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Samarkand: Recipes & Stories from Central Asia & The Caucasus
Over hundreds of years, various ethnic groups have passed through this city, sharing and influencing each other s cuisine and leaving their culinary stamp. Samarkand is a love letter to Central Asia and the Caucasus, containing travel essays, beautiful photography and recipes that are little known in the West that have been expertly adapted for the home cook. There is an introduction to the region (explaining the ethnic groups Uzbeks, Tajiks, Russian, Turkis, Koryo-Saram, Jewish, Caucasus, Afghan) with a useful pantry of essential ingredients, followed by an array of delicious dishes. These include Lamb Kebabs with Cinnamon, Cloves & Hot Hummus, Pumpkin Stuffed with Jeweled Rice, Pomegranate & Vodka Sorbet and the all-important breads of the region non, flatbreads and pides."
224 pages, Hardcover
First published May 7, 2016
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December 26, 2023I bought this in a weak moment at B&N this past weekend, mostly because it's filled with pictures of a place I'd love to go. And lots of recipes for Mediterranean food, plus weird stuff like "Beets, Prunes & Mulberries," which sounds more like a medical intervention than something I'd serve to guests. Or "Mountain Jew Omelet." Given the history of this region, I am pleased to report that a Jew is not among the ingredients.
Most of it looks delicious. Feel free to drop by and we'll whip something up.
Roasted cauliflower with pistachios and tarragon, p. 140, cooked by LCJ on 12/22/23
Most of it looks delicious. Feel free to drop by and we'll whip something up.
Roasted cauliflower with pistachios and tarragon, p. 140, cooked by LCJ on 12/22/23
October 20, 2022
This is a lovely cookbook, looking at the various cooking traditions along the old Silk Road. Samarkand – and indeed the whole Silk Road – have long been on my bucket list. I know now, I am never likely to get there, but trying the recipes is a very nice consolation prize.
The author introduces the book:
So far, I have made thirteen of the recipes – all were good, and most I would make again. Some – such as the ‘Melting Potatoes with Dill’ – were simple and exquisite.
Because of my being in a wheelchair, I cannot do the actual cooking on a stove or in an oven. I do all the preparation, and then direct my husband to do the cooking and serving. Unfortunately, he is unable to eat any solids – so does most of the work, and usually only gets a sniff of the finished meal as a reward. One exception, was the ‘Chicken, Potato and Prune Hotpot’, where he was able to strain the juices for a clear, but very tasty soup. So, that night we both had an excellent meal. Also, because of our abnormal domestic set up, we tend to cook a meal to last two days. A number of recipes were even better the next day, such as the ‘Spring Lamb and new Potato Dimlama’, as the flavours had time to meld. This was also true of the ‘Buckwheat Kasha with Caramelised Mushrooms’, which was an outstanding type of comfort food – definitely to be repeated.
Other recipes I would highly recommend are: ‘Chapli Kebabs’ (Afghan mincemeat patties); ‘Mountain Jew Omelette’ (an excellent mix of egg and chicken); ‘Azerbaijani Lamb with Chestnuts’ and the ‘Samarkand Plov’ (rice dish with carrots, spinach and steak). For side dishes, there were ‘Roasted Cauliflower with Pistachio and Tarragon’; ‘Glazed Beetroot and Leaves’ (I substituted spinach for the beetroot leaves); ‘Tomatoes, Dill and Purple Basil’ (done several times with tomatoes from our garden, but with green basil) and ‘Pumpkin with Uighur Seven Spice’. The latter gave a very nice spice mix to add to the pantry, and is also a very good reason to buy this book. Anything that preserves even a tiny bit of Uighur culture in the face of Chinese government genocide has to be applauded.
