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

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.

The authors set out to survey regional Turkish food, and they present recipes with easy to follow directions. I will be trying one of them out tomorrow. The narrative is neither condescending nor sentimental.UPDATE: The spinach pilaf was a hit, with easy-to-follow instructions.However, you will not learn how to cut an artichoke by from this book. Photos would have been helpful for that endeavor. Thankfully I bought an extra artichoke, so I will have enough when I attempt that pilaf tonight.

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.

My new favorite cookbook. I've made a dozen recipes already and all of them have been delicious. I love cooking, but I'm not keen on recipes that are too much work. Istanbul and Beyond strikes a great balance and is both a gorgeous cookbook (the photos are amazing) while also being something you can cook from every day. The recipes are clearly written, easy to follow, and not overly complicated. There are very few "exotic" ingredients and I've been able to easily find everything, and perhaps more importantly, I've been able to easily make everything!This isn't the sort of cookbook you need to save for your special "Turkish night." The recipes are perfect for everyday cooking, like roasted chicken with thyme, pot-roasted lamb, and several rice pilafs. We loved the meatballs with spice butter, which I served with couscous (not an official recommendation, but it was easy).I've also been easily able to pair the dishes from Istanbul and Beyond with those from other cookbooks and cuisines, which is convenient. Initially I was intimidated by the flatbreads, but I've tried two recipes now and they turned out perfectly (the soft chile cheese flatbread is to die for). If you're like me and you have a lot of cookbooks and think you don't need another, trust me, this one is worth it.