Reviews (40)

The only one you will need!!
This is an absolutely fabulous book - I use it all the time, I never knew one cook rice in so many varied and interesting ways!
Great collection of authentic Persian food.........
Ms. Batmanglij presents a thorough listing of Persian cuisine with beautiful pictures accompaning most dishes.Her style of cooking almost represents the Western orientation of Iran which is truly the most tasteful and decorative collection of the Persian cuisine.

Excellent food in easy to follow recipes!
This is an excellent cookbook with authentic Iranian cuisine. All the recipes I've tried so far, came out great, just as I remember my Iranian grandma making them. Some of the ingredients are difficult to find in areas without Iranian specialty food stores, but Batmanglij usually gives alternatives that are readily available anywhere. The directions for each recipe are clear and easy to follow. The beautiful pictures are mouth-watering, and it's sometimes difficult to decide what to cook first.
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Subjects:  1. Cookery, Iranian    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Iran    5. Reference    6. Regional & Ethnic - Middle Eastern    7. Social life and customs    8. Cookery, Middle Eastern    9. National & regional cuisine   

Editorial Review

You'll find a two-page color photo of Read more

Reviews (4)

SimpleYetGreatRecipes
I borrowed this book from my local library and enjoyed it so much that I purchased my own copy.Every recipe is tasty and not very difficult to put together.I own quite a few cookbooks, and this is one I refer to over and over.What a find!
Artistic, simple, unpretentious
This is a beautiful and useful book, simplicity itself, that is written in a way that is as poetic, soulful, simple, and unpretentious as the cuisine it explores.The book instructed me not only how to prepare these dishes technically, but also how to appreciate their profound artistic and culinary value.As a great amateur of all things Middle-Eastern, this book is one of my most prized posessions.

the essence of Moroccan cooking
While living in Morocco for six months, I learned to cook with my host mother. When I returned home I began to look for a cookbook with which to recreate my experiences. I hoped to find something that included both simple staples and more elaborate recipes that show off the potential complexity of Moroccan flavoring. I looked through a lot of cookbooks both here and in France (where there is a large Maghrebi community), and finally decided that this book was the best of the lot.Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery, Moroccan    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Regional & Ethnic - African    5. Regional & Ethnic - Middle Eastern    6. Cooking / Middle Eastern    7. General cookery    8. Middle East    9. National & regional cuisine   

Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Cookery, Arab    3. Cookery, Moroccan    4. Cookery, Turkish    5. Cooking    6. Cooking / Wine    7. Regional & Ethnic - Mediterranean    8. Regional & Ethnic - Middle Eastern    9. Cooking / Mediterranean   

Reviews (10)

Hands-down the best Mideast cookbook out there
After perusing dozens of English-language Middle Eastern cookbooks over the years - none of which I found to be as comprehensive and authentic (based on my experience being raised in the Arab world) as I wanted - I was wonderfully surprised to receive this tome as a wedding gift. May Bsisu does a wonderful job explaining how to cook traditional Arabic dishes and the spectrum of the recipes she includes is impressive. I highly, highly, highly recommend this book.

A Great Place to Start
If you are an experienced cook but do not know Arabian cuisine, but this book.If you are not experienced, you can use this book successfully.If your introduction to the Mediterranean was with David, this is a good next book at the distance of a half century; while Bsisu does not have David's recepies for Melokhia or Chatchouka, David was in no position to bring you enough of the southern shores.
Highly recommended !!
A famous French chef told me this book is outstanding.I bought it and agree.
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Subjects:  1. Cookery, Arab    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. General    5. Middle Eastern Cookery    6. Regional & Ethnic - International    7. Regional & Ethnic - Middle Eastern    8. Cooking / Middle Eastern   

Reviews (5)

Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean
A very useful book for lovers of the Levantine kitchen. Recipees are very easy to execute

Great Variety
I purchased this book a few months back and I have tried out a number of the dishes with great results. My personal favorite is the Lamb Steak dish. Her descriptions of the various stages and completed dishes provide just the right amount of information for all cooking afficionados. One criticism I do have is with the authors website which she promotes as a source of some of the more difficult to obtain ingredients. I have had no luck getting a response from it when I tried to order some ingredients.

