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The Sultan's Kitchen: A Turkish Cookbook
"Not to be missed…a gem. This is real Old World cooking…devotees of Mediterranean cuisine would be remiss not to add this book to their collection."-- Boston Globe
Contemporary Turkish cuisine ranges from favorites such as chickpea pilaf to richly stewed lamb on a bed of eggplant. It is fresh, distinctive, and flavorful∙the result of over five centuries of culinary tradition.
Whether you want to warm up with a tangy Peasant Soup (a hearty chicken soup) or top off a meal with a mouthwatering Pistachio Seomina Cake, The Sultan's Kitchen will show you how to produce the exotic tastes and aromas of Turkish food in your own kitchen. It offers over 125 healthy, delicious recipes that are both easy to prepare and based on readily available ingredients.
The Sultan's Kitchen also shows you how to prepare a complete Turkish dinner, and features stunning images by photographer Carl Tremblay. This Turkish cookbook is sure to inspire you to create meals fit for a Sultan!
Contemporary Turkish cuisine ranges from favorites such as chickpea pilaf to richly stewed lamb on a bed of eggplant. It is fresh, distinctive, and flavorful∙the result of over five centuries of culinary tradition.
Whether you want to warm up with a tangy Peasant Soup (a hearty chicken soup) or top off a meal with a mouthwatering Pistachio Seomina Cake, The Sultan's Kitchen will show you how to produce the exotic tastes and aromas of Turkish food in your own kitchen. It offers over 125 healthy, delicious recipes that are both easy to prepare and based on readily available ingredients.
The Sultan's Kitchen also shows you how to prepare a complete Turkish dinner, and features stunning images by photographer Carl Tremblay. This Turkish cookbook is sure to inspire you to create meals fit for a Sultan!
160 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1998
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324 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 10, 2016
If you like Turkish or Middle Eastern food you'll probably love this cookbook as much as I do. So many delicious recipes. Salads, soups, breads, vegetables and meats. There is something here for everyone. One of my favorites is Ispanak Kavurma or Sautéed Spinach with Yogurt-Garlic sauce. I've had several friends who despise Spinach in any form devour this dish and return for seconds! Although this book isn't new it's still well worth purchasing. I highly recommend it.
July 27, 2017
Well, I'm an experienced cook and cookbooks reader. If I were a different kind of person, I might say that this book made me a great cooking lover. But I've been a cooking lover for many years. And yet. This book is not only a collection of recipes but an amazing introduction to the realm of Turkish cuisine and an examination of the widely diverse food domains we inhabit.
June 22, 2013
I have been so pleased with this library discovery. So many great recipes, with lots of vegetarian options. I've been able to recreate many dishes that I crave from my favorite Turkish restaurant. The Sultan's Kitchen is now part of my permanent collection.
December 20, 2025
This is a book weighted with ceremony. From the moment you open it, you sense that Özcan Ozan is not merely sharing recipes but inviting you into a worldview shaped by empire, hierarchy, refinement, and memory.
This is not “Turkish food” as casually encountered abroad; it is Ottoman cuisine presented with reverence for its palace origins and its moral architecture.
Ozan’s voice carries authority without arrogance. He writes as someone conscious of inheritance. The dishes are framed as expressions of courtly discipline—food shaped by ritual, seasonality, and a strict understanding of balance. There is an emphasis on harmony: meat softened by fruit, richness moderated by acidity, and spices used sparingly but intelligently. Nothing shouts. Everything converses.
What distinguishes this book is its sense of restraint. In an era where Ottoman cuisine is often exoticised or exaggerated, The Sultan’s Kitchen remains composed. The recipes feel ceremonial without being theatrical.
You are reminded that palace food was not indulgent excess but controlled abundance—meant to nourish body, hierarchy, and diplomacy alike.
The historical framing is subtle but constant. Ozan does not overwhelm the reader with dates, but the weight of centuries is present in technique. Rice is treated with seriousness. Stuffing is elevated to philosophy.
Even sweets are governed by proportion and restraint. Pleasure is permitted, but vulgarity is not.
