The cooks

Ayla Demirtaş 10 recipes and notes

Ayla grew up in a Gaziantep family kitchen where bulgur came in four sizes and köfte was kneaded by feel. She lives in Bristol and writes about pilafs, kısır, köfte and the pepper pastes that hold them together.

Bora Tuncel 9 recipes and notes

Bora is from İzmir and cooks the Aegean way: olive oil, vegetables, herbs and a table full of mezes. He lives in Lisbon, shops at the market most mornings and writes about dolma, salads and dishes served at room temperature.

Nuray Ekinci 9 recipes and notes

Nuray comes from Kayseri and now lives in Frankfurt. She writes about soups, beans, lentils and slow winter stews, with an eye on what a pantry can stretch to across a busy week.

Murat Ilgaz 8 recipes and notes

Murat's family is from the Black Sea coast; he lives in Rotterdam. He likes to test things side by side: soaking times, oven temperatures, bread doughs, chickpeas cooked five ways, and the weeknight plans that come out of it.

Defne Sarıoğlu 7 recipes and notes

Defne grew up in Istanbul and bakes in Toronto. She writes about milk puddings, syrupy sweets, pastry and festive tables, and she is exact about sugar, temperatures and timing.