Ayla Esen Algar

Ayla Esen Algar comes from a background that is both traditional and at the same time westernised. Her father rose from peasant stock in Eastern Turkey to become a high ranking Turkish official. Her mother was educated by French governesses in the slightly unreal world of the Ottoman empire in decline. She was brought up in her maternal grandmother's home in Samsun on the Black Sea coast of her country. The household was noted for its extravagant hospitality and it was here that she learned to...See more

Ayla Esen Algar comes from a background that is both traditional and at the same time westernised. Her father rose from peasant stock in Eastern Turkey to become a high ranking Turkish official. Her mother was educated by French governesses in the slightly unreal world of the Ottoman empire in decline. She was brought up in her maternal grandmother's home in Samsun on the Black Sea coast of her country. The household was noted for its extravagant hospitality and it was here that she learned to cook from her grandmother and her grandmother's servants. After completing her education in Turkey she went to America where she took her master's degree in Near Eastern Studies at the University of California. She now lives with her family in Berkeley but frequently revisits her homeland. See less