There were a few new ingredients for me – most notably pomegranate juice (have used the seeds and molasses a lot, but not previously cooked with the juice). And there is much more dill used that I have been used to in the past. A lot of the recipes are not a radical change to my normal fare, but have introduced some lovely new combinations of ingredients and flavours. I still have many more recipes to try. ‘Sesame, Almond and Ginger Brittle’ and ‘Candied Quince with Chopped Nuts’ are on my to-do list, but may need to wait for a special occasion.
The recipes are generally very easy to follow, with lots of lovely photographs of the finished products. Most can be adapted to ingredients you can easily get, or have in your store cupboard. The only problem we found, was that the timings given were often too short to cook everything properly. That might be our style of cooking – but just to warn you. I’ve made lots of notes on the recipes, so next time (and there will be next times), I will know what to expect.
I definitely recommend this cookbook – for the recipes as they stand, or just for the ideas. Enjoy!
The author introduces the book:
“I was on such a journey that I decided to write this book. The idea was to bring together the cuisines of seven ethnic groups who had left their mark on Samarkand over the centuries – the Tajiks, Russians, Turks, Jews, Koreans, Caucasians and the Uzbeks themselves. … And at the heart of it all was Samarkand, which has sat at the crossroads of food culture for centuries. As a mere city its location is narrow but its scope is extraordinarily wide.”
So far, I have made thirteen of the recipes – all were good, and most I would make again. Some – such as the ‘Melting Potatoes with Dill’ – were simple and exquisite.
Because of my being in a wheelchair, I cannot do the actual cooking on a stove or in an oven. I do all the preparation, and then direct my husband to do the cooking and serving. Unfortunately, he is unable to eat any solids – so does most of the work, and usually only gets a sniff of the finished meal as a reward. One exception, was the ‘Chicken, Potato and Prune Hotpot’, where he was able to strain the juices for a clear, but very tasty soup. So, that night we both had an excellent meal. Also, because of our abnormal domestic set up, we tend to cook a meal to last two days. A number of recipes were even better the next day, such as the ‘Spring Lamb and new Potato Dimlama’, as the flavours had time to meld. This was also true of the ‘Buckwheat Kasha with Caramelised Mushrooms’, which was an outstanding type of comfort food – definitely to be repeated.
Other recipes I would highly recommend are: ‘Chapli Kebabs’ (Afghan mincemeat patties); ‘Mountain Jew Omelette’ (an excellent mix of egg and chicken); ‘Azerbaijani Lamb with Chestnuts’ and the ‘Samarkand Plov’ (rice dish with carrots, spinach and steak). For side dishes, there were ‘Roasted Cauliflower with Pistachio and Tarragon’; ‘Glazed Beetroot and Leaves’ (I substituted spinach for the beetroot leaves); ‘Tomatoes, Dill and Purple Basil’ (done several times with tomatoes from our garden, but with green basil) and ‘Pumpkin with Uighur Seven Spice’. The latter gave a very nice spice mix to add to the pantry, and is also a very good reason to buy this book. Anything that preserves even a tiny bit of Uighur culture in the face of Chinese government genocide has to be applauded.
There were a few new ingredients for me – most notably pomegranate juice (have used the seeds and molasses a lot, but not previously cooked with the juice). And there is much more dill used that I have been used to in the past. A lot of the recipes are not a radical change to my normal fare, but have introduced some lovely new combinations of ingredients and flavours. I still have many more recipes to try. ‘Sesame, Almond and Ginger Brittle’ and ‘Candied Quince with Chopped Nuts’ are on my to-do list, but may need to wait for a special occasion.
The recipes are generally very easy to follow, with lots of lovely photographs of the finished products. Most can be adapted to ingredients you can easily get, or have in your store cupboard. The only problem we found, was that the timings given were often too short to cook everything properly. That might be our style of cooking – but just to warn you. I’ve made lots of notes on the recipes, so next time (and there will be next times), I will know what to expect.
I definitely recommend this cookbook – for the recipes as they stand, or just for the ideas. Enjoy!
