My book Naturally Vegan is finally here!
With an exclusive recipe for Turkish Turşu (Lacto-Fermented Pickles)
Writing today’s newsletter title feels surreal. But it’s true. Naturally Vegan, my very first cookbook, is officially out. Well — at least in the UK. If you're reading from elsewhere, it may be landing in your region very soon, including a German translation coming in July. You can check availability and where to order here (the link magically adjusts to where you are).
A Book Launch Party
To celebrate the launch, I hosted a party and I’m still coming down from the high of last night. My head’s a little foggy — I’m blaming the generously poured drinks every time someone proposed a toast. But truly, it was a beautiful evening. To give you a little picture: I hosted the launch at Casa Italiana, one of the last remaining Italian social clubs in what used to be Little Italy, now Clerkenwell. The first time I visited, I swung open the doors and felt as though I stepped through a portal right into a buzzing bar in the heart of Rome. Men and women dressed to the nines — fresh from mass — were scattered around tables, sipping espresso, playing cards or catching up under a fanfare of chatter and laughter. I was instantly sold. The book is full of recipes that are all about a sense of community, about bringing people together over a shared meal. Casa Italiana was the perfect place to do exactly that.
Together with my best mate, Hugo Harrison (not only a brilliant chef, but also a talented writer — check out his Substack), we cooked up a few dishes from the book. 6.4kg of dried haricot beans were turned into Türkiye’s national dish, Kuru Fasulye, accompanied by a traditional side of rice with orzo (Şehriyeli Pilav) as well as lacto-fermented pickles (Turşu — the recipe I am sharing below). For dessert, there was Italy’s Castagnaccio, a cake made with chestnut flour, paired with the mandatory glass of Vin Santo. It was a humble but fun way to showcase how diverse traditional plant-based food can be in different cultures around the world — one of the leading principles of the book.
About Naturally Vegan
If you're new here, let me tell you a bit more about the book. Over the past three years, I’ve been researching plant-based dishes from around the world that just happen to be vegan. To learn from those who know them best, I travelled far and wide — discovering that vegan food isn’t a modern invention. It’s a modern label. We have been eating plant-based dishes for thousands of years, be it because of religion, poverty or regional differences.
Out of that journey, Naturally Vegan was born — a collection of over 90 recipes from more than 20 cultures, celebrating the kind of food that was never labelled vegan, but just happens to be.
To celebrate the launch of the book in this newsletter, I’m excited to share an exclusive recipe with you — one of my favourite discoveries from my travels to Türkiye.
Turşu (Lacto-Fermented Vegetables)
Kimchi and sauerkraut are ferments that have taken the world by storm, especially since the surge of health-boosting probiotic foods. Yet Türkiye’s Turşu are less familiar. They’re referred to as “Turkish pickles”, so one might expect vegetables preserved in a vinegar solution, but Turşu are in fact lacto-fermented pickles, and an essential part of the Turkish diet.