The Turkish Cookbook: Regional Recipes and Stories

Product Information

His family was one of farmers and bakers. He himself, as well as his brothers, were bakers. Baking is an essential part of Turkish culture, fresh breads are a vital part of a lot of dishes. Having to move to Istanbul in the late 70’s, he started work at the restaurant of his uncle’s, opening up his perspective to food and the different dishes even further. Based on the memoir Anatolian Days and Nights as the pioneer, Tree of Life introduced more than 100 accessible recipes inspired by Turkish food traditions found in the authors’ travels. All these adaptations of authentic dishes draw on readily available ingredients while featuring traditional techniques. Right after we bought the book, we decided to put it to the test. We made a fresh herb pilaf, a pear kebab, almond rice pudding, lahmacun and sour okra. All recipes were new to us. We had eaten similar foods before, but never these. Since most dishes didn’t contain a photo that did involve some guess work. However, all in all, the recipes turned out well. This volume also includes an introduction showcasing the culinary cultural history of the country, insightful headnotes, stunning photography of finished dishes and atmospheric images evoking the beauty and diversity of the Turkish landscape, environment, markets, and people. Each recipe in this book is fun for everyday eating and entertaining. With a primer on essential ingredients and techniques, readers will feel being transported to the markets and kitchens of the Middle East.

Musa Daĝdeviren is an acclaimed chef featured in the Netflix documentary series Chef’s Table and the leading authority on Turkey’s unique food traditions. In The Turkish Cookbook, Musa introduces people to the world of vibrant, bold, and aromatic, Turkish food from grilled meats, salads, and gloriously sweet pastries to home-cooking family staples as dips, pilafs, and stews. Written by a journalist and photographer couple who have spent almost twenty years discovering the country’s very best dishes, Istanbul and Beyond is the most extensive and lushly photographed Turkish cookbook. Moreover, this volume also includes an introduction showcasing the country’s culinary history exemplified by stunning photography of finished dishes and atmospheric images that light up the beauty and diversity of the Turkish landscape, environment, markets, and people. Musa is one of the featured chefs on the Netflix series Chef’s table in season 6. The episode does a great job in portraying his curiosity, willingness to learn and his ambition to help teach the younger generation about Turkish cuisine. A core belief of his is that the Turkish people, no matter from which area, should have a better understanding of their own foods as it is part of their own culture and history. He has traveled the country to try and learn the Turkish cuisine and ensure those traditions do not get lost. The intro’s to the different sections all contain beautiful photos (all in all there’s a high number of goats in there). Design & lay-out Vibrant, bold, and aromatic, Turkish food - from grilled meats, salads, and gloriously sweet pastries to home-cooking family staples such as dips, pilafs, and stews - is beloved around the world.Her passion for Turkish food and exploring its diverse culinary landscape shines through in her cookbook as she shares her personal stories of traveling throughout Turkey and learning from local cooks. A disclaimer: this isn't a book that tries to Westernize Turkish recipes into fun, blog-worthy bites with quirky names that sidestep umlauts and unfamiliar sounds... It is an exhaustive, almost encyclopedic manifesto of nuanced, regional Turkish cuisine... A book that savors culinary history instead of rushing through and condensing it."― KKUP/KUSF Musa Dagdeviren is the most acclaimed chef in Turkey and the author of The Turkish Cookbook. He runs three successful restaurants in the heart of Istanbul, and a foundation devoted to rediscovering Turkish culinary heritage. In this latest offering, Musa shares the culturally rich foods of his homeland, with dishes deeply rooted in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern traditions.

Musa Dağdeviren himself has grown up and lived in Turkey for his whole life. His hometown Nizip lies in the south of Turkey, not too far from Syria. Growing up as the youngest sibling in the family, he used to spend a lot of time with his mother. Through her, he learned about their culture and the foods that go with it. Each section starts with a short introduction which helps you understand where this type of food fits into Turkish culture. When is it eaten, how does it vary between regions, etc. These introductions are what makes the book more than just a cookbook it. It’s also about culture and history.

The Turkish Cookbook: A Celebration of a Remarkable Culinary Heritage

The book is full of a wide variety of Turkish food, from various regions of the country. It’s a delight to read through and it definitely teaches you something new about Turkish cuisine that you did not know before. Turkey is a huge country and as such does not have one cuisine. Every region has its own specialties, based on the main religion in that area, whether the people are nomadic or agricultural, the climate as well as the proximity of water, to name just a few. Even though various common dishes exist, such as dolmas, pide, kebabs and k öfte, each region might use different ingredients or slightly different preparation techniques. The author: Musa Dağdeviren

This book offers a delicious blend of both traditional recipes and modern Turkish recipes, ranging from comfort food like lentil soup and pide to exotic dishes like marinated lamb with almond puree. Review from The Washington Post - Demystify One of the World's Great Cuisines - The Turkish Cookbook recipes of hearty, healthy Turkish cuisine, from the leading authority on Turkey's unique food traditions, Musa Dagdeviren, as featured in the Netflix documentary series Chef's Table

Publishers Text

In the 80’s he opened up his first own restaurant, Çiya. This restaurant grew over time, opening up new concepts in the same street and owning their own farm for their produce. He has not limited himself to one type of Turkish cuisine. Instead, he strongly believes that all the different heritages, Azeri, Georgian, Turkish, Aarabic, Armenian, etc. should all be served together. Food is what should bring people together, not push them apart. Chef’s table

In Turkish cooking, there are no unusual ingredients. You can go into any supermarket in this country and find what you need to make very easy Turkish dishes." We LOVE a good kebab though it's not something we normally make at home, but now that Musa Dagdeviren (who you may have seen on Chef's Table) has released The Turkish Cookbook, it's something we're going to be doing more often..."― London on The Inside If you intend to discover classic and modern Turkish cooking, The Complete Book Of Turkish Cooking is a considerable choice. In this exciting and comprehensive book, Ghillie Basan explores the rich culinary history&traditions of the Turkish people and the evolution of their cuisine. Ever succeed in introducing a new world of tastes in the classic A Book of Middle Eastern Food, Claudia Roden now revisits the three countries with the most exciting cuisines today as Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon and record it in Arabesque.

We've referred to Daĝdeviren as "Master Chef of Turkey", and now... you'll be able to try 550 of his recipes."― Food & Wine Online The Turks were culinary plunderers. Where ever they conquered, they went looking for the best ingredients and the best recipes." In the Netherlands, there is a considerable Turkish community and thus Turkish stores and bakeries are pretty common. However, most of these serve a few common dishes and do often not reflect the wide variety of Turkish food available (although, if you know where to go, you’d probably be able to find them). It gives a sneak peak into the wide world of Turkish cooking which goes way beyond a doner kebab or baklava.