Greece Seeks UNESCO Nod for Patsa Soup in Turkey Dispute

THESSALONIKI, Greece — A Greek restaurateur's effort to register a traditional bovine belly and leg soup known as patsa with UNESCO as part of Greece's cultural heritage has ignited a fresh culinary dispute with neighboring Turkey, which claims the dish, called iskembe, as its own longstanding staple.

Dimitris Tsarouhas, 53, owns a Thessaloniki restaurant specializing in patsa, a rich broth often sought after late at night or early in the morning to soothe hangovers and stomach ailments. He has assembled a detailed dossier, with assistance from a local cultural organization and author Lena Oflidis, whose book documents the soup's history. Tsarouhas links patsa to ancient Greece, citing a reference in Homer's Odyssey to a feast prepared by Penelope for her suitors upon Odysseus's return, describing bovine bellies filled with suet and blood. "If this isn't patsa, then what else could it be?" Tsarouhas said.

The soup's preparation in Tsarouhas's kitchen follows a meticulous process. Chef Pantazis Koukoumvris, with 22 years of experience, boils the bellies and legs to create the base broth, then chops the meat coarsely or finely to customer preference. It is typically garnished with...