Delightfully Different Restaurant Book. Buy It Now.
`Spice, Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean' by New England chef, Ana Sortum is, behind its façade of being a text on spices and herbs, is really a restaurant cookbook, but done in such an imaginative way that one immediately forgives this little subterfuge. All the recipes are from Ms. Sortum's current restaurant, Oleana or from her previous postings, before starting out on her own and almost immediately winning the James Beard award for best chef in the Northeast.
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Subjects:  1. Cookery (Herbs)    2. Cookery (Spices)    3. Cookery, Arab    4. Cooking    5. Cooking / Wine    6. Middle Eastern Cookery    7. Regional & Ethnic - Mediterranean    8. Regional & Ethnic - Middle Eastern    9. Specific Ingredients - Herbs, Spices, Condiments    10. Cooking / Middle Eastern   

Editorial Review

North Africa is the home to one of the world's great cuisines.Redolent of saffron, cumin and cilantro, Moroccan cooking can be aselegant or as down-home hearty as you want it to be. In Read more

Reviews (17)

A very good guide to Moroccan food!
When we got this book, my husband looked through every page from cover to cover with excitement.He took a pencil and circled all of the recipes that he loved, or sounded good to him.He circled a large portion of the book!!I have grown to love Moroccan food since I got married, and more so since our trip to Morocco!The only down side is that there isn't that large of variety of recipes.I am searching for more variety, since my husband only wants a certain few moroccan meals.I will never get rid of this book!I love it, and it makes a great foundation for your Moroccan cooking library!

Tears of Joy
Greetings Amazon Readers: Back before there was an "amazon.com." I fell in love with Moroccan food (and decor) after visiting a local Moroccan restaurant in the Los Angeles area. I quickly gave my living room a Moroccan makeover and patiently waited for the book to arrive by mail from the publisher in New York. When I opened it tears of joy dropped onto the title page (true).
Buy It!!!
This cookbook is incredible!It is definitely well worth every penny and the best Moroccan cookbook Amazon.com has available.
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Subjects:  1. Cookery, Moroccan    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Reference    5. Regional & Ethnic - African    6. Regional & Ethnic - Middle Eastern    7. Cooking / General    8. Morocco    9. National & regional cuisine   

Editorial Review

Claudia Roden has updated and expanded her popular 1968 cookbook for a more savvy and knowledgeable audience. While still filled with old favorites, the third edition acknowledges food processors and other handy kitchen tools, as well as this generation's preference for lower-fat recipes. Not that every recipe is changed; many are not, but Roden does attempt not to rely too much on butter and oils. Read more

Reviews (20)

must haven middle eastern food.
This book is very good. Simple instructions, best results. Get this one.

Simply the best
I have yet to find/try a less than tasty recipe from this clearly written cookbook, made more charming by Ms. Roden's descriptions of the farflung settings where she first tasted particular dishes. Moreover, her ingredients are fairly common, so I don't have to run to a mideast grocery store before proceding. What makes her recipes uncommon is the inventive combination of ingredients, so that fairly familiar dishes (such as lentil soup) always surprise. Because her recipes are straightforward, require a minimum of ingredients, and always seem to garnish kudos from my eaters, I have given this book to many beginning to sophisticated cooks. If one had to choose only one cookbook of middle eastern food, this would be mine for a lifetime.