August 8, 2016
Lots of tasty recipes based on foods popular in and around Samarkand, plus information about the area and the culture of the Silk Route. Lots of lovely photography and frontispieces (based on local textiles). Gorgeous to look at and I can't wait to start trying the recipes out!
September 13, 2024
4 for the food stories.. will revisit after trying out some of the recipes
June 11, 2018
The book is so visually stunning and evokes such a strong emotional feeling in me that I feel like carrying it everywhere and showing it to everyone I meet. Many of the recipes are similar to food in parts of Southeastern Europe and the Levant. I can't wait to visit Uzbekistan.
August 8, 2017
The photos were gorgeous: this could qualify as a coffee table book. Also has some interesting historical facts and insights. Meat eaters might appreciate this best, but there were a number of delicious vegetarian recipes as well.
August 17, 2020
Samarkand, one of THE stops on the Silk Road... What can be more romantic?
Laura Edward's collection of stunningly beautiful food photographs is just one reason to read this wonderful book about the "inextricable link between food and travel" and the delicious offerings from Central Asia with its "dazzling bazaars, golden bread, and a blanket of stars". The photographs - which include tantalizing views of various places in Central Asia and the Caucasus mostly taken by Caroline Eden, Eleanor Ford, or Christopher Herwig - draw you in, but Caroline Eden's essays and Eleanor Ford's recipes hold you there.
Surprisingly, Eleanor Ford missteps very occasionally. In her recipe for Samsa, which "share an etymological and culinary heritage with Indian samosas", instead of including a recipe for the dough, she merely calls for a "pack of puff pastry", and in her recipe for Yogurt with Honeyed Walnuts and Turkish Cotton Candy with the note at the top of the recipe about the "wispy mound of Turkish cotton candy crown[ing] the yogurt", and even more tantalizing description of the cotton candy "known as pismaniye or pashmak [...] made with flour, butter, sugar, and often sesame or nuts" that has a "cloudlike texture that dissolves instantly on the tongue". She goes on to say, "It is worth seeking out as it is the easiest way to lift a dessert from simple to ethereal" and then, without saying where to find it, simple calls for the purchased confection to be added in a "tangled mound" on top. But, particularly jarring is Eleanor Ford's instruction to discard the liquid that is drained off to thicken the yoghurt for her rendition of Suzma, "a tangy yogurt cheese that is spooned into soups, mixed into salads, or eaten with bread and fresh tomatoes". This makes zero sense - why not reserve that whey for cooking lentils for the Apricot and Red Lentil Soup on page 59, or the Tajik Green Lentil and Rice Soup on page 61? Or use it instead of water when making Non on page 153. It seems highly unlikely that the people living on the Great Steppe would discard this valuable liquid, when you consider how scarce food must be at times in this area that is largely non-arable land.
drawbacks: The book is only available in hardcover. There is no paperback (not even trade paperback) or ebook version. To look at, on first glance and leafing through, the book is beautiful and appears perfectly laid out.
However, peering in closer to actually read the book, it turns out that Caroline Eden's essays are printed in a rather small not-quite-black font on a medium-grey background. The index, printed on the same medium-grey background, is even harder to read because the font is tiny. Mercifully, most of the recipes (which are well laid out, with clear and concise instructions) are printed in the same size and coloured font on an off-white background. That light background makes all the difference. But a handful of the recipes are printed on a background of a photograph of fabric - linen or silk. Sure, the pages look beautiful. Indeed, the fabric examples are often beautifully woven, printed and/or embroidered. But, once again, an enthusiastic art director has neglected to realize that the content is the most important part of this particular book.
Another quibble is that the "1/2 cup of cold water" - which is absolutely essential to the success of the bread - is missing from the ingredients list for the Non recipe on page 153. Perhaps the editors are following the ridiculous convention to omit water from the ingredients list and only include it in the recipe instructions. However, the other bread recipes in the book do include water amounts in their ingredients lists, so maybe it is just a typo. Either way, it's sloppy.
