The Turkish Cookbook

Musa Dağdeviren is revered in Turkey for his decades-long efforts to capture and restore Turkish culinary heritage. He operates three restaurants in Istanbul, with the flagship being Çiya, where he serves over 1,000 different traditional dishes every year. His passion extends to the foundation he runs with his wife, dedicated to recreating the culinary legacy of Turkey. Dağdeviren spends time in people's homes, interviewing home cooks, recreating lost recipes, and recording their food stories and memories. He then cooks and tests each recipe.

Far beyond a recipe book, there is no other book like The Turkish Cookbook. It contains 550 recipes covering all regions and includes 120 full-colour photographs of finished dishes with stunning tableware, plus scenic atmospheric images of Turkish landscapes, environments, markets, and people.

An introduction showcasing the culinary cultural history of the country presents the origins of the recipes, followed by a pantry chapter. The primary recipe chapters then follow: Soups, Salads & Appetizers; Stuffed & Wrapped Dishes; Red Meat; Poultry & Game; Offal; Fish & Seafood; Pilafs; Bread & Pastries; Desserts; and Beverages. The book concludes with a guest chef chapter featuring menus of recipes.

These recipes have been tested for accuracy, making them fully accessible to a wide range of cooking abilities. Each recipe is accompanied by a headnote, describing cooking techniques, ingredients, as well as traditional and significant cultural references.