Nature, History, and the Fish Paradise of Anatolia – Türkiye

12,000 years ago, people living in the southeastern region of Türkiye developed a building system that was the first of its kind in the world. Today, scientists have made great efforts to make sense of this structure and the reliefs drawn on the stones that make up the structure. This is the Göbeklitepe archaeological site located within the borders of Şanlıurfa. The history known in the world is being rewritten with Göbeklitepe. Would you like to witness this historical event? This book offers you this suggestion.

I have compiled information about what happened in the mysterious geography where history began. I wanted to share my own feelings and thoughts. I wanted the readers to witness a moment in the common march of humanity by touching their hearts and souls.

Türkiye’s southeastern geographical region corresponds to the northern region of Mesopotamia, known in history. The Euphrates and Tigris rivers that make up the geography of Mesopotamia are rivers of Anatolian origin, and in this book, I have tried to tell you about the Euphrates River and the fish that inhabit it, as well as the historical and cultural assets created by the Euphrates.

To put it in the language of philosophy, which flourishes and develops in Anatolia, my primary goal is to invite people to friendship and brotherhood. And I say come, see, and feel what you are experiencing.

Would you like to fish for the god fish Enki from Sumerian mythology and the sacred Shabut fish from Hebrew mythology? Then I would like to invite you to my country.

From Lady Ralston's Kitchen

Lady Carolyne Lederer-Ralston is a creative cook by nature. She rarely uses cookbooks, preferring to develop her own original, no-waste recipes inspired by diverse sources and cultures, particularly European foodstuffs. Documenting her process with meticulous handwritten notes, some dating back decades, she recreates dishes later in her ‘spirit-filled kitchen’. She keeps copious handwritten notes while she cooks so she can return to the notes promptly to recreate the recipe in proper printed form. Some of her original recipes go back to the 1970s, long before “Gourmet” became the buzzword it is today.

A natural multi-tasker, she balanced a demanding full-time career with preparing full homemade meals daily. Planning and organization (mise en place) are vital to her approach, as is a well-stocked pantry. She includes practical hints within her recipes, and readers often say they feel she’s right there with them in the kitchen – a compliment Lady Ralston cherishes.

The Golden Hour

How did the old Chinese restaurants become so ubiquitous in American culture? Prior to the 1980s, over 40,000 Chinese-American restaurants supplied the USA with dishes like Egg Foo Young, Sweet and Sour Pork, Chicken Chow Mein, and Moo Goo Gai Pan. All these iconic dishes were Americanized versions of Cantonese foods. This book describes how this phenomenon took place and contains over 150 recipes so that you can replicate the dishes of The Golden Hour Restaurant.

The Golden Hour is representative of these historic restaurants which not only prospered in large cities like New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Dallas, but also in small towns like Turlock, where The Golden Hour was located in California’s agricultural Central Valley. These old Americanized Chinese restaurants have largely been replaced by more authentic Chinese cuisines. These older dishes and restaurants are on the verge of extinction as the subsequent generations growing up in these restaurants sought other professions. This book presents the culture, stories, and the recipes of this phenomenon.

Miss Sweetblack's Cupcakes

In the 1950s, the cupcake was a very fashionable cake made by housewives to celebrate family events. Despite its success at the time and its incredible cuteness, the cupcake has gone largely underappreciated. It has come to be seen as a simple household pastry. And although it is finally integrated into certain establishments specializing in cake design, unfortunately it still suffers from a rather bad reputation. It is certainly considered aesthetic — cute, even — but also too fatty, too sweet, and without real taste, sophistication, or refinement.

Here is a book that will deconstruct all your received ideas about the cupcake and make you see and appreciate them like real pastries; those you like to see in French patisseries or restaurants, presented in lovely and delicates plates. Yes, the time has come finally to elevate cupcakes as integral part of pastries thanks to the recipes of the one and only pin-up pastry chef, Miss Sweetblack!