Product Description

In this cookery book, author Ayla Algar does more than simply offer the recipes that make Turkey unique among its neighbours, she also weaves the historical and cultural backdrop that sets the stage for a culinary journey.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #145188 in Books
• Published on: 2000-11-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Customer Reviews

A "MUST HAVE" for those who want to cook authentic Turkish
Let me just tell you how good this cookbook is.... When I met the man who would later become my husband, I wanted to impress him by preparing some food from his country. I got this book from the library (and later bought it). I had NO IDEA what Turkish food looked like, tasted like, NOTHING. Zero. I flipped through this book and asked him what he liked. He picked out some foods that he had really been missing since his move to the US. These items also happen to be about the most difficult to make--things most people in Turkey don't make at home anymore because they are easier to buy ready made...I made Baked Manti, Simit (Turkish bagels), and Asure the first night...and apparently I made them so well that the whole Turkish community in my town started showing up for our dinner parties for a taste of home. If a person who had no idea of the cuisine could make food THAT authentic on the first try, then the cookbook MUST be excellent. I have sinced moved to Turkey and after 4 years here, it is still my favorite cookbook above all the others I have.

Excellent Reference to Turkish Cusine
This is a well laid-out guide to Turkish food. MS. Algar provides historic detail, method for unfamiliar techniques, and a good mix of recipes from savory to sweet that have a distinctive Turkish touch. It is a cookbook you can actually sit down and read. While she does not give the technical detail Julia Child brings to her books, this book is not about being a chef, it is about introducing Turkish foods into your home, and is an excellent reference. It also provides recipes for those things you may not find easily available - just how do you make rose water if you can't find it? There is a recipe! I want a copy for my kitchen library, and you might too.

The Subtitle
In my enthusiasm to start recreating some of the lovely dishes I had on a recent holiday in Turkey, I ordered this book without actually reading the subtitle: for the AMERICAN kitchen.
As I am English, my oven is in centigrade, my scales metric. If it were a simple matter of converting pounds to grams, no problem, but then you get things measured in cups and butter measured in sticks (sticks?- for goodness sake). Nonetheless, after a little research I managed to convert the quantities and I have to say that the results were fantastic. I made the hazlenut baklava, a tomato dip, yoghurt with garlic and an aubergine dish- all tasted thoroughly authentic. I would recommend this book and, if you are British, I have discovered that the Waitrose food magazine often prints tables for converting American measurements to Europeans ones