Bob Perez

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 (türlü), eggplant, stuffed dolmas and fish.

The cuisine of the Black Sea Region uses fish extensively, especially the Black Sea anchovy (hamsi) and includes maize dishes. The cuisine of the southeast (e.g. Urfa, Gaziantep, and Adana) is famous for its variety of kebabs, mezes and dough-based desserts such as baklava, şöbiyet, kadayıf, and künefe.

Pisto (also known as Pisto manchego) is a Spanish dish originally from the Region of Murcia and Castilla La Mancha. It is made of tomatoes, onions, eggplant or courgettes, green and red peppers and olive oil. It resembles ratatouille to some extent and is usually served warm as a starter or to accompany another dish. It is often served with bread, a fried egg on top or with pieces of cured ham. It is also used as the filling for pastiess and tartletts (empanadillas).

The dish is sometimes formally named Pisto manchego, from its origins in the historical region of La Mancha (mostly situated in the region of Castilla La Mancha. Pisto a la Bilbaína, from Bilbao in the (Basque Country) is similar to pisto manchego but usually includes only courgettes and green peppers in tomato sauce, sometimes lightly scrambled with eggs.