The very last in our gaggle of grannies but certainly not least, Mualla in Istanbul book-ended our three years around the world, cooking with grandmothers. It makes sense then, after a book rich in recipes and wisdom, that we end on her ultra-light semolina helva.
The day we cooked with Mualla it poured but that mattered very little. Having been welcomed into such a warm home packed with women all eager to share the culinary delights of Istanbul, we revelled in the now well-known high that comes with the sharing of special recipes across generations. We downed sweet tea looking over the Bosphorus. We danced to ‘Hey Mambo, Mambo Italiano’, Mualla - despite being unsteady on her feet at the ripe age of 92 - leading the charge.
