A STUDY ON HERBS USED IN FOOD IN RIZE PROVINCE WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF GASTRONOMY TOURISM

Interest in gastronomy tourism in the world is increasing day by day. Increasing tourism activities are triggering and accelerating this process. In this context, when Turkish cuisine is considered, the use of herbs in a rich culinary culture is also quite common. This wealth, which arises from different possibilities of different regions, greatly increases the product diversity in the context of gastronomy tourism of our country. In this study, it is aimed to compile the herb inventory of Rize in the Black Sea region of Turkey and to determine the usage status in the food. In this study, which was conducted as a literature review, herb use of Rize province was investigated and the majority of studies were found to be for medical and food purposes. The number of plants used for food purposes in the region was determined as 66. However, in the majority of studies on the use of herbs for food purposes, it was observed that plants are referred to only by their local names, the Latin names are not mentioned and there is no knowledge of the related herbarium sample. By paying attention to this situation in scientific publications on plants, the Latin name of the plant which is the subject of research and examination is very important in terms of preventing confusion in this regard. From this point of view, studies on the use of herbs in the context of gastronomy tourism have emerged as a result of the necessity of making more scientifically valid definitions of these herbs. Also, for the products made from these herbs to be evaluated by the enterprises serving in the region and presented to the visitors coming to the region, the people of the region and the tourism enterprises in the region should be made aware of this issue. Tourism businesses operating in the region need to be encouraged to use these products and offer them to visitors.


INTRODUCTION
With technological developments, individuals' educational and cultural levels are increasing and accordingly, individuals are more involved in tourism movements. In parallel with the increase in participation, new trends are appearing in tourism and the share of gastronomy is constantly increasing among these new trends. According to the TURSAB Gastronomy Tourism Report (2014), the number of tourists in the world exceeds 1 billion people, while 88.2% of these tourists say 'Food is very important in choosing destinations ' (Ref.). The share of food and drink in total tourism expenditures is close to 30%, and that rate according to 2017 research by Xsights in Turkey, gastronomy is 27% for gastronomy tourists and 20% for other types of tourists. Within the scope of this research, local cuisine among the expectations of gastronomy tourists constitutes their primary preferences during the holidays with 80% (Xsights, 2017). Local flavors can be expressed as gastronomic products that arise by the synthesis of social culture with geographical and climatic features. Herbs are grown depending on geographical and climatic conditions form the basis of local delicacies (cuisine) and are preferred in gastronomy tourism because they are endemic species. In Turkey, there are approximately 10,000 plant species of flora and there are 3432 endemic plant taxa, approximately 1/3 of these species (Ekim, Koyuncu, Duman, Aytac and Adiguzel, 2000).
As for the Eastern Black Sea region contains 440 plants diversity moreover hosts 2239 taxon's. 514 of these taxon's are known to be endemic (Yaldiz, Yüksek andSekeroglu, 2010: 1101). In research data carried out with the support of TUBITAK, it is reported that there are 1430 plant species in Rize province, of which 15 are new species for Turkey, and 4 new species for the scientific world and 110 species are endemic for Turkey (Guner, Vural and Sorkun, 1987in Yaldiz et al., 2010: 1011.
In this context it is aimed to review edible herbs grown in Rize region, to determine the cooking and cooking techniques made and to bring them into the gastronomy tourism and to utilize them within the field of fusion cuisine.

Gastronomy Tourism
The word gastronomy is originally a combination of the Greek word ''gaster'' meaning stomach and the word ''nomas'' meaning the law (Altinel, 2009: 2). 'Gastronomy' first used in Joseph Berchoux's ''The Oxford Companion to Food'' (1801) book and stick within our minds and in 1835 French Academy accepting the word ''gastronomy'', added it to their dictionary and with this, gastronomy word became official (Gursoy, 2014:12). Gastronomy is called the science of refreshments, which examines the relationship between culture and food, and as a result of the studies, it is emphasized that gastronomy is related to tourism because it covers the refreshment activity which is one of the main structures of tourism (Comert & Ozkaya, 2014: 63). In other words, gastronomy can be expressed as the transformation of food and beverage culture (refreshments) into science and art. And today it can be seen as one of the most important motivators that allow tourists to choose that destination in the preference of tourism destinations (Bucak & Araci, 2013: 2007 Gastronomy tourism, on the other hand, can be defined as people's experiencing local food and beverages (refreshments) and experiencing the culture-specific to a region (Basaran, 2017:136). Gastronomy tourism is built on three basic phenomena; agriculture, culture, and tourism. While agriculture products and culture produce literal goods and services, tourism offers other support and complementary products and services. These three phenomena provide regional appeal, providing different experiences to incoming visitors and helping to determine its place in gastronomy tourism by forming the future of that region in gastronomy tourism (Du Rand & Health, 2006: 208).
