Review Of Cookbooks

Title: Turkish Cooking

Author: Ayla Esen Algar

One of the books I browsed through was "Turkish Cooking" by Ayla Esen Algar. When I first saw the book ,I thought it was intended only for people with experience (or at least interest) in the art of turkish cooking.But, as I read it, I saw that the the authour took the effort to make the book appealing to the general reader by trying to explain to them why turkish cooking is so unique. In the introduction of the book, the author gives us an elaborate history of turkish cooking, citing in several places, how turkish food is an important part of turkish life. "The integration of food with social, religious and cultural life was certainly marked with the Ottoman turks."

The author clearly has a lot of experience with Turkish cooking. The entire book is well organised and coherent with the theme of Turkish cooking. It is divided into different sections, each concerning one type of food (soup, seafood, meat). It was not difficult to find the recipies i was intrested in.

(from "Turkish Cooking" by Ayla Esen Algar)

The cover of the book was the reason I chose to read it. It features an almost cartoonish drawing of Istanbul as seen from a balcony dining table. It made the book seem less intimidating and more fun to read.

The book also includes pictures in just the right places. Without them it would be just a collection of ingredients,recipies and instructions not too different from my chemistry lab manual.But fortunately, it includes a large number of pictures and anecdotes to make it breezy and fun to read. Each recipie is discribed, from beginning to end, in great detail no matter how long it is. Its easy to see that the author cares about turkish food and that care is very evident in her book.

Title: The Cooking of Provincial France.

Author: M.F.K Fisher

Of all the books I read at the library, this one is probably my favourite. One thing I've learned in my short stint as a foodie is that of all the cuisines in the world, french food is the most popular to write about( there were something like twenty french cookbooks in the library alone). But what set "The cooking of provincial france" apart from the rest of them was that it was more than just a cookbook. It was as much about the country and people of france as much as it was about its food. This is a book for both food lovers and people interested in French culture and tradition.

But the books greatest strengh is also its greatest weakness.An actual recipie isn't mentioned until half the book is over. So what starts out as a series of intresting anecdotes about french life ends up feeling like an overly long, hundred page introduction. To my mind, thats the books only flaw. But once the recipes are mentioned, the book picks up again.

(from "The Cooking Of Provincial France")

Another thing that makes "The Cooking of Provincial France" so enjoyable is that its full of beautifully shot pictures of food, people and the French countryside. There were pictures showing the author and her friends cooking or eating at the table which gave the book a personal touch. Everything about the book was like its subject matter: elegent, intimate and rich. In the end, brilliant stortelling, amazing visuals and, of course, great food made this book both enlightening and enjoyable.