Black Sea: Dispatches and Recipes Through Darkness and Light.

Eden’s elegiac and incredible sophomore effort (after Samarkand) documents the food and culture of the lands surrounding the Black Sea. Erudite without being stuffy, Eden writes with finesse and subtlety about regional traditions: an essay on Odessa’s Jewish food cites native writer Isaac Babel, whose grandson reports that he liked his tea brewed with slices of acidic “sorrow-tasting apples.” Food tends to be hearty—a sausage stew with sauerkraut and prunes from Bulgaria and Circassian chicken, a stew of chicken and bread topped with a walnut sauce, from Istanbul. The three chapters on Turkey are rich with surprises such as a chestnut and sage pilaf and lamb-filled and yogurt-topped manti dumplings. Naturally, seafood is prevalent: spicy mussels from Bulgaria and cured mackerel from Istanbul stand out. Typical of the beautifully told stories of humor and perseverance is one of how, generations ago, men from the tiny town of Camlihemsin, Turkey, a place “as idyllic as it is hopeless,” emigrated to Yalta, where they learned to bake elaborate French- and Austrian-style desserts such as a rich chocolate layer cake with ganache and hazelnuts. Enticing to home cooks and armchair travelers alike, Eden’s spectacular cookbook transports readers to the Black Sea. (May)