An amazing collection of fantastic and easy to use recipes.
I don't live in the Middle East any more but I still cook that way... Most of us do this type of cooking by memory, feel, and recipes of our ancestors. In the absence of all of those Claudia Roden is the next best thing. The recipes are more local to Egypt, Israel, Iraq, and Syria, but there are great items from Yemen, Greece, Turkey, Iran et. al. The recipes in this book are simple and mostly fool-proof. This newest hardcover edition is also beautiful. You will be glad to have this in your collection. This book is used every day in our house. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery, Middle Eastern    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Middle Eastern cooking    5. Regional & Ethnic - Middle Eastern    6. Cooking / Middle Eastern   

Reviews (12)

Please don't let it end...
Viscerally satisfying, moving, poetic...I can't get it out of my head...I wish it could have gone on and on and on....I want more....I want to cook with Ghasan...be fed rice from his hand...I want to hear more about how her Arab family loved Diana, and about her grown up love hinted at near the end of the book...how her sister's perceived the same world...I want to eat and sleep with Bedouin's in the desert by firelight...Please feed me more...

not for the squeamish
This is a miserable book.A few minutes in, it has a description of meat running with blood, then shortly later a detailed description of a botched, brutal slaughter of a baby lamb.That's when I tossed the book into the rubbish pile.I'd give it negative stars if that were possible, it certainly doesn't deserve even one star.

It made me HUNGRY
I loved Diana's humor and writing style. She made me very hungry but most importantly, she made me want to visit Jordan and be with Bedouins! She was very candid in criticizing what is wrong with the Arabic culture. I thought she did a great job and I recommend this book to all Americans but you'd better have an Arabic restaurant near you! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Childhood Memoir    5. Cookery    6. Cookery, Middle Eastern    7. Cooking    8. Jordan    9. Middle Eastern Cookery    10. Middle Eastern cooking    11. Women    12. Women In The U.S.    13. Biography & Autobiography / Literary   

Reviews (20)

The taste and history of Armenian food brought into today'skitchens
without compromising flavor.Armenian food is is full of history and meaning and reflects the foods native to their land.
An enduring classic
This is a very fine cookbook that provides a large number of mouth-watering recipes written in a clear and straightforward style. Dishes from both Eastern and Western Armenia are included, as are a number of Uvezian's own creations that are steeped in the Armenian tradition. Although the book lacks color photos, it does have a stunning color shot of Ararat Pilaf (two peaks of rice shaped like Great and Little Ararat) on the cover and includes beautiful drawings of dishes that are placed at the beginning of each chapter. I especially like the two illustrations that make striking use of old Armenian churches as a backdrop as well as the elegant medieval Armenian manuscript illumination that borders both the title page and the table of contents. Since this volume is moderately priced (and a great value considering the treasure that lies within it), expecting it to contain color photos would be unrealistic; the cost would have been prohibitive. Actually, the directions are so easy to follow that pictures are unnecessary. I would much rather have a cookbook like this that offers an extensive selection of outstanding recipes in addition to a tremendous amount of helpful and necessary culinary information, plus some lovely illustrations. Although Uvezian has provided a generous amount of enlightening historical material that traces the roots of Armenian cuisine far back into antiquity, she has wisely avoided trying to pinpoint the origins of the dishes, a task impossible to accomplish due to the long tradition of cultural and culinary interchange in the Middle East and Caucasus. As she explains, in addition to preserving their repertoire of national dishes, Armenians have skillfully assimilated foods of other peoples in the region and, conversely, a number of Armenian recipes have become part of the cuisines of other cultures. Until a time machine is invented that allows us to go back into the past without being impaled on someone's sword, it is probably best for us not to argue about origins but to celebrate the extraordinary creativity and diversity of Armenian cuisine as presented to us in this exceptional cookbook and to savor the delectable results it produces with joy and gratitude.

A great book
The Cuisine of Armenia is a great book. I bought this book for my sister and she realy liked it. The book reveles that some foods that Turks and Arabs say comes from them is realy Armenian. Sicne Armenians lived under Turkish and Arabs rule for a long time some of our food were taken from us and became "Trukish". It has all the recipes of all Armenian foods. If the book had pictures it wil have been easier to understand how to make the foods. A great book for all those who want to make great tasting Armenian cuisines. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery, Armenian    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Mediterranean    4. Cooking / Middle Eastern    5. Cooking / Wine    6. Regional & Ethnic - European    7. Regional & Ethnic - Middle Eastern    8. Cookbook    9. Recipes    10. Regional & Ethnic - Mediterranean   

