Middle Eastern Cookery

By Arto Der Haroutunian

Book Overview

A comprehensive collection of Middle Eastern recipes, spanning from Georgia to Armenia, accompanied by cultural anecdotes and historical insights, makes it a revered culinary resource.

All Arto der Haroutunian's twelve cookbooks written in the 1980s became classics; it was his belief that the rich culinary tradition of the Middle East is the main source of many of our Western cuisines and his books were intended as an introduction to that tradition. His Middle Eastern Cookery is regarded as the seminal work on the subject but it had been out of print for twenty years with second-hand copies on offer for over four hundred pounds, such was its scarcity and popularity. It is a book containing every possible recipe from the Middle East - there are dishes from the plains of Georgia, from Afghanistan, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Persia and Armenia. It is written in the same wonderful style as his other classic cookbooks; peppered with anecdotes on life, food and culture. He guides us first round the mezze table and then leads us on to recipes for soups, salads, savories, pilaffs, kebabs, casseroles and grills that make the best use of meat, fish and poultry. He teaches the cook about the different spices that are favored by different countries - mint for Armenia, cumin for Iran and with each recipe comes a piece of history or a fable which makes this a book to read as well as an unequaled collection of recipes.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1911714066
• ISBN13: 9781911714064
• Release Date: July 2024
• Publisher: Grub Street Cookery
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 2.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.7" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

A work of genius

A fascinating insight into north african cooking & culture written by a culinary genius, who can tell a good story and impart his love and understanding of middle eastern food & its people.

Fantastic Book!

I purchased this book over twenty years ago when I was in Cyprus. It still remains one of my most favorite cook books. Not only are there wonderful recipes from the Middle East but there are also little stories that describe the culture and food of the region. The author has also included regional variations of a single recipe(eg. five different preparations of coffee!). There is a great variety of food preparations not found in any other book. A true gem and a must for any fine collection!

Overlooked classic

This is a wonderful cookbook, and has become one of the two or three I reach for first and use most. The recipes are easy to follow and make, the explanations are clear. Many of the recipes are introduced with stories from the region.