Turkish food can be described as a combination of Balkan, Middle Eastern and Central Asian cuisines. It has also been influenced by western European foods. There are a lot of region-specific dishes found in the country.
For example, a lot of the cuisine in the north is based on anchovies and corn. In the southeast, you will find dough-based desserts and kabobs. Olive oil and olives are used in the west, where there are plenty of olive trees. Pasta is popular in the Central Anatolia area and Mediterranean cuisine heavily influences the Marmara, Aegean, and Mediterranean areas of Turkey.