Reviews (7)

This book has made me love cooking iranian food!
and to think our mothers try to convince us that cooking iranian food was sooooo difficult!this book makes it easy and delicious.i was amazed at how wonderful everything has turned out and the pictures are fantastic.she offers beautiful serving ideas that are perfect for dinner parties, etc.just double her salt recommendations and you'll be ready to go :)

Persian Cooking for a Healthy Kitchen
These are good recipes and are clearly written, but I think the prep and cooking time estimates are a little optimistic.Very good directions for cooking rice with the perfect golden crust.

Delicious, Beautiful, Low Carb, Low Fat and Persian
Although I grew up in Bagh-e Ferdows in north Tehran and Gholam-Ali khan was a great cook, I never knew that Persian cooking had so many wonderful, low-carb, low-fat recipes for fish and kababs. This book is also full of regional recipes that have not been so delicately, and temptingly presented since the Safavids ruled Iran--and the recipes are healthy to boot. A must-have-book for every cook who is looking for new ideas and wants to eat healthy at the same time. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Health & Healing - Low Fat    4. Regional & Ethnic - Asian    5. Regional & Ethnic - Middle Eastern    6. Iran    7. National & regional cuisine   

Reviews (2)

great book, but what happened to that price?
This is a great Middle Eastern cook book that has served me well forten years.Thought I'd replace my copy but had a little sticker shockover the price. Authentic, Luscious and easy to follow and prepare
I borrowed this book from a friend 4 years ago and copied two of the recipes There is one for Cous Cous which is excellent and easy to prepare and the sauce is wonderful.I had an opportunity to go to an authenticMorrocan restaurant and was surprised how much my Cous Cous tasted liketheirs and I used his recipe and I have finally found the book afterlooking for so long ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery, Middle Eastern    2. Cookery, Near Eastern    3. Cookery, North African    4. Cooking    5. Cooking / Wine    6. Regional & Ethnic - African    7. Regional & Ethnic - Middle Eastern    8. Non-Classifiable   

Reviews (3)

Moving and memorable
Terrific memoir, funny and moving.Pretty good recipes too!Highly recommend.

Moving and Delicious
A lovely book, reminding me somewhat of my own childhood and my over-the-top overprotective father. The descriptions of her family's meals are incredible.I found myself rushing to make the recipes, looking forward to enjoying devouring them as I read, like I was sitting at the table with the author.
So Moving
Reading The Language of Baklava, I felt like I'd stepped into a 'lost world'-- the rich memories and sensations and stories were outstanding. This is my favorite kind of book, the kind that I have trouble finding any more, where I feel like you enter the heart and mind of a life and a place. I will never forget this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Childhood Memoir    5. Cooking    6. International And Ethnic Cookery    7. People of Color    8. Personal Memoirs    9. Regional & Ethnic - Middle Eastern    10. Women    11. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs   

Reviews (10)

Fantastic, mouthwatering addition to your cookbook collection
I had only tried a couple of Turkish recipes before buying this book, but this book made me absolutely fall in love with Turkish cuisine. The beautiful photos and descriptive narrative backgrounds accompanying the recipes make the food come alive even before you've bought the ingredients. As with any ethnic cuisine, one has to be prepared to make substitutions for hard to find ingredients, but with a little creativity there isn't a single recipe that is off-limis. The Imam bayildi recipe is just to die for and it's become a household favourite. I've got a slew of cookbooks gathering dust on my kitchen shelves, but this is one I keep coming back time and time again, especially when I want to serve something really flavourful and visually impressive. But it's great for one-dish everyday meals, too. I couldn't recommend this book more highly!

interesting recipes, great photos, but....
This book has an interesting choice of dishes and many mouth wateringphotographs. Most traditional widely known recipes and some local recipes I have never heard of before have been provided. However this book would not be my first choice of Turkish cookbook, there are more accurate ones. Some ingredients used in recipes are almost impossible to find and certain techniques are not explained well. So if you haven't seen someone cooking that dish before it is quite difficult to figure out how. If you have a few books on this topic already this book can be an interesting addition otherwise go for Ozcan Ozan's book.