+ + + + +
bookmarked:
` p.27 Walnut Stuffed Eggplant Rolls
* p.32 Grated Zucchini with Poppy Seeds and Pinenuts (rather than grating, we will put the zucchini into ribbons)
` p.40 Suzma
* p.82 Thunderstone Lamb Chops with Sour Cherry Sauce
` p.87 Beef Shaslik with Tahini and Pistachio Sauce
` p.103 Georgian Chicken with Walnut Sauce
` p.107 Spicy Meatballs with Adjika and Yogurt
` p.118 Samarkand Plov (new technique - for us - for cooking rice)
` p.126 Buttered Rice under a Shah's Crown
* p.130 Fish and Saffron Pilaf
* p.134 Melting Potatoes with Dill
* p.140 Roasted Cauliflower with Pistachio and Tarragon
* p.140 Uighur Seven Spice
* p.144 Green Beans with Hazelnut Tarator
* p.147 Glazed Beets and Greens
* p.152 Non ("Non is the flatbread that is made the length and breadth of Central Asia" - Eleanor Ford)
* p.156 Uzbek Pumpkin Manti with Sour Tomato Sauce
* p.160 Kyrgyz Swirled Onion Flatbread
` p.196 Kefir Pancakes with Blackberry Syrup
` p.200 Baklava Baked Apples
` p.214 Pistachio Halva
` p.216 Sesame, Almond, and Ginger Brittle
+ + + + +
(If the background on printed pages were significantly lighter to create a proper contrast between text and background, I would have given the book a 5 star rating.)
+ + + + +
[rant] More about the convention to omit water from recipe ingredients lists:
I suspect that the decision to omit the water from ingredients lists is from lazy editors getting only as far as "Water, considered to be readily available, is usually omitted from the ingredient list" in The Recipe Writer's Handbook by Jane L Baker and Barbara G Ostmann, or "Because water does not have to be purchased, it is always omitted from the ingredients are called for" in Recipes Into Type: A Handbook for Cookbook Writers and Editors by Joan Whitman and Dolores Simon, and neglecting to read just a little further:
Samarkand—the turquoise city
For centuries, the fabled city Samarkand has been a magnet for merchants, travelers, and conquerors. Its name resonates like those of only a handful of other ancient cities, perhaps Babyon, Rome, or Jerusalem. Say it out loud and it rolls off the tongue: Samarkand. It is seductive.
[- Caroline Eden, Introduction, p7]
Laura Edward's collection of stunningly beautiful food photographs is just one reason to read this wonderful book about the "inextricable link between food and travel" and the delicious offerings from Central Asia with its "dazzling bazaars, golden bread, and a blanket of stars". The photographs - which include tantalizing views of various places in Central Asia and the Caucasus mostly taken by Caroline Eden, Eleanor Ford, or Christopher Herwig - draw you in, but Caroline Eden's essays and Eleanor Ford's recipes hold you there.
Surprisingly, Eleanor Ford missteps very occasionally. In her recipe for Samsa, which "share an etymological and culinary heritage with Indian samosas", instead of including a recipe for the dough, she merely calls for a "pack of puff pastry", and in her recipe for Yogurt with Honeyed Walnuts and Turkish Cotton Candy with the note at the top of the recipe about the "wispy mound of Turkish cotton candy crown[ing] the yogurt", and even more tantalizing description of the cotton candy "known as pismaniye or pashmak [...] made with flour, butter, sugar, and often sesame or nuts" that has a "cloudlike texture that dissolves instantly on the tongue". She goes on to say, "It is worth seeking out as it is the easiest way to lift a dessert from simple to ethereal" and then, without saying where to find it, simple calls for the purchased confection to be added in a "tangled mound" on top. But, particularly jarring is Eleanor Ford's instruction to discard the liquid that is drained off to thicken the yoghurt for her rendition of Suzma, "a tangy yogurt cheese that is spooned into soups, mixed into salads, or eaten with bread and fresh tomatoes". This makes zero sense - why not reserve that whey for cooking lentils for the Apricot and Red Lentil Soup on page 59, or the Tajik Green Lentil and Rice Soup on page 61? Or use it instead of water when making Non on page 153. It seems highly unlikely that the people living on the Great Steppe would discard this valuable liquid, when you consider how scarce food must be at times in this area that is largely non-arable land.
drawbacks: The book is only available in hardcover. There is no paperback (not even trade paperback) or ebook version. To look at, on first glance and leafing through, the book is beautiful and appears perfectly laid out.
