The Complete Book of Turkish Cooking

First published in 1995. The main claim to interest of any cuisine is, of course, the stimulation it gives to the appetite and the satisfaction it provides to the palate. But food, properly considered, is not a simple matter of preparation and consumption, which are often complex undertakings in themselves; it also touches upon religious prescriptions and customs, aesthetic tastes, geographic and climatic conditions, social stratification and prosperity. The integration of food with social, religious, and cultural life was certainly very marked with the Ottoman Turks, and even though the state and civilization they created have crumbled, much of their gastronomical legacy survives in present-day Turkey. To place the delicacies of Turkish cuisine in historical perspective, and to enable the users of this book to supplement the delights of the palate with the pleasures of historical reminiscence, the author invites them to peruse this survey pf food in Turkish history, or-looked at somewhat differently-Turkish history in food.

Ayla Esen Algar comes from a background that is both traditional and at the same time westernised. Her father rose from peasant stock in Eastern Turkey to become a high ranking Turkish official. Her mother was educated by French governesses in the slightly unreal world of the Ottoman empire in decline. She was brought up in her maternal grandmother’s home in Samsun on the Black Sea coast of her country. The household was noted for its extravagant hospitality and it was here that she learned to cook from her grandmother and her grandmother’s servants. After completing her education in Turkey she went to America where she took her master’s degree in Near Eastern Studies at the University of California. She now lives with her family in Berkeley but frequently revisits her homeland.