Skip to content
Open menu Close menu

Feed your appetite for cooking with Penguin’s expert authors

penguin logo

The Balkan Kitchen

Written by

Irina Janakievska

Published

03 October 2024

Who’s the author? Irina Janakievska is a Macedonian-British writer and recipe developer who grew up in Kuwait and moved to the UK in 2001. A consultant solicitor, Irina left the corporate world to follow her passion for food. After training at Leiths School of Food and Wine she started work as a recipe developer in the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen.

Irina has contributed to the Guardian, Foodnetwork US, Whetstone Magazine and Mediterranean Lifestyle magazines.

What’s it about? The Balkan Kitchen is Irina’s first cookbook, in which she invites readers to explore the varied dishes and cultural heritage of the Balkan region. Her food is rich with history and crosses myriad peoples and cultures. Expect vibrant vegetable dishes (over half the recipes are vegetarian or vegan), sumptuous mains for every occasion, and delicious sweet treats, from cakes to cookies. With stunning location and recipe photography, as well as anecdotes, history and personal stories throughout, this is an evocative book that will inspire you to cook and learn about this wonderfully diverse food culture.

Recipes we love: Aubergine in Walnut Sauce, Leek, Lemon and Olive Salad, Chicken Paprikash, Fish in Fig Leaves, and Apricot Cake.

Perfect for: Home cooks and foodies keen to explore the rich food history of the Balkans.

newsletter

Subscribe to The Happy Foodie email newsletter

Get our latest recipes, features, book news and ebook deals straight to your inbox every week