A Turkish Cookbook

Description

All Arto der Haroutunian's twelve cookbooks written in the 1980s became classics; it was his belief that the rich culinary tradition of the Middle East is the main source of many of our Western cuisines and his books were intended as an introduction to that tradition. A Turkish Cookbook is regarded as the seminal work on the subject but has been out of print for over twenty five years. It is a lovingly written recipe book packed with traditional stories, poems and sayings. Turkey is fast becoming one of the most popular tourist destinations, and while famous for its scenic beauty and ancient sites, it undoubtedly owes much of its new found popularity to the quality and character of its food. With his inimitable talent for combining fascinating anecdotes with mouth-watering recipes, Arto der Haroutunian brings to life the ancient culinary traditions of this huge and varied country. You can recreate the wonderful fish and seafood dishes, the exotic oriental pastries, experiment with different types of kebabs or prepare a selection of meze. At once a practical cookbook and a fascinating read, A Turkish Cookbook is a spelndid introduction to one of the world's great cuisines.

Arto Haroutunian was born in 1940 in Aleppo, Syria of Armenian parents. In 1952 the Haroutunian family settled in the north of England where his father was the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Arto qualified as an architect from Manchester University and established a career designing restaurants, hotels and clubs. In 1970 he branched out into catering by opening, with his brother Koko, an Armenian restaurant in Manchester. This developed in time into a successful chain of restaurants and hotels. It was a natural progression that he should then begin to write Middle Eastern Cookery books as they combined his love of food with his great interest in the history and culture of that whole region. In total he wrote 12 cookery books, several of which were translated into foreign languages. He also contributed articles to many magazines. Arto died suddenly in 1987 at the age of 47 and is survived by his wife Frances and his son Raffi.