Recipes And Remembrances From An Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen

Located in the very heart of the eastern Mediterranean, the area comprising Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan has provided the world with what is considered by many to be Arab food at its best. In this landmark, one-of-a-kind volume Sonia Uvezian gives this time-honored cuisine the kind of presentation it truly deserves. "Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen" is a revelatory work rich in personal reminiscences; insightful quotations, anecdotes, and proverbs; valuable information on ingredients, utensils, daily meals, and traditions; and evocative period illustrations. Sonia Uvezian's many memories and associations establish a sense of place and emotional pull rarely encountered in Middle Eastern culinary literature. The "eastern Mediterranean Kitchen" in the title is actually that of her family's summer home in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon's fertile agricultural and winemaking region, as well as the one in their Beirut apartment. It is where the Uvezians prepared the food they grew themselves or bought from nearby farms, orchards, and markets. Written by an expert in the field and over two decades in the making, "Recipes and Remembrances" is a fascinating and highly original book imbued with a keen historical perspective and a deep respect for the region's cultural heritage. Few cookbook authors have approached their subjects with the thorough, painstaking research reflected in this work. A profound understanding of eastern Mediterranean food shines through in its hundreds of superb, clearly written recipes, which are often preceded by illuminating introductory remarks. From the definitive section on pomegranates and pomegranate molasses through the fabulous chapters on desserts and beverages, this book provides indispensable reading for anyone interested in the cookery and culture of Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. Like the author's groundbreaking classics, "The Cuisine of Armenia" and "Cooking from the Caucasus," which were among the first to bring Middle Eastern and Caucasian cooking to America, it is long on such traditional dishes as tabbuleh and baklava but also includes innovations, among them Damascus-Style Cheese Dip with Toasted Sesame Seeds and Nigella and Grilled Quail with Sour Cherry Sauce. Timeless and timely, "Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen" is a welcome blend of outstanding scholarship and entertaining reading. A genuine contribution to culinary literature, it has achieved the status of a classic. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sonia Uvezian was born and brought up in Beirut, Lebanon. A leading authority on Middle Eastern and Caucasian cooking and the winner of a James Beard Award, she is the author of six other highly acclaimed cookbooks, including "The Cuisine of Armenia," "Cooking from the Caucasus," and "The Book of Yogurt." Several of her books have been selections of Book-of-the-Month Club and published internationally. Ms. Uvezian has also contributed articles and recipes to Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Vogue, and numerous other publications."

The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean refers both Paula Wolfert's love of great food and the pioneering spirit that has inspired her to travel across the globe many times over in search of the world's best recipes. In all of her remarkable books, she delves with tireless enthusiasm into her research and writing, ensuring each recipe's authenticity and accessibility. In The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean, she brings readers and cooks into the kitchens that produce the healthy home cooking that is the trademark of such lands as Macedonian, Turkey, Syria, and the countries on the Black Sea. Wolfert's food dazzles the palate. Her book begins with recipes for sauces and dips, including two walnut and pomegranate sauces; soups include Anatolian Sour Soup and Macedonian "Green Cream." Meat, poultry, and fish dishes include eleven varities of kibbeh, Duck with Quinces, and Skewered Swordfish. Her sumptuous recipes for vegetables and grains--stuffed eggplants, pilafs, and pomegranate-flavored vegetables, to name a few--reflect the bounty and healthful eating patterns of the Eastern Mediterranean. Wolfert's Middle Eastern grain salads are healthy and rich with flavor. Paula travels into the kitchens of native cooks to ensure that her recipes are as genuine as they are delicious. She takes us into the home of a friend in the Republic of Georgia, whose mother teaches Wolfert how to prepare Chicken Tabaka; to a mountain village in northern Greece where, with a sister food writer, she searches for fine cheese to complete a savory pie; and to a farm in Turkey, where the country's best bread baker tells her secrets of baking unleavened flat griddle bread. These delicious, authentic recipes focus on the healthy eating patterns for which the Eastern Mediterranean is increasingly being recognized. Wolfert's recipes are as delightful to read as they are to use. Armchair cooks and travelers will be moved by the descriptive geography and resonate personal stories Paula Wolfert relates along with her fabulous dishes. Wolfert's expertise is renowned among food lovers, amateur and professional, and her joy of discovering new ways to prepare food is infectious to her many devoted readers.

