Jason Goodwin, an English writer and historian, has a long history with Turkey, beginning with studies of Byzantine history at Cambridge University. With three published books under his belt, he set off on foot to travel from Poland to Istanbul, which led to his account of the sixth-month epic walk in the award-winning book, "On Foot to the Golden Horn: A Walk to Istanbul," which was released in 1993.Subsequently, "Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empire" (1998), was featured on the cover of the New York Times Book Review. While his previous books on Turkey were non-fiction, his popularity came as the author of a series of historical mystery novels beginning with "The Janissary Tree," which was published in 2006 and is centered around the Ottoman investigator Yashim, a eunuch living in Istanbul from the 1830s to the 1840s. The book won Goodwin the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 2007, followed by four other books in the series that have since been translated into 40 different languages, namely: "The Snake Stone" (2007), "The Bellini Card" (2008), "An Evil Eye" (2011) and "The Baklava Club" (2014)."Yashim Cooks Istanbul: Culinary Adventures in the Ottoman Ki" could be called the newest sequel in the best-selling series however, this time it comes in the form of a cookbook of delectable recipes that are mentioned in each book of the series. You see Yashim, the Ottoman investigator, is also skilled in the kitchen. He would prepare the dishes featured in this entertaining and encompassing cookbook that also contains beautiful photography and illustrations as well as excerpts from books in the series.A sample of the wide range of recipes includes Chicken with Walnut and Pomegranate, also known as "Acem Yahnisi" or Yashin's first recipe featured in the Janissary Tree. The Pomegranate Molasses, Hazelnut and Lemon Pilaf, "Klephtic Lamb" and Sultan's Ramadan Eggs, Spiced Stuffed Mackerel, Stuffed Eggplant and Wild Duck "Ottoman-style" as well as classics such as "Kuru Fasulye," Zucchini Croquettes and of course lamb kebab are just some of the many mouthwatering recipes and wide range of dishes they have to offer.I had the chance to catch up with Jason Goodwin author and historian extraordinaire who just happened to be in Istanbul for a reading that took place at Homer Bookstore in Galatasaray this past Friday.I asked Jason how he transitioned to becoming a cookbook writer from being a crime thriller novelist, to which he chuckled, saying, "Yes, it's true, most detective series don't get their own cookbook, however, the detective Yashim cooks all the time in the book," explaining, "he cooks because it's a really useful way of telling people where we are and in trying to explain what Istanbul is like you can describe the food, the moment they hear about peppers and kebabs they immediately start thinking of the right area in the eastern Mediterranean and they kind of know where they are because people these days are so clever with food."While many of the dishes are mentioned in the book, the recipes certainly aren't complete, leaving his readers constantly asking him for instructions on how to make the dishes. Thus, Jason wrote out the recipes in the book also adding those which he enjoys cooking himself. However, his fans are not only inspired the book but have also given him valuable feedback and he would post the recipes on his blog and readers would test them out. The book was then released in November of 2016 and sold out in a week. It now has five stars and stellar reviews with online vendors such as Amazon.This should come as no surprise as his first book focusing on his unique eunuch character Yashim, titled ,"The Janissary Tree," which has also been published in Turkish, was extremely well received. Jason recalls how when he came to Turkey after its release, an official tour guide shook his hand and said: "Thank you for allowing us to explain Ottoman history to people who didn't have the same interest before." These books take people by the hand and show them what life was like here 200 years ago, and people enjoy this," Jason said while adding that readers have been surprised by the amount they learn while reading the books, "And that is not my intention," Jason said, "My intention is to write books to entertain people. I want them to laugh and to cry but you can also get a lot of history on the way." I asked, "What's next for Yashim?" and Jason chuckled, saying, "Well, with five books and a cookbook under my belt, I guess next it will have to be a musical!"Research for the book was partly imagination and partly libraries, Jason tells me, sharing that the London Library, a private library which has a brilliant collection of Victorian books, is where he spends much of his time while working on his novels. I asked where he gets his inspiration in Istanbul and he said yesterday, for example, he went to Beyazit and discovered the "Journalism Museum," the Basın Müzesi, which is just one of the examples for why as he says that "Istanbul in itself is simply inspiring. It's always been a city I sort of dreamt about." Recalling that in the 16th century there was an ambassador from Austria who said, "This is a city destined to become the capital of the world," Jason explains that "It does feel like the capital of the world. Turkey is so central it has the grand feeling of being in the center of things. As a historian, I love walking around the city and just bumping into things that are so old and seeing what's changing and the geography of the area, the water and the hills."I asked him what this Turkish cookbook writer eats when he visits Turkey and he said, "Well, I actually snuck off just now and had those delicious little kebabs of liver on a skewer. I love it when they set the table with piles of fresh mint and parsley and a great portion of delicious tomatoes and grilled onions. I actually like the simple sort of street food as much as I like anything in the posh restaurants." I also what he had planned for his last meal in Istanbul before returning home to which he told me that he was actually going to be preparing a dish of fish cooked in paper parcels to be aired on TRT.I also asked Jason how his Turkish skills are and he said, "That's the one thing I have to confess if I had known how my life would be dominated by Turkey I would have learned Turkish but I didn't know and I didn't learn it when I could, so that's my one regret in life that I don't speak Turkish."