Wednesday, October 03, 2007


SULTAN’S TABLE OF THE TURKISH CUISINE

Friends just back from as sailing holiday off the coast of Turkey presented us with this book and it is a beautiful and welcome addition to our cookbook library. There are lavish colour photos on every page and as soon as broad beans are available I intend to make the recipe named Bead of Broad Beans with Artichoke in Olive Oil but there are loads of mouthwatering recipes and I can see that there is going to be a Turkish theme to our summer cooking this year.

The book may not be easy to locate but I notice that Amazon had it listed. The author is Kadir Kir and the publisher. Aksit Kultur. If any New Zealand bookstore has it in stock let me know and I’ll mention that on my blog.

Here is the author’s introduction which has lost a little in translation:

Anatolia enjoys an immense geographical richness. She shelters the traces of various civilisations as a result of her location in the world, hosting innumerable nations in her history which is evident in the vegetation, the zoology and the sea products. The synthesis of all those cultures is revealed by the Ottoman.
Although the culture of Japanese and American cuisine has reached large number of consumers in the last decades, the famous Turkish Cuisine, has maintained holding a prominent position among the cuisines of the world. I have witnessed the preparation of some samples of the rich Turkish Cuisine freshly cooked by the Chefs, while photographing them.

When I personally tried the recipes, I found out how easy was the application. That ignited the idea of this book, explaining the preparation of delicious dishes with simple and easy-to-apply recipes. Starting with soups, sorts of fish dishes, a variety of meat and vegetable dishes are given.
It is impossible to list all the recipes of Turkish cuisine in one book. Some special dishes cooked in olive oil, and the starters are not neglected.
Besides the main food recipes, samples of well known Turkish Desserts, compotes and jams made of abundant variety of fresh fruits grown in the country, are included.
Last, but not least, herbs that add extra flavor to food as well as curing some ailments, are presented. This book is aimed at guiding the cook to prepare delicious meals. You can explore new tastes while experimenting the recipes.

I acknowledge with thanks the contribution of Chef Ciaran Hickley of Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul and other Chefs in the preparation of the recipes, and the young editor in chief, Necdet Akşit during the preparation of this book for their efforts towards the enrichment of this book.
Bone a petit... Kadir Kir (Önsöz)
Thanks boys, beautiful book.

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