Traditional Rize dessert pepeçura brings Black Sea flavor to tables

Pepeçura, a grape-based dessert with geographical indication status, takes its place on tables in Türkiye's Black Sea province of Rize as fragrant grapes ripen toward the end of summer.

The preparation of pepeçura, one of the traditional flavors of Rize cuisine, was featured as part of a project prepared by Anadolu Agency (AA) with the support of the Karatay Municipality to promote Türkiye’s culinary heritage.

Made from black grapes locally known as “mürdüme” or “kokulu kara üzüm” (fragrant black grapes), pepeçura has been among the preferred desserts in Rize and its surrounding areas since the Ottoman era.

The dessert was granted geographical indication status by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office in 2021 and remains a staple not only in daily meals but also on holiday tables.

Restaurant owner Necibe Oflu, describing the recipe to an AA reporter, said pepeçura has a history of more than a century.

Noting that fragrant grapes hold an important place in the region, Oflu said: “We wash the grapes and separate them from their stems. We extract the juice with very little water. Then we add a mixture of starch, corn flour and wheat flour to the boiling juice. We also add sugar during cooking. It contains no food additives.”

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1 kilogram Isabella grapes
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 tablespoon wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon finely sifted corn flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 6 cups water

Preparation

• Crush the grapes in a bowl.
• Transfer the grapes to a pot and add 1 cup of water.
• Boil for about 10 minutes until the grapes release their color.
• Strain the mixture to separate the grape juice from the pulp.
• Add the corn starch, wheat flour, corn flour, sugar and the remaining 5 cups of water to the grape juice.
• Stir continuously and cook for about 20 minutes until the mixture becomes homogeneous.
• Once cooked, pour the hot pepeçura into bowls and serve after it cools.