Best middle eastern cookbooks according to redditors
We found 36 Reddit comments discussing the best middle eastern cookbooks. We ranked the 21 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 36 Reddit comments discussing the best middle eastern cookbooks. We ranked the 21 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
> What sorts of things are unique to Gazan culture?
Gaza has so many accents which differ between one town and another, and sometimes even between one neighbourhood and another.
Gazans tend to use an Egyptian annotation at the end of the words e.g. instead of saying Madraseh (school), they say Madrasah, or Hina (here) instead of Hon.
Gazans (like the Hebronites I think) also snort as an angry reaction to an unbearable situation/story. To say "stop it or else I'll snort for you" usually means my patience has hit the ceiling and there's not much left of it.
Ideally, the good thing about food in Gaza is the influence from the Mediterranean both in flavours as well as seafood/fish: Similar to southern Italy and the coastal north Africa, Gazans love chili/green pepper or food that is cooked with chili.
Various varieties of seafood/fish dishes dominate the menu as well. The most famous is probably the shrimps in clay pot.
There are some dishes which are cooked only in Gaza. Two of these are the Romanniyah and Summaggiyah. I really don’t like them but I think their presence on only the Gaza menu is quite interesting.
More on Gaza food can be found in the Gaza Kitchen book book.
Probably needless to say but kites and kiting are the Gaza great pass time, especially in the summer. Wherever you’ll go, if it’s sunny and not raining, you’ll find at least one hand-made kite flying in the air, in the desolate village or even as part of a Guinness record-breaking attempt. I think the nice thing about this is that nobody bothers buying ready-to-fly kites and they are always hand-made. There essentially two types of kites: the gobu3, which is a small kite made from a single sheet of paper and a thread, as shown by the kid in this short film, and the 6abag, which is much bigger and has a dish shape, hence the name.
>How difficult is it to move in and out of Gaza? Can you just use the Rafa border crossing or can/do you use a tunnel?
At the moment it's nearly impossible. The Egyptian side is completely close and opened for few days two weeks ago for the first time in four months. The Israeli side is close to all travel except for those with permits. Usually it's much easier for foreigners who are journalists or work in the NGO sector to get in and out. Otherwise it's a complete prison camp experience.
>What do you think is going to ultimately be the future of Gaza?
Will reconciliation with the PA occur? Do you foresee Hamas losing power there? What did people in Gaza generally think about Hamas's chances of accomplishing anything good for them with respect to Israel?
The future of Gaza is really bleak. In its current conditions it is like Hong Kong in population density but nothing else. There are shortages of everything and Gaza is technically a huge-ass refugee camp that without aid would become a major famine.
I think for any attempt to make Gaza a habitable place, you need to move people out of it. I don’t know where to; the empty parts of the West Bank or wherever but it needs to be done.
>Will reconciliation with the PA occur?
I don’t think the two sides have taken a genuine interest in power-sharing. The PA is playing the waiting game while thinking that Hamas will eventually come back and repent.
Hamas for its part doesn’t really care much. You may ask why? Because for Hamas leaders (like other Muslim Brotherhood members pretty much), to rule Gaza is something that never happened to them. Heck, few years earlier all hamas leaders were in PA prisons being treated like shit. Now they are in charge of the whole Gaza Strip (small as it obviously is). Haniyah travels in a motorcade, and he is the prime minister. This guy was Ahmad Yasin’s secretary, like literally secretary.
Ruling Gaza also proved useful for the military wing of Hamas. It is now free like never before in terms of doing what it wants to do. The area is small, true, but they can set up training camps, summer schools for kids, run a TV/radio station, run border crossings, run tunnels or even just block the road and do nothing. This is a sea change from where they were before 2007.
The above two paragraphs are meant to show that Hamas leadership (i.e. its military wing) in Gaza is not in rush to shed its control of the Strip.
Between these two currents, the Palestinian population is the biggest loser, especially in Gaza. What I hated the most about Gaza was not the war, the shelling, the infighting or people’s general stupidity, but it was the lack of hope.