However, peering in closer to actually read the book, it turns out that Caroline Eden's essays are printed in a rather small not-quite-black font on a medium-grey background. The index, printed on the same medium-grey background, is even harder to read because the font is tiny. Mercifully, most of the recipes (which are well laid out, with clear and concise instructions) are printed in the same size and coloured font on an off-white background. That light background makes all the difference. But a handful of the recipes are printed on a background of a photograph of fabric - linen or silk. Sure, the pages look beautiful. Indeed, the fabric examples are often beautifully woven, printed and/or embroidered. But, once again, an enthusiastic art director has neglected to realize that the content is the most important part of this particular book.
Another quibble is that the "1/2 cup of cold water" - which is absolutely essential to the success of the bread - is missing from the ingredients list for the Non recipe on page 153. Perhaps the editors are following the ridiculous convention to omit water from the ingredients list and only include it in the recipe instructions. However, the other bread recipes in the book do include water amounts in their ingredients lists, so maybe it is just a typo. Either way, it's sloppy.
+ + + + +
bookmarked:
` p.27 Walnut Stuffed Eggplant Rolls
* p.32 Grated Zucchini with Poppy Seeds and Pinenuts (rather than grating, we will put the zucchini into ribbons)
` p.40 Suzma
* p.82 Thunderstone Lamb Chops with Sour Cherry Sauce
` p.87 Beef Shaslik with Tahini and Pistachio Sauce
` p.103 Georgian Chicken with Walnut Sauce
` p.107 Spicy Meatballs with Adjika and Yogurt
` p.118 Samarkand Plov (new technique - for us - for cooking rice)
` p.126 Buttered Rice under a Shah's Crown
* p.130 Fish and Saffron Pilaf
* p.134 Melting Potatoes with Dill
* p.140 Roasted Cauliflower with Pistachio and Tarragon
* p.140 Uighur Seven Spice
* p.144 Green Beans with Hazelnut Tarator
* p.147 Glazed Beets and Greens
* p.152 Non ("Non is the flatbread that is made the length and breadth of Central Asia" - Eleanor Ford)
* p.156 Uzbek Pumpkin Manti with Sour Tomato Sauce
* p.160 Kyrgyz Swirled Onion Flatbread
` p.196 Kefir Pancakes with Blackberry Syrup
` p.200 Baklava Baked Apples
` p.214 Pistachio Halva
` p.216 Sesame, Almond, and Ginger Brittle
+ + + + +
(If the background on printed pages were significantly lighter to create a proper contrast between text and background, I would have given the book a 5 star rating.)
+ + + + +
[rant] More about the convention to omit water from recipe ingredients lists:
I suspect that the decision to omit the water from ingredients lists is from lazy editors getting only as far as "Water, considered to be readily available, is usually omitted from the ingredient list" in The Recipe Writer's Handbook by Jane L Baker and Barbara G Ostmann, or "Because water does not have to be purchased, it is always omitted from the ingredients are called for" in Recipes Into Type: A Handbook for Cookbook Writers and Editors by Joan Whitman and Dolores Simon, and neglecting to read just a little further:
Water, considered to be readily available, is usually omitted from the ingredient list when an unspecified amount is needed, such as for rinsing an ingredient, cooking pasta, or covering a vegetable before boiling. Water is usually listed when it is a specific ingredient, such as when a specific measure is given, something is dissolved in the water, or when the water is modified in some way, such as cold, hot, warm, or lukewarm. [Jane L Baker and Barbara G Ostmann, The Recipe Writer's Handbook, ISBN 0471405450 (ISBN13: 9780471405450)][/rant]
~ ~ ~ ~
Because water does not have to be purchased, it is always omitted from the ingredients are called for, such as for boiling pasta, for covering a vegetable or another ingredient with water and then bringing it to a boil, for adding to a pan to surround custards, etc.