Destination centers aim to increase tourism diversity and provide new and different experiences to visitors with their historical and cultural assets and it can be stated that they are converging towards gastronomy tourism (Basaran, 2017: 136). Destination centers strive to get one step ahead and differentiate from other destinations with gastronomy tourism in places that they are competing. In addition to its complementary role in gastronomy and tourist services by many destinations around the world, it has now become a leading role in its own right and contributes to the attractiveness of destinations (Kesici, 2012: 35). Gastronomy tourism could intensify competitiveness and addition to that extending the tourism season (Cevik & Saclik, 2011:504). By effectively evaluating regional foods and beverages, it is possible to create a profile of tourists loyal to the region to compete with other regions and differentiate the region from other destinations (İlban, Bezirgan & Colakoglu, 2018:638). This diversification and competitive advantage also contribute to the development of the region. Many countries with extensive gastronomy cultures such as France, Italy, China, Thailand aim to ensure regional gastronomy development by supporting local gastronomy activities in rural areas (Cagli, 2012: 41).
According to a study conducted by the European Union member and candidate countries, the contribution of the gastronomy sector to the country's economy was 70%, while the added value in the hospitality sector was stated as 30%. Based on this data, it can be said that the gastronomy sector has much more economic input than the hospitality sector. When examined in terms of employment, it is stated that the gastronomy sector has a share of 75% and the hospitality sector is 20% (European Commission, 2014). Examples of areas where gastronomy tourism is carried out are gastronomy tours. France, Portugal, Ireland, Spain and Italy can be described as places where gastronomy tours are frequently carried out in Europe. Activities carried out within the scope of gastronomy tours involve cheese and winemaking and tasting, olive oil tasting and participation in production, grape harvest, mushroom search, taking cooking lessons from recognized people and food and beverage festivals (Kesici, 2012: 35-36). Gastronomy tourism, which is constantly developing, includes many different kinds of activities.
Considering all the stakeholders in gastronomy tourism such as culinary school, travel agency, hotels, etc., it is seen that the most organized country in the United States. It is known that 17,879 institutions are working in the field of gastronomy tourism in the United States. It corresponds to 53% of gastronomy tourism institutions in 50 countries active in this sector. The United States followed by Sweden, Canada, and the UK, respectively. In this ranking, Turkey ranks 23rd with its 94 institutions (TURSAB Gastronomy Report, 2014:4).

Gastronomy Tourism in Turkey
In the Gastronomy Tourism Report 2014, compiled by the Turkish Association of Travel Agencies (TURSAB) based on data from the United Nations World Travel Organization, the share of food and drink expenditures in total tourism expenditures is close to 30%. In the same report, it was reported that among the total tourism expenditures of 34.3 billion dollars in Turkey, which hosted 41 million 415 thousand tourists in 2014, this rate was approximately 19%, equals to 6 billion 523 million dollars. In this report, it is also reported that tourists coming to Turkey spend $157 per person on food and drink and this amount is aimed to be increased to $250 (TURSAB Gastronomy Report, 2014: 1). When this information is evaluated, it is seen that approximately 1/5 of the general tourism expenditures in our country are food and beverage (refreshment) expenditures and this amount is approximately 1/3 in the world. According to Xsights 2017 research, this rate is 27% for gastronomy tourist in our country. In order to get closer to the world average, gastronomy tourism activities can be increased and existing food and drinking resources can be used more efficiently.
When the culinary structure of Turkey is examined, it is said that it is a country with a gastronomic structure of Mediterranean culture with the influence of geographical location and a high gastronomic richness blending Asian, European and African cultures (Karaca, Yildirim & Cakici, 2015: 28). With the increased awareness of human beings in the direction of healthy eating, it can be expressed that Mediterranean-type nutrition has gained importance. With the development of gastronomy tourism, Mediterranean cuisine attracts attention in the world and especially in Europe. It has a wide range of products such as cereals, vegetables and fruits, milk and dairy products, wine and olive oil (okdeniz, Erdem, Dinc & Uguz, 2015: 18-19). Turkey, which is located in the Mediterranean region and therefore Turkish cuisine, can be evaluated in this context.