The only book you'll need
I was having so much trouble finding Turkish cookbooks in Australia I finally decided to cough up the postage from the States, and I'm really glad I did! I now have three books but this one is far and away my favourite. The photos are mouth wateringly beautiful, the information is clear and easy to follow and there are recipes for totally basic yet vital parts of Turkish cuisine, like how to make from scratch your own yoghurt and some of the different breads that I used to eat when I was living in Turkey. Also, as we use the metric system in Australia I really appreciated the weights and measures being written both ways. The introductory chapters succinctly outline basic elements of Turkish cuisine and elements of the culture that help you to understand the importance of food to the Turks (as in all Mediterranean cultures)helping you to recreate the experience at home. My son and I can now enjoy the home cooked food we miss from his Turkish relatives in Turkey. Afiyet olsun!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery, Turkish    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Regional & Ethnic - Middle Eastern    5. Regional & Ethnic - Turkish    6. Turkish cooking    7. Cooking / Turkish   

Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. General    5. Regional & Ethnic - Middle Eastern   

Reviews (4)

WOW!!! Wonderful Recipes!!
If you have ever had afghan food, it doesnt seem very easy to make. This book makes it so simple and it will be the tastiest food you have ever had! I have only tried a few of the dishes and each one has come out tasting so authentic and delicious. My favorite so far is the potato borani and the khorshaid's chicken. I definitely reccommed this book to anyone from the most experienced to the most inexperienced (like me) cooks out there!

I definitely recommend this book!
I am married to an Afghan man and have had no prior experience to Afghan food before I had met him.Since then, he's tried to get me to learn to cook like his mother, however it's hard because I grew up on mac'n'cheese.But after a recent trip to Afghanistan, I felt that I should learn to cook because a) the food was delicious b) I respect his heritage and c) I don't want my kids to grow up on mac'n'cheese.This book made it really easy to follow and it included some non-afghan recipes which were a plus (I'm particularly fond of the macaroon squares!).Also, knowing that the proceeds give back to Afghanistan is important because having gone there, I know they need a lot of support to pick themselves up.It's great that this book helps to give back!

Easy-to-follow recipes that are delicious too!
I had one Afghan friend in highschool whose mom makes the best traditional Afghan food and bread I've ever tasted!At first I thought it would taste like Indian food.Although they are similar type dishes, the flavor of the food comes through so much more.Now that I'm in New Jersey, I don't see her but I can make the same homestyle type dishes every now and then.My favorite are the boulani's with potatoes! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery, Afghan    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Regional & Ethnic - Middle Eastern    5. Afghanistan    6. National & regional cuisine   

Reviews (10)

the most authentic recipes
Having lived in Lebanon and gotten cooking tips from many great "home cooks" I was delighted to find this book. The recipes and their introductions are so true to the character of real cuisine that I recommend this book to whomever asks me about Middle East cooking. Anyone who can make a M'lookhiyeh taste good enough to want seconds is tops! It is helpful to known something about the cuisine to fully appreciate the wisdom in Ms. Helou's advice.

Great help for the novice in this cuisine !
Good recipes and great food ! Recently many medical studies have revealed that eating mediterranean cuisine has a direct correlation on improving health.
Good Source for Authentic Recipes. Weak on cooking technique
`Lebanese Cuisine' By Lebanese / British culinary author Annisa Helau, author of the more recent and more widely popular `Mediterranean Street Food' is a good, if somewhat flawed presentation of an important cuisine of , in the author's emphasis, the `true' middle east.
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Subjects:  1. Cookery, Lebanese    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Regional & Ethnic - Middle Eastern    5. Middle East    6. Other prose: from c 1900 -   

Reviews (9)

