Despite the fact that Istanbul cuisine was a mixture of culinary traditions from almost all parts of the empire, it would be wrong to claim that it represented the eating habits of the whole imperial geography. Instead, this cuisine constituted the core of Ottoman cuisine, shaped by the various cultures that existed in the relevant geography. Thus, Istanbul cuisine would in fact define Ottoman cuisine. It would not be correct to present this amalgamation, which evolved from the richness of various cultures, as a distinct cultural blend with no identity. We can conveniently define this culinary culture, created from the impact of very different regional cuisines in the Ottoman capital throughout the centuries, as a cuisine belonging to this city. Generally speaking, despite its interaction with other cuisines, the cuisine of Istanbul was mostly authentic. More > https://istanbultarihi.ist/480-culinary-traditions-of-ottoman-istanbul