Güveç

Dishes

From Turkey it has spread throughout the region, with slight variations on the name. The names of the dish đuveč in ex-Yugoslavia, Gyuvech in Bulgaria and the Greek dish giouvetsi derive from güveç, although they are not always cooked in earthenware güveç pots.

The Turkish, Romanian and Balkan oven-baked meat and vegetable stew similar to ratatouille is called by various names including güveç and đuveč (Turkish: güveç, Bulgarian: гювеч, Bosnian: đuveč, Macedonian: ѓувеч, Serbian: ђувеч, Romanian: ghiveci). It is made with meat, olives, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, herbs, and spices and is often served with "Balkan mixed salad", a combination of roasted eggplant, sweet peppers, garlic, tomatoes, and vinegar.

Meats can include chicken, pork, lamb or sometimes beef or fish (or the meat can be omitted), while vegetables may include onion, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini (courgettes), eggplant, peas, potatoes, carrots. The dish is flavoured with paprika and summer savoury and various other herbs, and may be cooked in a pan or in the oven.

The name đuveč, an earthenware casserole in which đuveč is traditionally prepared, comes from the Turkish güveç "earthenware pot".

• Türlü güveç – vegetables
• Kuzu güveç – lamb and mutton
• Dana güveç – veal or beef
• Karides güveç – shrimp
• Patlıcan güveç – eggplant