There is disagreement, however, about listing water when the amount is essential to the dish, when the water must be at a specific temperature and when something must be dissolved init and thus becomes part of the final dish. We recommend that such specific amounts of water be listed so that the cook will know to measure it and have it ready when called for in the instructions. [- Joan Whitman and Dolores Simon, Recipes Into Type: A Handbook for Cookbook Writers and Editors, ISBN: 1892526018 (ISBN13: 9781892526014)]
May 3, 2021
Caroline Eden just might be one of my favorite cookbook authors; this is the third book of hers that I've read and like the others, I immensely enjoyed it, too! The photographs, the food, the stories, the recipes all combine to give the reader a real-world view of the places mentioned in the book and makes you feel like you are in that place exploring it for yourself!
June 15, 2018
Just delicious!, and very interesting read. Not the focus of the book, but I didn't realize there was a small population of Communist Koreans who'd been moved to the area and melding culinary traditions.
These recipes were notably more approachable than many other cookbooks so far, either recognizable ingredients or undaunting prep. I think the salad section is the winner. I've always been puzzled by radishes, one of the first fresh spring produce available but kind of difficult to eat raw for me. The radish salad in here was sososo good, using handfuls of herbs and just a beautiful set of colors.
These recipes were notably more approachable than many other cookbooks so far, either recognizable ingredients or undaunting prep. I think the salad section is the winner. I've always been puzzled by radishes, one of the first fresh spring produce available but kind of difficult to eat raw for me. The radish salad in here was sososo good, using handfuls of herbs and just a beautiful set of colors.
January 17, 2017
Splendid. Lots of interesting recipes that are so different from the Mediterranean and the usual. Little snippets of information about the places.
November 19, 2017
awesome recipe ideas!
November 25, 2017
My standards for cookbooks are not too demanding. I enjoy reading about ideas for foods that I already know I like that are unusual and perhaps a bit exotic but above all sound tasty and are somewhat simple. Like most people, I am not particularly aware of the cuisine of Central Asia although I have some interest in the area [1]. This book definitely made me curious about the cuisine of the area, and any time a book makes me want to eat the cuisine of an area, even a few dishes of that cuisine--and this book certainly does the trick--I consider it time well spent. I read cookbooks to get ideas for new dishes and to at least expand my interest in trying new dishes and new combinations of food items, being a person of rather plain and perhaps even boring tastes, so this was definitely a pretty exotic set of cuisines to look for. As Central Asia and the Caucasus have been places with a great many influences from Russia, China, the Middle East, among other places, the food is suitably diverse, which should suit many readers.
This book combines two genres together to good effect. Most of this book consists of recipes divided into various sections based on the type of food they have as their base or the place where the foods come from: a shared table (appetizers), soups, roast meats and kebabs, warming food for long winters, plovs and pilafs, side dishes, breads & doughs, drinks, desserts and sweetmeats. Interspersed with this are various stories about travels or about unusual places and people that the authors met in the course of their exploration of the foods of the region(s). This included mountain Jews of Azerbaijan, the second largest city of Kyrgystan, and the Pamirs of mountainous Tajikistan. The stories are fascinating and they help provide a context for the recipes. At first I thought the recipes were pretty undistinguished with a lot of ingredients I didn't like. The book warmed on me, though, and soon I was reading about omelettes with chicken and chestnuts, one-pot dishes with lamb, potato, and vegetables, flatbreads, tasty chicken dishes, and various rice dishes of interest including pumpkins stuffed with rice. The amount of yummy dishes by the end of the book definitely met my hopes and expectations, which meant that I enjoyed the book far more towards the end than at the beginning when there was too much tomato, cucumber, and eggplant for my tastes.
As the authors note, there is a certain degree of romance in Samarkand as a place. An entrepot of trade since before the time of Alexander the Great, the surrounding areas around the Black, Caspian, and Aral seas has been fought over by many empires and has accepted a great deal of influences from many areas. This book did a good job at including a wide variety of ingredients ranging from hazelnuts from the cost of Trebizon to Russian vodkas and cakes to Korean spicy carrot dishes and kimchi. Reading this book gave me the impression that there was a lot more to Central Asian cuisine than this book included, but also that there was much in this cuisine that would be enjoyable to try even if not all of the ingredients of that cuisine were to my liking. As a person of fairly broad and somewhat experimental tastes when it comes to food dishes made with ingredients that I happen to like in new combinations and with herbs and spices, there was much that I found appealing and much that I think would be appealing to similarly adventuresome readers and eaters like myself.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2010...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2013...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012...
This book combines two genres together to good effect. Most of this book consists of recipes divided into various sections based on the type of food they have as their base or the place where the foods come from: a shared table (appetizers), soups, roast meats and kebabs, warming food for long winters, plovs and pilafs, side dishes, breads & doughs, drinks, desserts and sweetmeats. Interspersed with this are various stories about travels or about unusual places and people that the authors met in the course of their exploration of the foods of the region(s). This included mountain Jews of Azerbaijan, the second largest city of Kyrgystan, and the Pamirs of mountainous Tajikistan. The stories are fascinating and they help provide a context for the recipes. At first I thought the recipes were pretty undistinguished with a lot of ingredients I didn't like. The book warmed on me, though, and soon I was reading about omelettes with chicken and chestnuts, one-pot dishes with lamb, potato, and vegetables, flatbreads, tasty chicken dishes, and various rice dishes of interest including pumpkins stuffed with rice. The amount of yummy dishes by the end of the book definitely met my hopes and expectations, which meant that I enjoyed the book far more towards the end than at the beginning when there was too much tomato, cucumber, and eggplant for my tastes.
As the authors note, there is a certain degree of romance in Samarkand as a place. An entrepot of trade since before the time of Alexander the Great, the surrounding areas around the Black, Caspian, and Aral seas has been fought over by many empires and has accepted a great deal of influences from many areas. This book did a good job at including a wide variety of ingredients ranging from hazelnuts from the cost of Trebizon to Russian vodkas and cakes to Korean spicy carrot dishes and kimchi. Reading this book gave me the impression that there was a lot more to Central Asian cuisine than this book included, but also that there was much in this cuisine that would be enjoyable to try even if not all of the ingredients of that cuisine were to my liking. As a person of fairly broad and somewhat experimental tastes when it comes to food dishes made with ingredients that I happen to like in new combinations and with herbs and spices, there was much that I found appealing and much that I think would be appealing to similarly adventuresome readers and eaters like myself.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2010...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2013...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012...
April 14, 2019
This is a really beautiful book. It is far more than a recipe book. It has the most stunning photographs, not only of food but also of the places the food and recipes come from. There are also stories about the author's trips to the area and about the people and how their different backgrounds all come together to inspire the food and recipes from the area.
I brose through it from time to time and read the interesting pieces of text and stories. I plan to try some recipes before we head off on our trip to Uzbekistan where I hope to try the authentic creations and see some of the fascinating markets pictured in the book.
I brose through it from time to time and read the interesting pieces of text and stories. I plan to try some recipes before we head off on our trip to Uzbekistan where I hope to try the authentic creations and see some of the fascinating markets pictured in the book.
March 21, 2025
I'm a big fan of Eden's travel-cum-cookbooks. This has the same brilliant photography, a set of recipes I can't wait to try, and some nice descriptive passages on travel in central Asia. One less star than usual because this lacks the driving narrative of a journey Eden is taking- her previous books make you feel like you're bouncing along on the bus with her. As this is more anthology-style, it doesn't have the same transportive effects. Still a beautiful and useful book.
September 3, 2025
This is a STUNNING cookbook, one of the most beautiful in my collection by far. Even better, the recipes are fantastic! Everything I've tried so far has turned out well and been pretty easy. A lot of the recipes and ingredients are surprisingly straight forward. Other ingredients are a little difficult to find if you don't live in a city with a middle eastern market, but what I've cooked has been so good that I think it's worth the effort to hunt down certain ingredients.
February 11, 2018
I was hoping for a little more in terms of the number of recipes and the breadth, but this is a good cookbook all the same. The food is similar to Turkish and Persian, but not identical, and those differences should be pretty interesting to most serious home cooks. The recipes aren't necessarily convenient or fast, but they're true to the culture, so whaddya gonna do?
March 14, 2021
While Caroline Eden's Black Sea and Red Sands are heavier on the travelogue and lighter on the recipes, this contains the two in inverse proportion. It's another physically beautiful book that you should enjoy having on your bookshelf, but this one might get a little more beat up because its more likely to wind up in the kitchen with all of the spills and spatters that occur there.
September 13, 2021
While not as good as Black Sea and Red Sands, it’s still a great book to learn a bit about the ‘Stan’s part of the world. More recipes then her other books (Eleanor Ford’s contribution) and many of the recipes are quite good. What makes Eden’s other books standout—and what is mostly missing from this book—is Eden’s gutsy, funny, style of travel journalism.
February 25, 2024
Note: For cookbooks, I document and review recipe books that I've used multiple times as I continue to use them.
This is a cookbook unlike any other I have in my (admittedly a bit too extensive) collection. Nevertheless, I've found myself making numerous recipes therein whenever I want a taste of something ubiquitously from Central Asia.
This is a cookbook unlike any other I have in my (admittedly a bit too extensive) collection. Nevertheless, I've found myself making numerous recipes therein whenever I want a taste of something ubiquitously from Central Asia.
December 23, 2024
As soon as I found out I was going to the Kyrgyz Republic for a month, I bought this and spent an entire weekend making multi-course meals out of it. Really lovely introduction to Central Asia, especially if you, like I did, have little-to-no prior exposure. The real bummer versus reality was how much the book makes regional cuisine work for vegetarians, but that's on me.
December 6, 2019
Beautifully written, easy to make recipes. The book just made me want to pack my bag and travel to Samarkand countries. I made myself the pumpkin rice, chicken with prunes n tomatoes, rice porridge with dates syrup...yummy
March 8, 2022
Great cookbook with a lot of delicious recipes. Since I got it for Christmas I haven't yet run into a recipe where I was unable to find the ingredients, and I haven't had any issues in the prepwork either.
June 6, 2022
I have absolutely no comment on the recipes; I was reading this for the "stories" part of the subtitle, and I enjoyed the glimpses of people, places, culture and especially food from a wide array of places across central Eurasia, from Tblisi to Almaty.
October 8, 2025
Having just returned from this part of the world I have to say these recipes and evocative photos are keeping my memories alive. I have recommended to friends who in the past have been scathing about plov. And they were pleasantly surprised by the range of dishes.
October 24, 2017
Bought it. Can't wait to try the bread recipe.
December 18, 2018
essentially a cookbook, the lush photography and cultural and historical essays make this a great companion book for Silk Road enthusiasts
April 14, 2019
This book is beautiful. It has gorgeous pictures and lovely insights into the wonderfully exotic countries in mid Asia region. Can't wait to try the recipes!
February 17, 2020
interesting read and recipes
April 8, 2020
Beautiful and tasty. A great buy.
July 12, 2021
Been waiting for this for over a year. I want to work my way through it.
Diana Henry
Diana Henry
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