Located in the very heart of the eastern Mediterranean, the area comprising Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan has provided the world with what is considered by many to be Arab food at its best. In this landmark, one-of-a-kind volume Sonia Uvezian gives this time-honored cuisine the kind of presentation it truly deserves. Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen is a revelatory work rich in personal reminiscences; insightful quotations, anecdotes, and proverbs; valuable information on ingredients, utensils, daily meals, and traditions; and evocative period illustrations.
Sonia Uvezian’s many memories and associations establish a sense of place and emotional pull rarely encountered in Middle Eastern culinary literature. The “eastern Mediterranean kitchen†in the title is actually that of her family’s summer home in the Bekaa Valley as well as the one in their Beirut apartment. It is where the Uvezians prepared the food they grew themselves or bought from nearby farms, orchards, and markets.
Written by one of the world’s foremost authorities on Middle Eastern and Caucasian cooking and over two decades in the making, this is a fascinating and highly original book imbued with a keen sense of historical perspective and a deep respect for the region’s cultural heritage. Few cookbook authors have approached their subjects with the thorough, painstaking research reflected in this work. A profound understanding of eastern Mediterranean food shines through in its hundreds of superb, clearly written recipes, which are often preceded by illuminating introductory remarks. From the definitive and much-needed section on pomegranates and pomegranate molasses through the fabulous chapters on desserts and beverages, this book provides indispensable reading for anyone interested in the cookery and culture of Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. Like the author’s groundbreaking classics, The Cuisine of Armenia and Cooking from the Caucasus, which were among the first to bring Middle Eastern and Caucasian cooking to America, it is long on such traditional dishes as tabbouleh and baklava but also includes innovations, among them Damascus-Style Cheese Dip with Toasted Sesame Seeds and Nigella and Grilled Quail with Sour Cherry Sauce.
Timeless and timely, Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen is a welcome blend of scholarship and entertaining reading. A genuine contribution to culinary literature that has achieved the status of a classic, it will be a treasured addition to the library of anyone interested in Middle Eastern cooking.
