Ayla Algar, a Turkish-born lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, provides American cooks with 175 recipes for this vibrant and tasty food, presented against the rich and fascinating backdrop of Turkish history and culture. Tempting recipes for kebabs, pilafs, meze (appetizers), dolmas (those delicious stuffed vegetables or vine leaves), soups, fish, manti and other pasta dishes, lamb, poultry, yogurt, bread, baklava and other traditional sweets are introduced here to American cooks in accessible form, easy for any home cook to make. With its emphasis on grains, vegetables, fruits, olive oil and other healthy foods, Turkish cooking puts a new spin on familiar ingredients and offers culinary adventure coupled with a satisfying and delicious diet.