KÜLL Amazon
Our Story
A table inspired by Samsun's ancient Amazon legend: a story of fire, of a bountiful plain and of hospitality.
01Legend
The land where the legend was born
According to ancient Greek accounts, the Amazons lived around today's Terme district in Samsun, in the city of Themiscyra on the banks of the Thermodon (the Terme River). Herodotus places them along this river, and Strabo reports that Themiscyra and the surrounding plains were regarded by writers as the Amazons' homeland. The exact location of the city is unknown; scholars usually point to Terme and its surroundings. Whether the Amazons ever truly existed is debated. We see them as a legend, a story we love and that belongs to this land.
02The Amazons
Warrior women and Penthesilea
Ancient sources describe the Amazons as women who rode, shot the bow, hunted and fought. As Herodotus reports it, they say of themselves: we shoot, we throw the javelin, we ride, and we have never learned the crafts of women. Diodorus speaks of a queen who founded Themiscyra at the mouth of the Thermodon and of an order ruled by women. The best-known name in the legend is Penthesilea: a daughter of Ares, this Amazon warrior fights on the Trojan side in the Trojan War and falls facing Achilles. Quintus of Smyrna describes her arriving at Troy from the banks of the Thermodon.
03The plain
The bountiful table of Themiscyra
The ancient sources do not describe the Amazons' table, but Strabo describes what their plain offered. According to him, the plain of Themiscyra is always moist and grassy; it feeds herds of cattle and horses, millet and sorghum are sown there in great quantities, and famine never comes. From the mountains come self-grown wild fruits (grapes, pears, apples, nuts) and plenty of game. This land is still bountiful today: rice and hazelnuts grow on the Çarşamba and Terme plains. Samsun's pides are the bread of this land as well: the Bafra, Çarşamba and Terme pides are protected by geographical indication as products of their own districts.
04The table
Fire, spear and table: today at KÜLL
The Amazons' table has not come down to us, but its spirit lives on in this land. We want to keep the fire, courage and generosity of the legend alive at our tables. Dishes on our menu such as Zafira'nın Mızrakları, Valeria'nın Tavuğu, Melanippe'nin Ziyafeti, Artemis Burger and Amazon Ateşi are a nod to this story. Fire takes centre stage in our kitchen: in the pide oven and in the flambé moments when the flames rise. We also serve Alaçam, Bafra and Trabzon pides in respect of these long-rooted flavours of the Black Sea.
Menu & prices →
05Cinema
Gastro Cinema and Melody
In Gastro Cinema, the dishes that appear in the film arrive at your table the moment their scene comes. A different film and a different menu every week. A piano in our hall accompanies your evening; our door is also open for private invitations and family dinners.
Gastro Cinema →
The place
In Atakum, on Adnan Menderes Boulevard — with a sea view.
