Zaitoun: Recipes from the Palestinian Kitchen
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4.8 • 4 Ratings
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- $25.99
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- $25.99
Publisher Description
A New Yorker, Guardian, BookRiot, Kitchn, KCRW, and Literary Hub Best Cookbook of the Year
A dazzling celebration of Palestinian cuisine, featuring more than 80 modern recipes, captivating stories and stunning travel photography.
Yasmin Khan unlocks the flavors and fragrances of modern Palestine, from the sun-kissed pomegranate stalls of Akka, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, through evergreen oases of date plantations in the Jordan Valley, to the fading fish markets of Gaza City.
Palestinian food is winningly fresh and bright, centered around colorful mezze dishes that feature the region’s bountiful eggplants, peppers, artichokes, and green beans; slow-cooked stews of chicken and lamb flavored with Palestinian barahat spice blends; and the marriage of local olive oil with earthy za’atar, served in small bowls to accompany toasted breads. It has evolved over several millennia through the influences of Arabic, Jewish, Armenian, Persian, Turkish, and Bedouin cultures and civilizations that have ruled over, or lived in, the area known as ancient Palestine.
In each place she visits, Khan enters the kitchens of Palestinians of all ages and backgrounds, discovering the secrets of their cuisine and sharing heartlifting stories.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Food writer Khan (The Saffron Tales) celebrates the vibrant flavors of Palestinian cuisine in this excellent new work. She provides a marvelous array of mazzeh (Palestinian mezze), including different varieties of hummus and falafel, as well as asparagus with eggs and za'atar, and spinach and feta parcels. Salads, a staple in the Palestinian diet, are unfussy, with such offerings as fattoush and tabbouleh. Soups including a roast pumpkin, sage, and maftool soup and a lentil soup with walnut and cilantro paste are tantalizing, rich, and comforting. Main course dishes include roasted eggplant with spiced chickpeas and tomatoes; a spicy shrimp and tomato stew; and lemon, cumin, and green chili sea bass. Desserts are also superb; there's a pomegranate passion cake and banana and tahini ice cream with date syrup. Khan also provides a helpful list of pantry staples to keep on hand (dried fruit, nuts, yogurt, za'atar). Throughout, she includes photos of Palestinian people and landscapes, giving the reader a deeper and welcome glimpse into life there. (Palestinians, for instance, are urged not to buy herbs grown in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, as it "gives the settlements a sense of viability and permanence.") Khan's cookbook is a thoroughly enjoyable exploration of the region's food and culture.