In Gaza you can’t do shit. I used to work two jobs and a very decent salary but it was worthless. There was nothing to do with it apart from going to cafe to smoke shisha and watch a football match with friends. In the rare occurrence, a foreign music band would come once in blue moon but that will be it. At some point I decided to start cycling, and it was enjoyable for a while, but then there were the Israeli air strikes on moving cars and I didn’t want to be collateral damage so I stopped even cycling.
Even when you decide, fuck it, I’m gonna leave this place. The borders are closed and it is a miracle to go out. People lose their jobs abroad, their seats in college because they couldn’t travel or get out. At the end of it you feel that the only outlet of this place is to actually go and become a freedom fighter, a member of some Kataeb, and fight Israel (or as in many cases pretend to) until you either go to an Israel prison or get killed.
>What did people in Gaza generally think about Hamas's chances of accomplishing anything good for them with respect to Israel?
Let’s face it. In 2007 and after that, people probably hated Hamas. They came after a bloody fight and were very scary. But the way things stand now is kind of strange. Because the PA and the international donors are simply paying for everything in Gaza: goods, salaries, costs of utilities..etc, while Hamas does the governance and bullying.
Eventually after few years of this, more than a few will begin to feel that save the month-per-year war with Israel, things are not that horrible actually and it is thanks to Hamas that they are still alive.
What Hams can bring to the future of the Palestinian people is quite difficult to guess. But I’m not seeing a Hamas that is maturing in terms of their thinking. They are still interested in maintaining their grip on power and have not learned to share-power or concede temporarily. What happened in Egypt after the ouster of President Morsi made this belief even stronger.
Eventually I hope that Hamas will somehow see how the Muslim Brotherhood is faring in Tunisia and change accordingly. I think they might be susceptible to doing something like that if they obtain recognition from the international community. I sense that their leaders abroad (Mesha’l et al) have already realized that this is the only way forward but their military wing is still not feeling this way.
(Sorry man that's a lot of writing)
These "rules" vary from culture to culture. Often you can pick up a cookbook that's focused on a specific culture's food and find that it includes a section about how to organize meals, plus sample meals made up of recipes from the cookbook. For example, this Chinese cookbook features a section of "menu ideas" with 8 menus for 2 people, 7 for 4 people, and 5 for 6 people, plus it has a section called "planning a Chinese meal" which explains how Chinese meals are served, how they are eaten, and so on. This Middle Eastern book has something similar, etc.
Link to the Amazon.com page for this book
I've got [that one] (https://www.amazon.com/Lebanese-Kitchen-Salma-Hage/dp/0714864803/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1520104609&sr=8-7&keywords=lebanese+cooking) at home. I think it's a good starting point for this type of kitchen.
The Lebanese Kitchen by Salma Hage
I'm a bit of a cookbook junkie, so I have a bunch to recommend. I'm interpreting this as "good cookbooks from cuisines in Asia" so there are some that are native and others that are from specific restaurants in the US, but I would consider these legit both in terms of the food and the recipes/techniques. Here are a few of my favorites:
Pan-Asian
Burmese
Cambodian
Chinese
Indian
Indonesia
Japanese
Korean
Malaysian
Middle Eastern
Philippine
Russian
Sri Lankan
Taiwanese
Thailand
Turkish
Vietnamese
(edit: screwed up a couple links)
Favorite book would be any cookbook! i collect them and love love love cooking. I love so many other books that i wouldn't be able to pick a single one!
On my books wishlist i have a bunch of $.01 books but if i have to pick one.. probably a Lebanese cookbook. I LOVE Lebanese food
A taste of Lebanon
I love love love the $.01 books they are amazing and you can find so many!
To add on to what comb_over said, it's more of a regional thing.
So here's a middle eastern cookbook. Just pick a region such as the middle east, indian subcontinent region, north africa, indonesian region, etc and add the word cookbook. That should give you a nice variety.
The 'standard' middle eastern dish is rice, meat type, vegetable.
My personal favorite is called 'shakriya'.
Basically it's lamb and onions cooked in thickened yogurt served over rice (usually the rice has some vermicelli, adds a little kick)
The Taste of Conquest by Michael Krondl looks appealing, but i haven't yet read it.
