Azerbaijani cookbook recognized in Los Angeles

Baku, April 7 AZERTAC Author appreciation and book signing event for six authors, including Feride Buyuran, author of “Pomegranates & Saffron: A Culinary Journey to Azerbaijan,” took place at the residence of the Honorary Consul General of Turkey to Los Angeles, Ms. Gulru Gezer. The event was organized by VATAN chapter of Association of Turkish Americans of Southern California (ATASC). More than 50 people attended the event, among them acclaimed food writers Faye Levy, Yakir Levy, and Barbara Hensen. The participants were served tea and treated to traditional Azerbaijani desserts, including Karabakh-style filled sweet bread (and nut-filled rolls-ups, made from the recipes in the cookbook. The authors, including Feride Buyuran, were recognized at the event with the award of Excellence presented by the ATASC President, Burcu Tansu, and VATAN President Vega Sankur. The event culminated with the authors signing copies of their books for the guests. “Pomegranates and Saffron” is the first cookbook on Azerbaijani cuisine published in the US by Cookbook. In the 320-page book readers can explore 200 tempting recipes for appetizers and salads, soups and stews, pasta, meat, vegetable and egg dishes, breads, saffron rice pilafs, aromatic drinks, and desserts, all adapted for preparation in a Western kitchen. Interspersed throughout the text are glimpses of local culture and traditional food-related proverbs that will make the reader’s adventure even more memorable. Recently, Gourmand World Cookbook Awards announced Pomegranates and Saffron: A Culinary Journey to Azerbaijan the winner in Eastern European Cuisines cookbook category among the books published in the U.S. This qualifies the cookbook to compete against the winners in the same category from other countries at the Gourmand Best in the World competition to take place in Yantai, China, in June, 2015. Feride Buyuran`s passion for cooking and her fond childhood memories led her to produce this book—her first—about the cuisine of her homeland. The book is a result of more than 6 years of exploring the food culture of Azerbaijan, collecting and testing recipes from various regions of the country, as well as photographing the dishes. Feride has a Master’s degree in English Philology from the State University of Languages in Azerbaijan and a Master of Business Administration degree from California State University.