Claudia Roden's Mediterranean: Treasured Recipes from a Lifetime of Travel (A Cookbook) by Claudia Roden - Discussion Prompts

Claudia Roden's Mediterranean: Treasured Recipes from a Lifetime of Travel (A Cookbook) by Claudia Roden


As she does with the recipes in her cookbooks, Roden incorporates culinary and cultural history. Not only these, but she also adds geographic and genealogical information, poetry, humor, and seasonal traditions into her books to make them more intriguing and distinctive. Claudia Roden was born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1936, and she spent most of her youth in that city. In Roden's family, she had  two brothers: Ellis Douek, a physician, and Zaki Douek, a musician. Roden moved to Paris with her brothers in 1951, when she was fifteen years old, and attended boarding school for three years at the         same place. They went to London in 1954, with Claudia pursuing painting at St. Martin's School of Art in the manner of Diego Rivera, Ellis pursuing medical school, and Zaki pursuing a degree at the French Lycée.

          Following the Suez War, all Jews who were driven from Egypt sought refuge in various nations across the world. After losing all they had in this world, the Jews fueled by a tremendous desire to reconnect with their heritage and with one another. Shared family recipes served as a means of preserving precious memories. During that time period, there were no Egyptian cookbooks, and recipes were tightly guarded family secrets handed down the generations through the daughters, never written down and simply taught. However, sharing recipes has now become a key link to family memories as well as to the culture that they are leaving behind them. Once Roden realized what was at risk, she began interviewing as many people as possible. Roden's newfound interest evolved into a project that culminated in her study of Mediterranean cuisine and the publication of cookbooks. Increasingly committed to the gathering and preservation of recipes, she broadened her culinary interests to include teaching Middle Eastern cuisine from her house, presenting the BBC television series Claudia Roden's Mediterranean Cookery, and writing for a variety of food publications.

          Among the numerous journals where Roden's work has appeared are The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Times Magazine, Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Food and Wine, and a number of others. Roden has collected a slew of accolades for her work as a cookbook author and food journalist. Her most prized award is the lifetime achievement award she received at the 16th Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival in December 2014, where she was acknowledged for her “contribution to culinary culture."


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In this comprehensive look into Claudia Roden's Mediterranean: Treasured Recipes from a Lifetime of Travel (A Cookbook) by Claudia Roden, you’ll gain insight with this essential resource as a guide to aid your discussions. Be prepared to lead with the following:


• More than 60 “done-for-you” discussion prompts available


• Discussion aid which includes a wealth of information and prompts


• Overall brief plot synopsis and author biography as refreshers


• Thought-provoking questions made for deeper examinations


• Creative exercises to foster alternate “if this was you” discussions


And more!


Please Note: This is a companion guide based on the Claudia Roden's Mediterranean: Treasured Recipes from a Lifetime of Travel (A Cookbook) by Claudia Roden not affiliated to the original work or author in any way and does not contain any text of the original work. Please purchase or read the original work first.