Stirring the Pot: A History of African Cuisine is adjacent to the regions you are interested in and could have some good information.
A Taste of Thyme is more of an academic writing style, but it has different chapters that examine a facet of Middle Eastern food life that would have good information for you.
660 Curries isn't a history book, but Iyer goes into great detail discussing spices, and if I'm not mistaken, history and background of particular curries. It's my go-to reference for Indian cooking as well.
I agree on the cookbook. I don't use many and have thrown out most of mine because recipes are so easy to find online, but Taste of Lebanon is a keeper. Great cookbook, been using it for years.
Jerusalem and Zahav are Israeli food cookbooks that handle vegetables nicely, though neither is vegetarian. The former is coauthored by Yotam Ottolenghi, who also wrote Plenty (which /u/Osatomr has recommended elsewhere in the comments).
It's also worth looking into Indian cuisine, as some versions of it are both vegetable-centric and relatively easy to make (due to their one-pot nature). I don't know of any Indian cookbooks off the top of my head, but Serious Eats' recipe for channa masala is a fun starting point (if a slight departure from tradition).
[Desserts $0.99] (https://www.amazon.com/Desserts-Authentic-Middle-Eastern-Cooking-ebook/dp/B071G4RND6/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1497873174&sr=1-3)
[Appetizers (Mezza) $0.99] (https://www.amazon.com/Appetizers-Authentic-Middle-Eastern-Cooking-ebook/dp/B071JQS8TZ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1497873174&sr=1-1)
Veggiestan! I've cooked many things from this book. Really good!!
You might want to look into cuisines that have a more integrated take on dishes than the western style of star ingredient + sides.
For instance, there are a lot of great Indian vegetarian dishes where you'd never feel like you're missing meat, because curries are about a whole integrated dish of ingredients in a delicious spicy gravy.
Personally, I'm a big fan of Levantine (Lebanese, Palestinian, Israeli) cooking, and there are a lot of great vegetarian dishes there. /u/greypillar already recommended Ottolenghi's Plenty and I seconded and added Plenty More, which have clear influences from this region (Ottolenghi is Israeli). There are also a lot of good recipe's in Michael Solomonov's Zahav. I've heard good things about Bethany Kehdy's Pomegranates & Pine Nuts, but I don't own it myself. Check out the recipes on her blog and see if anything piques your interest.
No Taco's?
Cultural appropriation
The taco predates the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico. See the writings of the Spanish conquistador, Bernal Díaz del Castillo who documents the first taco meal eaten by Europeans, a feast Hernán Cortés arranged. https://web.archive.org/web/20080502160526/http://www.iccjournal.biz/StudentScholars/Undergraduate/history_of_mexican_cuisine.htm
The word Taco as currently used to describe the well known food derives from the word for a "plug" used by Mexican silver miners.
This is when explosive charges are formed into a plug consisting of a paper wrapper and gunpowder filling. Certain Taco's have a similar effect on me.
Indian tacos, or Navajo tacos, are made using fry bread instead of tortillas
No Hummus
Cultural Appropriation
Hummus comes from Egyptian, Levantine, Syrian, Israeli, and both Turkish & Greek Cypriot cultures. The basic concept of the dish predates by many centuries the cultural development of Arab culture.
As we generally know it in the USA, the Hummus recipe reliably dates back to the Abbasid Caliphate.
In 2010 the world record for a dish of Hummus was secured by the village of al-Fanar, near Beirut, about 23,000 pounds.
If you want more, read https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Thyme-Culinary-Cultures-Middle/dp/1860646034
http://www.amazon.com/Simply-Armenian-Naturally-Healthy-Cooking/dp/1931834067/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1381260743&sr=8-2&keywords=armenian+cookbook
Check this book out when you get a chance. Haven't personally cooked from it, but the dishes and recipes match authentic cuisine. Have fun!
There's a YouTube channel called Aashpazi. http://www.youtube.com/user/theprojectb. Seems to be pretty good, although my Iranian partner disagrees with some of their methods.