Cooking from this book feels like learning etiquette as much as flavour. The recipes demand attention, patience, and respect for sequence.
You cannot rush them. In return, they offer depth rather than shock—dishes that reveal themselves slowly, quietly, and confidently.
This is a book that changes how you think about luxury. It suggests that true refinement lies not in novelty but in mastery.
The Sultan’s Kitchen is not for trend-chasers. It is for cooks who value continuity, dignity, and the intelligence of tradition.
Recommended.
This is not “Turkish food” as casually encountered abroad; it is Ottoman cuisine presented with reverence for its palace origins and its moral architecture.
Ozan’s voice carries authority without arrogance. He writes as someone conscious of inheritance. The dishes are framed as expressions of courtly discipline—food shaped by ritual, seasonality, and a strict understanding of balance. There is an emphasis on harmony: meat softened by fruit, richness moderated by acidity, and spices used sparingly but intelligently. Nothing shouts. Everything converses.
What distinguishes this book is its sense of restraint. In an era where Ottoman cuisine is often exoticised or exaggerated, The Sultan’s Kitchen remains composed. The recipes feel ceremonial without being theatrical.
You are reminded that palace food was not indulgent excess but controlled abundance—meant to nourish body, hierarchy, and diplomacy alike.
The historical framing is subtle but constant. Ozan does not overwhelm the reader with dates, but the weight of centuries is present in technique. Rice is treated with seriousness. Stuffing is elevated to philosophy.
Even sweets are governed by proportion and restraint. Pleasure is permitted, but vulgarity is not.
Cooking from this book feels like learning etiquette as much as flavour. The recipes demand attention, patience, and respect for sequence.
You cannot rush them. In return, they offer depth rather than shock—dishes that reveal themselves slowly, quietly, and confidently.
This is a book that changes how you think about luxury. It suggests that true refinement lies not in novelty but in mastery.
The Sultan’s Kitchen is not for trend-chasers. It is for cooks who value continuity, dignity, and the intelligence of tradition.
Recommended.
April 14, 2025
A beautifully photographed and elegantly presented introduction to Turkish cuisine. The Sultan’s Kitchen brings together rich, vibrant flavors with refined recipes inspired by the legacy of Ottoman kitchens. The recipes are clear, the layout is gorgeous, and the dishes range from simple home-style comfort to restaurant-quality showstoppers.
Some ingredients might be harder to source depending on where you live, but the effort is worth it. The mix of classic mezes, grilled meats, and sweet, fragrant desserts paints a full picture of a cuisine that deserves far more attention.
A feast for the eyes and palate - ideal for adventurous home cooks and anyone curious about the depth and elegance of Turkish cooking.
Some ingredients might be harder to source depending on where you live, but the effort is worth it. The mix of classic mezes, grilled meats, and sweet, fragrant desserts paints a full picture of a cuisine that deserves far more attention.
A feast for the eyes and palate - ideal for adventurous home cooks and anyone curious about the depth and elegance of Turkish cooking.
April 18, 2019
Didn't work for me.
August 4, 2016
One of the first things I did after visiting Turkey was to buy this lovely cookbook.
Great Turkish recipes, beautiful photographs. The Sultan's Kitchen is actually rather difficult to read (fine grayish print on glossy tinted paper--not a great design decision), but the vegetable recipes, in particular, are very good.
Great Turkish recipes, beautiful photographs. The Sultan's Kitchen is actually rather difficult to read (fine grayish print on glossy tinted paper--not a great design decision), but the vegetable recipes, in particular, are very good.
September 7, 2008
A beautiful book with wonderful recipes. Some ingredients are more difficult to find in rural America, but luckily we have the internet.
August 12, 2018
Turkish food is a contender for the best food in the world, in my opinion. This cookbook presents a variety of easy, everyday Turkish dishes with ingredients that are easy to find in larger supermarkets. There are lots of things stuffed in other things that I would probably make in a deconstructed form, but I am seriously drooling over all the soups, rice dishes, and sides. I wish I spoke Turkish!!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews