Time to luxuriate in the steamy world of those monumental testaments to the Ottoman age, the great hammams of Istanbul. Fritz von der Schulenberg’s photographs reveal all, accompanied by etiquette, gossip and lively early travellers’ tales. Plus: Philip Mansel on the court of Selim III; Charles Newton on the Lion of Knidos; Soner Bekir on the great Bosphorus bird migration; and Berrin Torolsan with irresistible celeriac recipes.
An antiquarian’s deliciously distressed house in the Aegean was Berrin Torolsan’s first inspiration for the text of a new book on Turkish interiors. In this extract from At Home in Turkey, with photographs by Solvi dos Santos, she is captivated by a low-key restoration.
Although commonly regarded as a root vegetable, like the potato, carrot or turnip, the bulbous part of the celeriac plant is not actually the root but a corm, the base of the leaf stems, out of which modest roots will grow.
More cookery features
On the tiny island of Bozcaada (Tenedos), a mere speck in the Aegean, great wines are emerging that rival the best the world can ofer. The Corvus vineyards, once among the Mediterranean’s most celebrated, have suffered centuries of neglect. Kevin Gould raises a glass to their renaissance with the founder of Corvus, Resit Soley. www.corvus.com.tr
See Cornucopia’s self-guided wine tour
When it was built in 1741 in the new Baroque style, Cağaloğlu was at the forefront of architectural fashion. But this temple of cleanliness in the Old City marks the dramatic swansong of the grand Ottoman hammam.
Did you know? Books are post-free to subscribers anywhere in the world.
For a full list of benefits see Subscriber Club