Istanbul: Cult Recipes Book Review
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Istanbul: Cult Recipes – Book Review
Istanbul is a quiet achieving city and this cookbook brings its cuisine out into the spotlight it deserves. Pomme Larmoyer has written a part travel guide and part recipe book which covers the food, culture and place.
Pomme writes in the introduction "The city's dishes are so diverse, surprising and refined that if you are new to Istanbul, you might wonder how you could have overlooked it for so long. Eating there is like putting together a beautiful mosaic because Ottoman cuisine is a vast gastronomic culture that spans epochs and influences from Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and the Mediterranean – it evokes journeys, histories and peoples".
The book is broken down into chapters covering:
At the Kahvolti Salonu – Breakfast
The Meyhane Table – Meze and Fish
Lokanta, Kofeci, Kebabci – Soups, Meats and Rice
At Home – Family Recipes
Street Food
Turkish Delights – Sweet Things
Scattered throughout the book are maps and recommended lists of places to visit in the different neighbourhoods, including Fatih, Karakoy to Cukurcuma, Asian side, Kadikoy, around Taksim and further North.
There is a full page devoted to each recipe along with a second page with a full colour photograph to illustrate it. Be tempted by recipes like sautéed lamb with smoky eggplant, authentic kebabs, tomato pilav, stuffed vine leaves, borek, lahmacun (Turkish pizza), pide and stuffed vegetables. I loved learning in depth about how baklava is made with lots of photographs of the steps.
We cooked the beef kofte meatballs and served it with a black-eyed pea salad and spinach with rice which was fresh and delicious. I'm hoping to make some authentic mastic Turkish delight (sakizli lokum) for presents and the no bake chocolate cake to take to a work morning tea.
Istanbul by Pomme Larmoyer is a great cookbook covering the city's unique cuisine.
Istanbul is available in hardcover from your favourite bookseller.
ISBN: 9781743368466
Published by Murdoch Books
About the author
Author Pomme Larmoyer is a food writer, editor and traveller. She believes you can learn everything you need to know about a country from its kitchens and enjoys talking with other people from other cultures about their style of food.
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87086 - 2023-06-11 07:32:15