Turkish cuisine<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0is largely the heritage of\u00a0Ottoman cuisine<\/a>, which can be described as a fusion and refinement of\u00a0Central Asian<\/a>,Middle Eastern<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Balkan<\/a>\u00a0cuisines.[1]<\/a><\/sup>[2]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Turkish cuisine has in turn influenced those and other neighbouring cuisines, including those of\u00a0Western Europe<\/a>. The Ottomans fused various culinary traditions of their realm with influences from\u00a0Middle Eastern cuisines<\/a>, along with traditional\u00a0Turkic<\/a>\u00a0elements fromCentral Asia<\/a>\u00a0(such as\u00a0yogurt<\/a>), creating a vast array of specialities\u2014many with strong regional associations.<\/p>\n Turkish cuisine varies across the country. The cooking of Istanbul, Bursa, Izmir, and rest of the Aegean region inherits many elements of\u00a0Ottoman court cuisine<\/a>, with a lighter use of spices, a preference for rice over\u00a0bulgur<\/a>, and a wider use of seafoods. The cuisine of the\u00a0Black Sea Region<\/a>\u00a0uses fish extensively, especially the\u00a0Black Sea anchovy<\/a>\u00a0(hamsi<\/i>), has been influenced by\u00a0Balkan<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Slavic<\/a>\u00a0cuisine, and includes\u00a0maize<\/a>\u00a0dishes. The cuisine of the southeast\u2014Urfa<\/a>,\u00a0Gaziantep<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Adana<\/a>\u2014is famous for its\u00a0kebabs<\/a>,\u00a0mezes<\/a><\/i>\u00a0and dough-based desserts such as\u00a0baklava<\/a><\/i>,\u00a0kaday\u0131f<\/a><\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0k\u00fcnefe<\/i>\u00a0(kanafeh<\/a>).<\/p>\n Especially in the western parts of Turkey, where olive trees grow abundantly,\u00a0olive oil<\/a>\u00a0is the major type of oil used for cooking.[3]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The cuisines of theAegean<\/a>,\u00a0Marmara<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Mediterranean<\/a>\u00a0regions are rich in vegetables, herbs, and fish. Central Anatolia has many famous specialties, such as\u00a0ke\u015fkek<\/a><\/i>(kashkak),\u00a0mant\u0131<\/a><\/i>\u00a0(especially from\u00a0Kayseri<\/a>) and\u00a0g\u00f6zleme<\/a><\/i>.<\/p>\n A specialty’s name sometimes includes that of a city or region, either in or outside of Turkey, and may refer to the specific technique or ingredients used in that area. For example, the difference between\u00a0urfa kebab<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0adana kebab<\/a><\/i>\u00a0is the thickness of the skewer and the amount of hot pepper that kebab contains.\u00a0Urfa kebab<\/i>\u00a0is less spicy and thicker than\u00a0adana kebab<\/i>.<\/p>\n