Istanbul And Beyond: Exploring the Diverse Cuisines of Turkey Hardcover – October 10, 2017

Two reviewers commented negatively about a couple of things about rice Pilaf; they are wrong. The author does say to rinse/wash rice rice.( I want to add it is not necessary to let the rice sit in water for an hour, basically just rinse and drain the rice until the water is clear to get rid of the starch. Also Risotto was mentioned; l want to add that the Italian rice for Risotto is different rice & is never rinsed. ) Also the author does say to cook the rice in butter. However, the way she said to do it does not need the word sauté. In fact, on YouTube; the Turkish women making rice Pilaf did not use the word sauté either, nor did the Turkish women say to cook the rice in butter until translucent.

I am Turkish and a cook, I have probably over 100 cookbooks in my library. This one is always on my desk and by my side. I have fallen in love! Beyond a cookbook, it has several amazing stories embedded with culinary, cultural and social aspects of Anatolia. I have read some passages with tears in my eyes simply because it felt just like my grandma's kitchen. The recipes are explained well, step by step instructions, it is good if you are new to cooking Turkish cuisine because details make the results perfect on your first try. My 9-year-old niece was so fond of the book, we actually were fighting over it :) now we each have a copy. The photos, the colors are just beyond this world. The book is a journey that makes me wish the day was longer than 24 hours. It also has amazing substitute ingredients for American cooks, and pretty much every recipe is doable at home. The soul of the writing not only calls you into the kitchen but it makes it a pleasant experience. Frankly, even if you do not cook just reading through the book you will feel like you are traveling to Anatolia with the colors and scents all too real. I highly recommend the book, both kindle and hardcopy... Kindle when you are on the road, and hardcopy just because it is a spa treatment for your soul just to look at the photos. I am truly grateful to Robyn and David for their years of hard work. This could have been produced as 4-5 different books, and to have it all in one place is impressive. THANK YOU!

How on earth is is possible that I have had this book since the day of its release and am only now just getting around to reviewing this? Perhaps I was too busy cooking the absolutely fantastic, tasty, authentic, and surprisingly easy recipes that are included in this collection of recipes. Or maybe I have been lost in travel and dining lust looking at these beautiful, tactile photos of the food and people of Turkey that captures the true spirit of a place. Whatever you do, if you are looking for a great cookbook for yourself or as a gift for someone, check this out. The food is amazing, with familiar flavors recombined in a way that is approachable and accessible to the western kitchen. And some are so great and fast that I can start dinner and have it ready in under 30 minutes - hello Spicy Lamb and Okra Stew! All manners of recipes - from appetizers to salads to entrees and desserts. There is a lot to love for meat eaters, but vegetarians are also well-represented within these pages. This is one of my Top 5 Cookbooks of this year. I have given this as gifts to friends and each and all have reported to me how much they also love it. It is rare to find a cookbook that is so pleasing to so many - the cook, the adventurer, the photographer, and the casual diner. Istanbul & Beyond really delivers the taste of Turkey beyond the standard kebabs and baklava and sets a new standard.

How many of you cry when you turn the pages of a cook book? I did! You MUST order Istanbul & Beyond TODAY!Robyn Eckhardt & David Hagerman’s book, Istanbul & Beyond makes you cry, scream in joy and cry some more. Then you dive into it with hunger, with hunger for the culture and with hunger for the pictures. The respect for the land and the ingredients salute you. You feel the love, and the growing curiosity they both had as they explored Anatolia and delighted in what they discovered.This book is an Art Piece, not only are there real recipes in it that actually work, anthropology students could learn a lot from it. David Hagerman’s photography for the true and the real Turkey rise from the pages and welcome you to a land that is full of many cultures. You can imagine Ari’s family sitting in the kitchen as his grandmother taught his mother how to stuff mussels as the aroma rose into a delicious cloud, you feel like you heard the conversations of the village women as they kneaded the dough for the pasta before they hung it outside as the air carried the aroma of the herbs from the fields. You feel hungry with the smell of freshly baked bread as you turn the pages and you just want to hug these two wonderful human beings for being so loyal to a land that offers so much and wish it’s habitants could also be that respectful to it.

Found a some very delicious reciped in this book. Easy to follow . I wish there was a greater variety of meat dishes included. The book is also educational in regards to herbs and spices and condiments. Well worth having in your kitchen if you love CV Turkish cuisine CDC as I do.

An absolutely beautiful book, both for the writing and the photographs. The stories of the author and photographer's travels are as inspiring as the recipes. If you hadn't dreamt of travelling off the beaten track in Turkey before, you certainly will after seeing this book.The recipes are clearly written, helpful with ingredient substitutes when needed, and hunger-generating. A delicious array of starters, snacks, breads, mains and deserts. The biggest problem is to decide where to start.Highly recommended.

As someone who lived in Istanbul for 3 years, I can absolutely recommend this book to anyone who loves Turkish food or perhaps wants to try it for the first time. Robyn's stories are a delight to read about the people they met on their travels around Turkey, and Dave's photos make me homesick for Turkey. The recipes are written in clear detail and offer substitutions if you can't find certain ingredients. Turkish food is always about using what's seasonal and what's around you. Istanbul & Beyond will open up a new world to cooking delicious Turkish food.Afiyet olsun!

An amazing book full of love a passion for food and culture.

Quello che mi piace di questo bel libro è che le ricette vengono inserite in un contesto, nel loro contesto narrativo e visivo. Storie e immagini - grazie alle splendide fotografie - seguono e accompagnano costantemente una cucina semplice, popolare, fatta di pochi ingredienti, ma certo non per questo povera di gusto e di colore.Più che un libro di ricette è un documento realistico di uno stile di vita, di abitudini quotidiane.Bellissimo, da non perdere.

I have a lot of cookery books from the Middle East but mainly books of Turkish recipes, as Turkish food is my passion. As a result I do find that many of the more common recpes are replicated with each new book I buy. This book however, is very different. Not only is it one of those kind of mixed travelogue/recipe books and contains a lo tof background information about each dish but pretty much every recipe in the book is new to me, and that's saying an awful lot. This is the best, most interesting and most useful cookery book I have purchased since 'Syria: Recipes from Home' in 2017. The recipes are almost universally extremely practical, interesting and look delicious. The book has excellent photography which is really important if you are a visual person like myself but also take pride in trying to recreate something as closely as possible: it obviously helps to know what something is supposed to look like. Not only have I used this book a lot but the instructions are very clear and easy to follow. This is a stellar addition to the range of cookery books specialising in Turkish food and I would thoroughly recommend it. Really good value for money.