A soulful tour of Palestinian cooking today from the Ottolenghi
restaurants' executive chef and partner--120 recipes shaped by his
personal story as well as the history of Palestine.
JAMES BEARD AWARD NOMINEE - IACP AWARD WINNER - LONGLISTED FOR
THE ART OF EATING PRIZE - ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR:
Forbes, Bon Appétit, NPR, San Francisco Chronicle, Food Network,
Food & Wine, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian
Magazine, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal
"Truly, one of the best cookbooks of the year so far."--Bon Appétit
The story of Palestine's food is really the story of its people. When
the events of 1948 forced residents from all regions of Palestine
together into one compressed land, recipes that were once closely
guarded family secrets were shared and passed between different groups
in an effort to ensure that they were not lost forever.
In Falastin (pronounced "fa-la-steen"), Sami Tamimi retraces the
lineage and evolution of his country's cuisine, born of its
agriculturally optimal geography, its distinct culinary traditions, and
Palestinian cooks' ingenuity and resourcefulness. Tamimi covers the
territory between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River--East
Jerusalem and the West Bank, up north to the Galilee and the coastal
cities of Haifa and Akka, inland to Nazareth, and then south to Hebron
and the coastal Gaza Strip--recounting his upbringing with eleven
siblings and his decision to leave home at seventeen to cook in West
Jerusalem, where he met and first worked with Yotam Ottolenghi.
From refugee-camp cooks to the home kitchens of Gaza and the mill of a
master tahini maker, Tamimi teases out the vestiges of an ancient
culinary tradition as he records the derivations of a dynamic cuisine
and people in more than 130 transporting photographs and 120 recipes,
including:
- Hassan's Easy Eggs with Za'atar and Lemon
- Fish Kofta with Yogurt, Sumac, and Chile
- Pulled-Lamb Schwarma Sandwich
- Labneh Cheesecake with Roasted Apricots, Honey, and Cardamom
Named after the Palestinian newspaper that brought together a diverse
people, Falastin is a vision of a cuisine, a culture, and a way of
life as experienced by one influential chef.