Turkish culinary culture is based on a historical process that dates from Central Asia to the present day. It can be stated that it was formed by the influence of Asian and Anatolian lands and other geographies interacting in this process. While the Turkish diet in Central Asia was based on cereals and animal products, meat, flour, and oil were used during the Seljuk period when they settled in Anatolia (Cakir, 2010: 10). From the Ottoman Empire to the present day, it can be argued that Turkish cuisine was formed by the influence of historical culture by synthesizing the cultures in which Anatolian civilizations and the Ottoman Empire interacted.
Turkish cuisine covers the food and beverages consumed by the people living in Turkey to meet their nutritional needs and also covers the utilization of the needed materials and techniques for preparing, cooking and conserving them (Kesici, 2012: 34).
When Turkish cuisine is examined in terms of tourism, introducing the culinary structure of the destination among the cultural values of the destinations increases the interest of tourists in the local tastes in that region. When the studies carried out in this context are examined, it can be seen that there is a desire to know and explore the Turkish cuisine (Akman, 1998;Budak & Cicek, 2002;Ozdemir & Kinay, 2004;Albayrak, 2013).
When Turkish cuisine is taken in detail, it turns out that there are differences according to geographical regions for example, while dumpling sweets come to the fore in the Southeast region, spicy kebab varieties are the most prominent feature. grain and dough dishes appear in central Anatolia and Eastern Anatolia and fish dishes are mainly in Marmara and the Black Sea. Aegean cuisine is known for its milky desserts and olive oil dishes. It can be said that these differences are the regional richness of Turkish cuisine (Dogdubay & Girintioglu, 2011: 442). With these differences, genuine tastes can be offered to tourists coming to Turkey and distinctive attraction elements can be created for destinations.
The concept of local cuisine can be stated as in the form of food and beverages prepared and served by local traditions and local products, which are prepared and served by local people using their traditional methods and which also has national or religious effects (Sengul & Turkay, 2016: 65). The climatic conditions of the region can be seen as one of the most prominent factors in the formation of the components of local cuisines. Because the products that grow depending on the climatic conditions can also affect the cuisine of that region.
Looking at the expectations of tourists participating in tourism activities, it can be stated that besides recognizing new cultures and seeing new places, there is a desire to experience new experiences such as tasting new tastes (Kivela & Crotts, 2006: 360). In this context, traditional tastes can be considered as a gravitational pull for destinations. Albayrak (2013) stated in a study that a group of tourists of various nationalities preferred Turkey because of its historical riches and cheapness. Turkish cuisine, on the other hand, has found that it is ranked fourth among the reasons for choosing Turkey. In the same research, the five most admired dishes by tourists were kebabs, lahmacun/pita, pastries, pies and olive oil dishes (Albayrak, 2013: 5055-5056). In another study, "Tasting Turkish cuisine" is in third place with 32.8% as one of the reasons why foreign tourists visit Turkey. In the same study, when asked where they had their first experience of Turkish cuisine, 32.1% of the hospitality management ranked first, street vendors ranked second with 21.5 and restaurants in third place with 14%. According to the same research, when looking at the findings of the gastronomy experiences of tourists in their time in Turkey, the expression "eating only in restaurants serving local foods" is the first with 72.7 and "consuming Turkey's local drinks" with the %48.8 takes the second place (Birdir & Akgol, 2015: 61-62).
Turkish cuisine distinguishes itself from the culinary structures of other nations due to its influence on its geographical location and its agricultural and animal products, its beliefs and traditional methods (Albayrak, 2013: 5054). Because of this feature, it can be regarded as one of the top three cuisines in the world together with countries with its own culinary culture, such as China and France (Cimen, 2016: 310). Turkish cuisine is a combination of different tastes in different regions. While fish are mainly in the Black Sea region, meat in the eastern region, cereals, and pastries in the inner Anatolian region come to the fore, while olive oil dishes can come to the fore in the Aegean region. Although different flavors are at the forefront in different regions, it can be argued that herb use and herb dishes are widely used in all the regions.

