Book review: Doma by Spasia Pandora Dinkovski

Spasia Pandora Dinkovski, the chef behind second-generation Balkan restaurant Mystic Burek in London’s Sydenham, explores the breadth of diaspora cooking in her first book, Doma.

Through her personal recipes for gibanica (egg and cheese pie) – “nan’s infamous pie that kicked off an entirely new life and business” – kompir mandza (vegan potato stew) and halva cheesecake, Dinkovski maps out her Macedonian-British heritage.

Dinkovski guides readers through the components of a hearty Balkan meal, with chapters divided into preserves and condiments, dairy, baking, meze and salata, mains for feasting and indulgent desserts. She is upfront about the fact her dishes are interpretations – what she calls fusion food “appropriate in the right context, embraced by the correct hands”.

For example, she replaces the candied pumpkin in the sweet condiment slatko-tikva with preserved squash because it is more readily available, while she uses cottage cheese for the base of her proja – a denser, less sweet version of cornbread popular in Serbia, Bosnia and North Macedonia – in a nod to her parents’ first years settling into the UK.

Because of the potential novelty of contemporary Balkan cuisine to her readership, Dinkovski provides helpful serving notes with each dish. Mekici – a pillowy, fried dough – makes a perfect breakfast when paired with brined white cheese and sweet jam, while a bottle of Aryan drinking yogurt can do wonders to a crisp, savoury burek. She strikes a careful balance, providing both the personality of a memoir and the informed expertise of a recipe collection bursting with colours, textures and flavours.

“It might sound corny to say that ‘I found myself through food’, but it’s true that I was lost for a very long time, and cooking for others, in a way that is inherently natural to me, has brought me a stronger sense of self,” she writes, in her thoughtful, honest prose. In this way, Doma – meaning home – encourages chefs to turn to their own heritage stories in food with curiosity, nostalgia and delight.

Doma: Traditional Flavours and Modern Recipes from the Balkan Diaspora by Spasia Pandora Dinkovski (DK, £22)