Turkish cuisine is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, which can be
described as a fusion and refinement of Central Asian, Middle Eastern, Eastern
European and Balkan cuisines.
Turkish cuisine varies across the country. The cooking
of Istanbul, Bursa, Izmir, and rest of the Asia Minor region inherits many
elements of Ottoman court cuisine, with a lighter use of spices, a preference
for rice over bulgur, koftes and a wider availability of vegetable stews,eggplant,
stuffed dolmas and fish. The cuisine of the Black Sea Region uses fish
extensively, especially the Black Sea anchovy , and includes maize dishes. The
cuisine of the southeast (Urfa, Gaziantep, and Adana) is famous for its variety
of kebabs, mezes and dough-based desserts such as baklava, şöbiyet, kadayıf,
and künefe.