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Jason Goodwin is a writer. A detective writer. His detective, Yashim, works in the Ottoman Empire in the 1820’s. And he loves food. Just loves it.

The five Yashim novels are adventures in a land and time far from us. The novels have been translated into 40 languages and been lauded and awarded aplenty. Along the way, Goodwin himself has been seduced by the culture of the Ottomans. Goodwin walked 2000 miles, from Britain [okay, France] to Istanbul experiencing ever changing culinary environments until he reached Istanbul. And there he embraced a richness he takes great and careful pains to describe to us in this charming book.

Yashim Cooks features five chapters, one for each Yashim novel. And the recipes here are ones his detective delights in across the pages of those novels. Now, fiction becomes reality, for the recipes are on display here for you to peruse and possibly prepare for yourself.

Oh, I think preparation is a strong possibility. This book gets off to one of the strongest starts of any cookbook I have encountered. Here are the very first three recipes:

Cigar Pastries with Feta: feta mixed with egg, parsley, mint and dill; options include roast pumpkin or spicy minced lamb

Chicken with Walnut and Pomegranate: thighs cooked in pomegranate molasses with turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg and pomegranate seeds

Pomegranate Molasses: homemade with notes on make other varieties like apple, grape and berry.

The recipes are as carefully plotted as the mystery stories. There is great care to be authentic and to portray the seasonality of Istanbul, to use the native ingredients, preparation techniques and serving styles.

Other recipes to be enjoyed include:

Bass in Salt Crust

Hazelnut and Lemon Pilaf

Yogurt Soup with Rice and Mint

Fig Pudding

Pressed Beef [Pastrami]

Carrot and Beet Fritters

Pink Turnip Pickles

Walnut and Garlic Sauce

Turkey, you think? Hot, deserty, for sure. No, it snows in Istanbul. And you’ll see a picture of a street merchant bundled in the same puffy coat you can see on New York City streets. There is a seasonality that is reflected in recipes, a seasonality that surely makes the year more complex.

Most of us know little about the Turkey of today. And the Ottoman empire? Goodness, we know so little. There is long and rich history there combined with a culinary culture that is ready for our enjoyment. Yashim Cooks Istanbul is a grand entrance to a distant and forgotten world.