WOW!A Top-10 Cookbook!An Epiphany!
I would emphatically disagree with the person who characterized this as a coffee table book!It only leaves my kitchen so I can read it on the train or before I go to sleep!It has completely changed the way my family eats!I have often bemoned not being able to have fresh bread with dinner because my wife and I both work.Now we have homemade pita most days with dinner, and couscous has completely replaced pasta as our staple starch.My wife and 6-year-old love everything I've made from it -- from the Moroccan meatballs with tomato-olive sauce to kubbanah (a sabbath bread baked overnight) to fishballs in a spicy tomato sauce to chocolate challah!I now even make my own harissa (Tunisian hot hot hot sauce)!Joan Nathan, already one of my favorite cookbook authors, has really created a masterpiece.I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with it -- it is such a joy and opens the door to the cuisine of Israel to the American home cook.My only suggestion for improvement -- and it is small -- would have been to include a resourse for purchasing some of the exotic or esoteric cookware mentioned in the book.I would love to own a kubbanah pan and a large couscousierre, but don't know where to get either in the states.I love this book and will probably buy a second copy to tuck away for when I wear this copy out!I wouldn't want to live without it!Bravo, Ms. Nathan!

Every dish has a story to tell
If you believe that every dish has a story to tell, in other words, if you are the kind of person who likes to read cookbooks as much as you like to cook by them, then "The Foods of Israel Today" by Joan Nathan is a book for you.While the title indicates these are foods found in contemporary Israel, each dish is traditional, originating perhaps in Israel, or more often somewhere else: Germany, Iran, Italy, Libya, Morocco, Turkey, etc., but all a part of the Jewish diaspora and eventual return to multicultural Israel.The author really tells the story of each dish (there is just as much "story" as actual recipe): the people that make it, where they come from, how they live, and how the author came to learn it all.There are lots of historic photographs too.One slight drawback is that this book is most useful to someone who is an experienced cook, especially one who is familiar with Jewish cuisine.In a few places where a food or cooking technique may not be familar, it is not as much a step-by-step guide as it could be.However, this is a minor fault in a very valuable and enjoyable book.

Savoury to read and to cook from
The Foods of Israel Today is a delicious tour of Middle Eastern tastes and sights.The black and white photos of Israel's early days and the beautiful color photos of contemporary life in its varied ethnic communities provide a vivid picture of the country's history and the complex textures of its vibrant daily life today. Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery, Israeli    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. History    5. Israeli cooking    6. Regional & Ethnic - Jewish & Kosher    7. Regional & Ethnic - Middle Eastern    8. Cooking / Jewish & Kosher    9. General cookery    10. Jewish studies   

Reviews (1)

Very Good Evocation of Another East Med. Cuisine
Ms. Victoria Jenanyan Wise, a highly experienced cookbook author from an Armenian family has successfully blended traditional products of the Armenian terroir with modern California style and market to give us a taste of what Armenian cuisine tastes like in our American setting. As this objective is not the same as a faithful evocation of the native Armenian cuisine, it is important you do not buy this book with the intention of faithfully recreating your own Armenian culinary heritage. Ms. Wise is giving us her Armenian culinary heritage, not an anthropological document.Read more

Subjects:  1. Armenian cooking    2. Cookery, Armenian    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. International And Ethnic Cookery    6. Regional & Ethnic - Middle Eastern    7. Regional & Ethnic - Russian   

Reviews (12)

Best book on the subject
Frankly, there isn't a better book on Middle Eastern cooking. If you want healthy, mediterranean style cooking and are tired of Italian food, this is a great book to use.

A little dated but still a classic
This book is now some 26 years old. Modern cook books have adopted a format which consists of a series of illustrated steps which make it easy to produce food. This book is basically text based although it has some line drawings. This puts it at a bit of a disadvantage when following the recipes and trying to work out how the final result should look. Let the buyer beware!
The more I have studied Middle Eastern food, the less enthusiastic I have become about this book. Rather than repeat the criticisms found in the June 13 customer review (which are quite legitimate), I feel I must voice my ownreservations.