Istanbul & Beyond | Robyn Eckhardt & David Hagerman
I was raised in a household in which French was the predominant language, and the cuisine was primarily Mediterranean...not surprising as Egypt's culinary roots were (and still are) influenced by Turkey...and to some degree, Greece, Italy and France. Ottoman Turkey and its antecedents ruled Egypt from 1517 to 1914, following the defeat of the Mamlukes, and its culinary influence is still pervasive to this day. This, perhaps a convoluted way, explains the fact that I consider it as my "comfort" food; one with which my taste buds are very familial with, and one that reminds me of growing up in a household where Osta Hassan, the loyal family cook, would prepare for us aromatic kebabs, dolma, and imam bayaldi (the famous Turkish aubergines). So it was with considerable pleasure that I received Istanbul & Beyond , a Turkish cookbook by Robyn Eckhardt & David Hagerman. I haven't had the chance of meeting the two-time Saveur award winner Robyn Eckhardt, but I know D...