There's also the book Saraban by Greg Malouf which I use a fair bit http://www.amazon.com/Saraban-Chefs-Journey-Through-Persia/dp/1742704565/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1411438572&sr=8-2&keywords=saraban
Lebanese here.
This one - Lebanese cuisine by Madeline Farah.
Mary's book listed below is great as well. Madeline's is just a bit more comprehensive.
If you want tips feel free to PM me anytime. I am a "situ" (grandmother) now with 50 years of cooking it.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960305025/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdo_t1_9HcNAbBDSA7ZV
If you are looking for something different, you could try Assyrian food. "Assyrian Cookbook" by Beatrice Youil is a good start.
http://imgur.com/fz87JMO
My family is Lebanese and my cousin runs a Lebanese food blog. Here's her recipe for Tabouleh.
My family's go-to cookbook, before my cousin released her book, was A Taste of Lebanon: Cooking Today the Lebanese Way
Here's what I found to be the best ones. There are a few here but out of all the ones on Amazon, these are the ones I've seen recommended most or are by reputable authors.
Classic Lebanese Cuisine: 170 Fresh And Healthy Mediterranean Favorites
Julie Taboulie's Lebanese Kitchen: Authentic Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Mediterranean Home Cooking
Rose Water and Orange Blossoms: Fresh & Classic Recipes from my Lebanese Kitchen
Saha: A Chef's Journey Through Lebanon and Syria
Middle Eastern Cookbook, 150 Recipes
Lebanese Cuisine: More than 200 Simple, Delicious, Authentic Recipes
The Lebanese Kitchen
A Taste of Lebanon: Cooking Today the Lebanese Way
I bought my girlfriend, whose Lebanese this one. We like it. It's nice and broad in its content.
This one, named for his restaurant in Philadelphia (I swear I'm going there this year). I LOVE the beet salad in here too, and I'm sure everything I haven't made yet is amazing too. :)
Edit: I just looked closer at the page I linked, and the publisher actually shared the eggplant salad recipe there! It's right above the editorial reviews. You gotta try it. And be prepared to eat a shitload of eggplant.
I guarantee other people in the family have made some major change that was abrasive to everybody at first, always the way isnt it ? :)
I don't know much about romanian but perhaps with the lebanese you could find vegan blogs or books specialising in such and figure out how to do some dishes that are already vegan or close to it as a kind of bridge like 'isn't X dip fantastic! - its one of the traditional things I can always use as a vegan' all the best with it
this book reckons most lebanese food is vegetarian even if meat portions are large http://www.amazon.com/From-Tables-Lebanon-Traditional-Vegetarian/dp/1570670404
another http://www.amazon.com/Food-Vegetarian-Traditional-Lebanese-Recipes/dp/1566561051/ref=pd_sim_b_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=1VRMXX2XQ5AX7TM7SCSM
here are vegetarian Romanian recipes for adaptation if necessary
http://romanianrecipes.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Vegetarian_Recipes
Some great new upcoming cookbooks have been posted to Amazon, including the 10th anniversary edition of V'con!
Veganomicon, 10th Anniversary Edition
https://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-10th-Anniversary-Ultimate-Cookbook-ebook/dp/B06VV29BR9/
Vegan Richa's Everyday Kitchen
https://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Richas-Everyday-Kitchen-Anytime-ebook/dp/B06X6BW6PJ/
Baking Magic with Aquafaba
https://www.amazon.com/Baking-Magic-Aquafaba-Revolutionary-Substitute/dp/1612437214/
Vegan Recipes from the Middle East
https://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Recipes-Middle-Parvin-Razavi/dp/1910690376/
If you're into Middle Eastern food, Zahav is incredible. I'm biased because I'm in Philly but the restaurant has won James Beard awards for Outstanding Chef and Outstanding Restaurant, and the book has recipes for everything they serve and a lot more.
For a more general book, The Food Lab by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is pretty great. Most of the recipes are on the Serious Eats website but it's nice to have the physical book.
GO TO THE LIBRARY AND GET A COOKBOOK:
Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
The Greens Cookbook
Alice Walker
Mark Bittman
http://www.epicurious.com
http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Vegetarian-Cooking-Middle-Africa/dp/1566563356
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