Istanbul_ The Collected Traveler_ An Inspired Companion Guide - Barrie Kerper [168]
The Maloufs note that “food is, of course, both the product and expression of a culture, and in Turkey we found this to be profoundly different from and more exciting than anything we had been expecting.”
World Food: Turkey, by Dani Valent (Lonely Planet, 2000). Not only does this essential book include an English-Turkish glossary and a forty-three-page Turkish culinary dictionary, but it also features background information on the specialties of each region of the country, essays on various customs and traditions, and recipes. (I love that the one for aşure is referred to as “40-Ingredient Pudding, or Stuff in a Bowl.”) Plus, it’s pocket-size, taking up almost no room in your luggage.
A number of recipes for Turkish dishes are found in general Mediterranean cookbooks. This happens to be my favorite kind of cookbook, simply because I am a big believer in the Mediterranean diet, and as a result these are the most-used cookbooks in my kitchen. I use the following books all the time and highly recommend them:
A Book of Mediterranean Food, by Elizabeth David (Penguin, 1988). I actually read from this classic volume more often than I cook from it.
The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean, by Paula Wolfert (HarperCollins, 1994). Recipes from Istanbul, Izmir, Konya, and Gaziantep are plentiful in this terrific book, and as Wolfert says, “Turkish home cooking is simple to prepare, easy to like, healthy to eat.”
The Essential Mediterranean: How Regional Cooks Transform Key Ingredients into the World’s Favorite Cuisines, by Nancy Harmon Jenkins (William Morrow, 2003). Jenkins expands upon a handful of core ingredients—salt; olives and olive oil; wheat, pasta, and couscous; wine; chickpeas, lentils, and fava beans; peppers and tomatoes; and cheese and yogurt—that are fundamental to all of the Med’s diverse cuisines.
Mediterranean Cookery, by Claudia Roden (Knopf, 1987). I remain particularly fond of this book because Roden includes many recipes for popular street foods and common dishes that regular people eat and travelers will encounter often, as opposed to fancier restaurant dishes. Also, I learned a great tip: when the weather doesn’t permit you to light your outdoor grill and you don’t want to permeate your house or apartment with the smell of roasting red peppers on the stovetop, put them in a baking dish, uncovered, and roast in a 400-degree oven. Trust me, they come out almost as good as those cooked over a flame.
A Mediterranean Feast: The Story of the Birth of the Celebrated Cuisines of the Mediterranean, from the Merchants of Venice to the Barbary Corsairs, by Clifford A. Wright (William Morrow, 1999). Books don’t get more definitive than this one, and his Mediterranean Vegetables (Harvard Common, 2001) and Little Foods of the Mediterranean: 500 Fabulous Recipes for Antipasti, Tapas, Hors d’Oeuvre, Meze, and More (Harvard Common, 2003) are equally essential for Mediterranean food enthusiasts.
Mediterranean Fresh: A Compendium of One-Plate Salad Meals and Mix-and-Match Dressings, by Joyce Goldstein (Norton, 2008). I have so many of Goldstein’s cookbooks it was hard for me to think how she could write another one that I would consider a must-have in my kitchen; but she did, and this is it. Here’s what I didn’t pick up from Goldstein’s other books: she loves Turkey, and especially Istanbul! There are seven named Turkish recipes here and about two dozen more that are easily recognizable on any Turkish table (plus three recipes for