.The diversity of Anatolian cuisine reflects the cultures of the populations living in regions highly dissimilar in geography and climate. The Southeast and the East are known for the dishes based on cracked wheat and meat with hot spices, the Aegean, for olive oil dishes enhanced with local herbs, the Black Sea region, for varieties of anchovy and collard, and Istanbul is a world unto itself with
, among others, eggplant dishes which come in no less then 41 sorts.The modern İstanbulian cuisine is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, which can be described as a fusion and refinement of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisines. Turkish cuisine has in turn influenced neighboring cuisines, including that of western European. The Ottomans fused various culinary traditions of their own with influences from Middle Eastern cuisines, along with traditional Turkic elements from Central Asia. All these unique characteristics and history have bestowed upon the Asia Minor Cuisine a rich and varied number of dishes, which can be prepared and combined with other dishes in meals of almost infinite variety.
