cover image The Turkish Cookbook: Regional Recipes and Stories

The Turkish Cookbook: Regional Recipes and Stories

Nur Ilkin and Sheilah Kaufman, Interlink, $35 (388p) ISBN 9781566467930

Ilkin, food writer and wife of the former Turkish Ambassador, and veteran cookbook author Kaufman reunite for this sequel to A Taste of Turkish Cuisine to give fans a rich and varied collection of over 200 regional dishes. Each of the country's seven regions is presented as a cookbook-within-a-cookbook; recipes follow a short overview of the area's history and culinary highlights. This makes for an engaging read, but those hoping for a comprehensive collection of recipes by course will have to rely on the indexes, where they can search by ingredient or recipe. Once past that hurdle, fans of Turkish cuisine will delight in a veritable feast: multiple kebabs, pilafs, koftas, and mezze (appetizers) ensure that cooks have plenty of options when planning a meal. And modern riffs like Chickpea Ravioli sit comfortably alongside Ottoman Army Stew, a recipe dating back to the eponymous empire. Anyone unable to procure seemingly omnipresent aleppo pepper, the complex smoky undertones of which are crucial to many dishes, or other key ingredients will find a helpful list of sources in the shopping guide, though the vast majority of recipes call for easily-sourced ingredients. Photos. (June)