Place of Herbs in Turkish Cuisine
The increasing importance of herb dishes, which are also included in Turkish cuisine dishes in gastronomy tourism affects the approach to the subject from tourism and an academic point of view. When weed is the word for it, it is not grown by human hands unlike plants but is called herb or wild herbs in the sense of plants that grow spontaneously in nature (Karaca et al., 2015: 28). Herb names are known by different names in various regions of our country. For example, in the Trabzon region, the so-called "Gerdeme herb" is known as "Gudime" in the Rize province of Turkey (Tuzlaci, 2011a).
Traditional and widely consumed dishes made with wild herbs in various regions of our country are often referred to as "herb dishes". Traditional and widely consumed dishes made with wild plants in various regions of Turkey are often referred to as "herb dishes". Although the majority of the plants used to make these dishes are herbaceous, not the parts that got tough but shoots of plants in the form of shrubs or trees can be used. From this point of view, the dishes obtained by utilizing plant or plant parts with herbaceous properties are generally called herb dishes (Tuzlaci, 2011b: 25).
When looking at Turkish cuisine, the use of herbs in dishes is quite wide.  (Tuzlaci, 2011b).
According to research data conducted by the Ankara Chamber of Commerce and Ankara Patent Office, which includes 81 provinces, "Taste Map of Turkey" has been determined. According to this research data, the number of local foods and beverages detected in Turkey is stated as 2205. Gaziantep ranks first with 291 products, while Elazig is second. When examined based on regions within the scope of the research, the central Anatolia region ranked first with 455 products, Eastern Anatolia second with 425 product types, third with 398 product types in Southeast Anatolia region and fourth with 397 product types in the Black Sea. With 184 products, Mediterranean and Marmara region, with 162 kinds of products Aegean region follows the ranking (ATO and Ankara Patent Office, 2008). Herbs are used in Anatolian cuisine in various ways and vary according to the regions and some of them are unique to the region because they are endemic, and some of them gain regional flavor due to their preparation styles.
It can be stated that Turkish cuisine has developed in the historical process due to many factors. One of these factors can be seen as a geographical location and related geographical conditions. Traces of this can be found in herb dishes of geographical regions located within the borders of Turkey. For example, in Aegean and Mediterranean regions, herbs are used in dishes such as heliotrope with zucchini, mustard with eggs, wild radish salad, blessed thistle with chickpea, sow thistle salad, cabbage sprout salad, rolled pastry, dandelion salad, Foxtail Lily halva, stuffed globe thistle, meadow parsley with meat, black nightshade salad and in Eastern Anatolia region, meals like rhubarb with eggs, roasted ferula. In the South Eastern Anatolian region, one can find Turkish pancake with celosia, celosia with rice and yoghurt and in Marmara Region, one can find these kinds of herb dishes like black cabbage, a meal prepared with poppy seeds, layered pastry with spinach or zucchini. The use of herb dishes in another region, Central Anatolia, a dessert made with saffron, saffron rice (pilaf), soup with saffron and bulgur and as for the Black Sea Region, one can see the use of herbs in dishes like roasted smilax with eggs, pickled smilax, smilax with eggs, the Pyrenees with eggs (Karaca et al., 2015: 34). Here, one can see the usage of herbs in various ways in Turkish cuisine and it can show difference or originality depending on the region.

RESEARCH AIM AND METHOD
Each region in Turkey has its own type of nutrition and cooking methods. It may be possible to see the reflection of this in Black Sea Region's cuisine. Anchovies, the most important food source of the Eastern Black Sea region, are cooked and consumed in many different ways. Another food that is frequently consumed in the region is corn. Black cabbage is another foodstuff that is consumed very often. The region is identified with agricultural products such as tea and hazelnuts. When the use of herbs in the context of the local tastes of the region is examined, and when looked at the Marmara Region one can find these kinds of herb dishes like black cabbage, a meal prepared with poppy seeds, layered pastry with spinach or zucchini and when looked at the use of herb dishes in another region, Central Anatolia a dessert made with saffron, saffron rice (pilaf), soup with saffron and bulgur and as for the Black Sea Region, we can see the use of herbs in dishes like roasted smilax with eggs, pickled smilax, smilax with eggs, the Pyrenees with eggs (Karaca et al., 2015: 34). Here, we can see the usage of herbs in various ways in Turkish cuisine and it can show difference or originality depending on the region.