Melding the rural and the urban with the local, regional, and global, Levantine cuisine is a mélange of ingredients, recipes, and modes of consumption rooted in the Eastern Mediterranean. Making Levantine Cuisine provides much-needed scholarly attention to the region’s culinary cultures while teasing apart the tangled histories and knotted migrations of food. Akin to the region itself, the culinary repertoires that comprise Levantine cuisine endure and transform—are unified but not uniform. This book delves into the production and circulation of sugar, olive oil, and pistachios; examines the social origins of kibbe, Adana kebab, shakshuka, falafel, and shawarma; and offers a sprinkling of family recipes along the way. The histories of these ingredients and dishes, now so emblematic of the Levant, reveal the processes that codified them as national foods, the faulty binaries of Arab or Jewish and traditional or modern, and the global nature of foodways. Making Levantine Cuisine draws from personal archives and public memory to illustrate the diverse past and persistent cultural unity of a politically divided region.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The highly anticipated debut cookbook from the creator of The Mediterranean Dish website, with more than 120 recipes for bright and flavorful Mediterranean diet-inspired meals. “I want to cook everything in this book! It’s not just beautiful—the recipes are fresh and exciting.”—Gina Homolka, New York Times bestselling author of the Skinnytaste cookbooks What began as one of the first online Mediterranean food blogs has blossomed into the leading site for modern Mediterranean cooking and lifestyle with millions of readers—and now it is the inspiration for the long-awaited first cookbook from Suzy Karadsheh. In her cookbook, Suzy brings cross-culturally inspired dishes from throughout the Mediterranean into American home kitchens, using easy-to-find ingredients and easy-to-follow, tested-to-perfection recipes to make your meals more vibrant, delicious, and yes—even a little healthier, too! Born and raised by the sea in Port Said, Egypt, Suzy lived in Michigan and Des Moines with her family before moving to Atlanta, where she now lives. Her modern cooking reflects the rich and complex traditions of the Mediterranean and Middle East, from Greece and southern Spain to Jordan and Tunisia, as well as inspiration from her new Southern roots. Practical and weeknight-easy recipes include: Spanakopita Egg Muffins, Chicken Shawarma Bowls, Garlicky Spinach and Chickpea Soup with Lemon and Pecorino Romano, Roasted Asparagus Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil, Middle Eastern Rice Pilaf with Toasted Vermicelli and Pine Nuts, Orange-Cardamom Olive Oil Cake, and of course Homemade Pita Bread to serve with just about everything. Suzy’s winning combination of approachable instructions, reliable recipes, stunning photography, charming authentic stories, and simple assemblies is sure to thrill anyone hungry to eat healthier food that bursts with flavor and spice.

This remarkable and beautifully illustrated book describes over 75 ingredients used in Middle Eastern cooking. The cuisines covered include those of Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman; Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Influenced by the Persian, Islamic, and Ottoman Empires, these country's common culinary tradition also reveals the legacy of the Byzantine and Roman empires. The insightful texts take readers and cooks into the history and diversity of these ancient cultures, while 150 recipes allow them to put their knowledge of these ingredients to practical use. Each ingredient is broken down in sections on descriptions and tastes of the spices, historical background, and cultivation or manufacture methods. Each is illustrated with specially commissioned photographs.

The eating style proven to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Cooking Light named The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook one of the top three healthy cookbooks of the last twenty-five years, calling it “a grand tour through the region.” Now Nancy Harmon Jenkins’s revolutionary approach to healthy eating is available for the first time as an eBook. Spanning the Mediterranean from Spain to France, Italy, and Greece, with side trips to Lebanon, Cyprus, and North Africa, this revised and updated edition of Nancy Harmon Jenkins’s acclaimed cookbook offers ninety-two mouthwatering new dishes plus the latest information about the nutritional benefits of one of the world’s healthiest cuisines. But best of all are the recipes—bursting with flavor, easy to prepare, and sure to please everyone at your table, whether you’re cooking for yourself, your family, or your friends. Known for classic favorites like tabbouleh and ratatouille, flatbreads, pastas, zesty herbs, and flavorful oils pressed from succulent olives, the Mediterranean diet combines delicious taste with health-supportive ingredients as few other cuisines do. With an emphasis on fruits and vegetables, grains and legumes, fish, lean meats, and heavenly desserts, here are recipes for over 250 outstanding dishes created for today’s American kitchens. You’ll also find new cooking techniques and a simplified approach to cooking—because simplicity is what the Mediterranean way of eating is all about. Experienced and novice cooks alike will be inspired by these delectable, seasonally inspired recipes ranging from sweet young Roman-style peas for spring to skewered shrimp for summer, robust North African Pumpkin Soup when autumn is in the air, and warming winter dishes like Lebanese Garlicky Roast Chicken and Cypriote Braised Pork with Wine, Cinnamon, and Coriander—plus a variety of fabulous pizzas and dinner pies, hearty salads like Tuscan panzanella, and satisfying small dishes known as tapas. Also included is a special selection of traditional dishes prepared for Islamic, Jewish, and Christian holidays that can be enjoyed year round. Rich in flavor and healthy nutrients but low in saturated fats and cholesterol, here are recipes that will delight your palate, nourish body and soul—and can be prepared with ease in your home kitchen.