I have so many cookbooks in my culinary library, which has helped shape my cooking and my inspiration for many meals over the years. In recent years, however, I’ve been trying to dig deeper into Turkish cooking, particularly Ottoman Empire recipes and culinary techniques. Plus, I really love all the design elements in the books I do have, so they’re often really pretty to look at. More on that in a later post…
THIS book that I’m about to tell you about, however, has really topped them ALL. It is so beautiful you can keep it as a coffee table book even if you’re not into cooking: Adventures in Turkish Eating: Anatolia is a new cookbook by Somer Sivrioglu & David Dale that I want all of you to know about and love. It’s also something fun and delightful to look at and to read while hunkering down during this global pandemic of the Coronavirus, which has caught all of us totally off guard. Doesn’t that make life a little more pleasant during these challenging times?
Why is this book special enough to be mentioned here? First of all, its cover is pure artistic design, taken straight from Turkish ceramic textiles. It will look beautiful somewhere very visible in your home, not stuffed away in a library shelf, but on a side table, a coffee table- somewhere people will pick it up and read – because I assure you they will.
Other than recipes, you’ll also find “Essentials: History, Ingredients, & Techniques” at the beginning of the book. After the recipes, there are restaurant suggestions at the end of the book, which is awesome because so many people are always asking me where to get the best food in Istanbul, which I’m still learning myself!
A list of the favorite recipes I want to try because they sound interesting and I’ve not seen them in too many places like restaurants or even in homes here are:
Beyran (Fiery Lamb with Rice), p. 75
Ali Nazik The Gentle Kebap Lamb and Smoked Eggplant, p. 121
Komurde Ahtapot (Mediterranean Grilled Octopus), p. 200
Pestil (Grape Leather Stuffed with Walnuts), p. 61
Keskul (Palace Pudding), p. 250
After the recipes, there are restaurant suggestions at the end of the book, which is awesome because so many people are always asking me where to get the best food in Istanbul- which I’m still learning myself!
We’re giving away one copy of this book to my readers in the United States, the UK or Australia. If you have a mailing address in any of these countries, please feel free to enter this giveaway by adding your relevant comment to this post. Entries from the US, UK, Canada, and Australia are welcome. Giveaway ends March 30, 2020.
Can’t wait to get the book? Order it now on Amazon: