Critique de Booklist

Although contemporary Turkey's cooking has found welcome in many U.S. cities, few are familiar with its culinary ancestor, the imperial table of the Ottomans. Sarah Woodward has compiled recipes from that era and has updated them just enough to make the dishes reproducible in modern kitchens. The Ottoman Kitchen, as Woodward reconstructs it, emphasizes quick cooking and commonly available ingredients. Recipes abound with fresh pomegranates, nuts, yogurt, cheeses, parsley, and mint. Only a few ingredients, such as pomegranate molasses, demand special trips to Middle Eastern markets. When meat is used, it's usually lamb, but many recipes call for chicken or other poultry. Mark Knoblauch.