As a result of the studies, it is observed that there are extensive studies of ethnobotany conducted in the Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey and therefore in the Province of Rize. In these studies, there are many plants evaluated from ethnobotany perspective. However, when these studies were analyzed, it was understood that there was not enough work in the context of edible herbs for the region and that existing studies were usually done for medicinal purposes. Naturally, the majority of these plants, which are analyzed from the ethnobotany point of view in Rize, are traditional folk medicines, while the rest are plants used for food and other purposes.
Furthermore, it has been observed that in the majority of studies about the use of plants for food purposes, plants were referred to only by their local names. Latin names of them are not mentioned and there is no knowledge about the related herbarium sample (Dokur, 2009). As a result of the examination of the studies carried out on this subject, the information obtained was compiled and tried to create an inventory of herbs in Rize province. In the context of the study, information about the edible herbs (66 taxons) of the Rize province of Turkey and the uses of these herbs were compiled.   Tea Jam * "An ethnobotanical survey from Hayrat (Trabzon) and Kalkandere (Rize/Turkey)" the information received from this study was confirmed with the local people (Rize).

CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION
With the onset of human life on Earth, eating and drinking have been the primary basic need for people. Therefore, eating and drinking have diversified throughout human life due to many factors such as geographical conditions, cultural values, and personality traits. Products that are herbs that grow spontaneously in nature have been an important place in this diversity starting from the periods when agriculture was not carried out. There is a large flora of plants around the world, and some of the plants are endemic in the regions. It can be argued that this allows different tastes to be formed in different geographies of the world. It can be thought that local tastes emerged due to the influence of the internal dynamics of endemic species and regions. As of the 1960s, gastronomy tourism has gained an important place in the creation of alternatives to mass tourism movements. Gastronomy tourism, which developed with the participation of more and more people in the process, has turned to local tastes and contributed to the originality of the destinations.
Many countries investing in some tourism industry in the world consider gastronomy tourism important for the development of rural areas and invest. In addition to its complementary role in gastronomy and tourist services by many destinations around the world, it has now become a leading role in its own right and contributes to the attractiveness of destinations (Kesici, 2012: 35). This situation emphasizes the concept of local taste for the destination. The concept of local flavor reveals the originality of the region, where the regions differ according to their internal dynamics. The location of herbs, which are defined as edible plants that grow spontaneously in nature without human influence, is also very important. With the development of gastronomy tourism, Mediterranean cuisine attracts attention in the world and especially in Europe (Gokdeniz et al., 2015: 18-19). When the Mediterranean type diet is examined, it finds its place in Turkey, a Mediterranean country. Herbs, which are an important part of a healthy diet, are also consumed as food in a wide variety of different ways in Turkey. The dishes obtained by utilizing herbs or herb parts with herbaceous properties are generally called herb dishes (Tuzlaci, 2011b: 25). In this context, it may be possible to convey that herbs constitute an important place in Black Sea cuisine. More specifically, the use of herbs is also included in Rize cuisine.
In the province of Rize, 1430 plant taxons are reported, and 110 of them are endemic for Turkey (Güner et al., 1987). It can be said that the richness of this plant diversity affects the cuisine of the region. When the use of food in the Rize region is considered, there is not much scientific research on this subject, mainly searching the use of plants as a traditional folk remedy and providing information on traditional recipes. studies are observed... In some studies, herbs were examined in general and they were not specifically examined as herbs special to an area or as herbs dishes in the region. As a result of research, some studies despite giving information about local name, preparation styles scientific Latin names of these herbs have not been specified, as to some studies which gives the scientific Latin names of these herbs show how plants are diagnosed, whether herbarium samples were prepared or not, and herbarium records couldn't have been reached.
Evaluating these tastes in the context of gastronomy tourism, which is becoming increasingly important in the world and our country, and contributing to the supplying of authenticity and competition with other destinations by ensuring diversity in tourism in the region should be targeted. In this context, the people of the region and tourism enterprises in the region should be informed about this issue in order to evaluate the identified herbs and the products made from these herbs to the visitors who come to the region. By interviewing and engaging with the local people and tourism enterprises operating in the region, their opinions can be obtained and studies should be carried out on the use of these products and the presentation to the visitors. Although local tastes are very important in the Gastronomy tourism activities visitors wish to taste different and synthesized flavors and these located herbs can be evaluated in the context of fusion cuisine for the local enterprises serving in the region to form their tastes. In this study, information has been compiled to raise awareness of tourism businesses and local people serving in the region and to shed light on other activities to be done in this context.