Where to Start with Musa Dağdeviren
Musa Dagdeviren is a chef, restaurateur, and culinary historian based in Istanbul. He opened his first restaurant, Ciya, in 1987, and it quickly became famous for serving regional Turkish dishes that had nearly been forgotten. He has spent decades traveling across Turkey, documenting recipes from village cooks and preserving food traditions that might otherwise disappear. His work was featured on Netflix’s Chef’s Table, introducing his mission to a global audience. He runs his restaurants and a foundation devoted to Turkish culinary heritage with his wife.
Start here
The Turkish Cookbook
Musa Dağdeviren · 512 pages · 2019 · Moderate
Themes: Turkish cuisine, regional cooking, culinary heritage, Ottoman cuisine, traditional recipes
Dagdeviren’s magnum opus, published by Phaidon as part of their authoritative country cookbook series. With 550 recipes drawn from every region of Turkey, this is the most comprehensive English-language book on Turkish cuisine ever published.
Why Start Here
This is Dagdeviren’s only book in English, and it represents a lifetime of culinary research condensed into a single volume. Every recipe comes with context: where the dish originates, how it fits into the local food culture, and what makes it worth preserving. The range is staggering, covering everything from simple village breads to elaborate Ottoman palace dishes.
The photography by Toby Glanville captures the spirit of Turkey’s food culture, from bustling bazaars to quiet village kitchens. The book works as both a practical cookbook and a cultural reference, something you can read for pleasure as well as cook from.
What to Expect
A large 512-page hardcover with more than 550 recipes. The organization follows traditional Turkish meal categories. Icons mark vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free dishes, and recipes with five or fewer ingredients are also flagged. Some recipes are straightforward, others require more skill and patience. This is a book that rewards repeated visits over years of cooking.