?
- Oh, so you can just take your piece
and dip it into that egg yolk?
Trabzon cheese, let's try it out.
Mm. - [ Mr. Taster] Mm.
- [Trevor] The absolute best in the world.
So cheesy and buttery,
and there's a little bit of freshness
from the green pepper and the tomato.
- I love it.
- [Trevor] And it's super cool to witness
the speed and the factory-production style
that they've got going on here.
That is pizza times 100 right there.
Look at that raw egg.
Ooh.
Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Terminal Pide.
- [Trevor] Thank you, that was delicious.
Thank you.
(speaks in foreign language)
Thank you, bye bye.
Thank you, Ersan, thank you.
He's really being nice - You're welcome.
You're welcome. - [Trevor] Showing us
his whole Trabzon City.
We're going for more, Ting, keep going.
Here we are, we're just pulling up for kofte,
Komaroglu kofte.
- Komaroglu kofte.
- [Trevor] Wow, driving through the back alleys.
Are you excited?
- High five!
- And here we go, kofte.
- Komaroglu kofte.
- Right here.
How are you?
- Good to see you.
Oh, look at these, kofte.
Got the meatball heaven here.
Ground beef kofte.
Wow, it's a total meatball station here.
You know, it's a simple concept.
Beef kofte and bread,
the two best things in life, meat and bread.
Oh ho, looks good.
This is where the salad starts.
We've got pure lettuce,
and he's going to slice it up.
Oh, wow, look at that speed.
(laughs) That's fast.
We've got slice lettuce,
he's gonna pull out an onion.
Oh, nice.
- [Mr. Taster] Wow. (laughs)
- [Trevor] So it's lettuce, onion, covered in beans.
- [Mr. Taster] Wow, looks good.
- [Trevor] That's a beautiful salad.
And a little oil, olive oil, and lemon.
- Oh ho ho, and here they are. (both laugh)
The Trabzon kofte, and then we've got
the Trabzon piyaz - Piyaz salad
- Piyaz salad.
And not only that, but what I love about Turkey
is the ayran,
(Mr. Taster speaks in foreign language)
yogurt drink.
- You ready?
- And the meatballs, let's go for it.
- [Mr. Taster] Ooh.
- [Trevor] I'm gonna make a meatball bread.
And there they all.
And I just love how local this joint is.
- Yeah.
- Right, deep in the eyes.
- Ready?
- Let's try it out.
Oh wow, those beef kofte,
they're so hot, right off the grill.
They're seasoned lightly, with a little garlic
a little salt, and this pepper isn't spicy
it just gives it a little bit of a punch.
Wow, you can put your salad on top.
- [Mr. Taster] Let's do that.
- [Trevor] It's gonna be good.
I love that beans, onion, lettuce,
lemon, olive oil salad, it's simple.
It's got another platter and you can add chili on.
That's the joy of life right there.
Those are delicious.
And the chili, those are delicious.
Mm, oh ho ho, juicy.
- Juicy.
Awesome day.
- Yeah. (laughs)
- [Trevor] Thank you, delicious.
- [Mr. Taster] Thank you.
- [Trevor] Thank you. - [Mr. Taster] Very nice.
- [Trevor] Thank you.
Let's keep going.
- Let's go.
- And we're gonna keep going.
Ersan is driving us to all of his top spots.
And to finish up the day,
we're going for the number one palab and beef rice dish
in the whole city.
Extremely fatty, filling, hearty and delicious.
Take a look at this.
Okay, and next up we're going to
Kalkanoglu Pilav
which is a local pilav rice dish with beef
Are you ready for pilav?
(laughs)
- Yeah, I'm ready, let's go.
(kissing noises)
- And next up we're going for pilav.
- Pilav, yeah.
- But on the way here, we just found
a local little market look at this.
- [Mr. Taster] Oh ho ho.
- Wow, big fish.
(speaks in foreign language)
These are the two specialties of this region,
the hamsi and the mezgit.
- [Mr. Taster] The whitefish
- [Trevor] And tuna - [Mr. Taster] Yeah, tuna.
Thank you very much, thank you.
- [Trevor] Thank you.
And the beef pilav place in just right in this local market.
Awesome, and here we are.
Ooh.
- [Mr. Taster] Ooh.
Kalkanoglu Pilav.
How are you?
Oh, here we are.
I think we walked into butter heaven.
- Yeah.
- The true butter (laughs).
Amazing. - [Mr. Taster] It's amazing.
What's your name?
- Arda.
- Kalkanoglu.
- Kalkanoglu Pilav.
Oh, he's gonna make a plate for us here.
It's so buttery.
And it goes right on the scale.
And here comes the beef.
Wow, look at that, pure beef.
And here's the bean.
And that's it, there.
The Kalkanoglu Pilav.
And he's gonna make us two plates
of this beauty Kalkanoglu Pilav.
There's the beef.
- [Mr. Taster] Yeah, that's the beef.
- [Trevor] We're getting two of those, rice beans and beef.
- [Mr. Taster] Wow.
- Thank you. - Thank you very much.
(speaking in foreign language)
- Thank you. - Thank you.
- Look at these beauties.
- Ooh.
- Wow.
And we've got a full table.
There they are.
- Yeah, you ready?
- Kalkanoglu Pilav.
Beef, rice, with local butter, beans
and we're just going to touch it with the chili.
Oh, rice, beans.
Try it out.
- Yeah.
Mm.
- Mm
- (speaks in foreign language)
Delicious.
Simple combo of rice beans, beans, butter
and beef. - [Mr. Taster] Yeah.
- [Trevor] Wow, that is so flavorful.
- [Mr. Taster] Yeah.
- [Trevor] The beans are so naturally healthy and wholesome.
Everything is full of butter.
Mmm.
(speaks in foreign language)
- [Trevor] Thank you very much.
Wow, delicious.
- Nice eyes, nice eyes, beautiful.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, take care.
Kalkanoglu Pilav.
(laughs)
Make sure you guys go follow
Mr.Taster on Instagram.
Gotta give a big thank you
to IFM Istanbul and to
(muffled speaking) as well for helping support this trip.
Trabzon has been a lot of fun.
- Yeah, let's go!
- Thanks for watching, guys.
- Thank you.