Customer Reviews

The Arab Table: Recipes and Culinary Traditions

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After perusing dozens of English-language Middle Eastern cookbooks over the years - none of which I found to be as comprehensive and authentic (based on my experience being raised in the Arab world) as I wanted - I was wonderfully surprised to receive this tome as a wedding gift. May Bsisu does a wonderful job explaining how to cook traditional Arabic dishes and the spectrum of the recipes she includes is impressive. I highly, highly, highly recommend this book.

After perusing several cookbooks on Middle Eastern cuisine, this is the one I chose. For specifically two reasons: it contains two universal favorites: chicken schwarma and fattoush, which are the leading dishes served in all the Middle Eastern restaurants here in Michigan, specifically those in Dearborn. I was astonished to discover in so many like cookbooks that failed to contain schwarma and fattoush. Therefore, "The Arab Table" is definitely the one to have.

May Bsisu has done a splendid job, backed by all her friends and family, in giving us the pure basics of classic Middle Eastern fare. These are the recipes of dishes which are recognizable to the world at large. They are especially conducive to home kitchens, and are clear, easy to follow, and tantalizing. After you get started on these recipes, you may find yourself - as I did - at the outset making this cuisine a few times a week, rather than in a month, to savor all the riches of flavors, textures and colors.

In addition, Ms. Bsisu provides an excellent glossary, explanation of ingredients, and, as well, sources to obtain some of these, if there aren't any suitable markets in your area.

Best of all, though, in keeping with the generosity of spirit, there are histories, anecdotes, and background information about all that which surrounds the illustrious history of Middle Eastern cookery and traditions; therefore it makes a terrific reading companion as well. The author invites us (delightfully so) into her own family and her inheritance of their traditions. Laudably, Ms. Bsisu keeps these facts and lore to the basics, providing just enough details to both inform and entertain.

Perhaps most important of all, this book is a wonderful bridge to gap the Middle East to the West, in the most hospitable way. In a world where there is so much misunderstanding between cultures, this book could ostensibly serve as a small, but significant reminder that all of us, all over the world, share the love of the bounties of the earth, the comforts it provides, and the bringing together of families. We here in the West would be all the poorer without these riches of taste sensations.

Thanks to Morrow for investing in this luxurious compendium; and for Ms Bsisu for the sheer expansiveness and scope of this incomparable cookbook. Highly recommended.

Arab food is one of the world's oldest cuisines; yet surprisingly little has been written to provide an in-depth coverage: that's why The Arab Table: Recipes & Culinary Traditions' 188 recipes is so important as an introduction to the range of Arab culinary traditions. From Eggs with Ground Beef and Sumac to Chicken Stuffed with Spiced Beef and Rice and Fried Cauliflower, there's a good mix of both traditional and less familiar dishes. A centerfold of color photos enhances the appeal. If only one Arab cookbook were to round out an international culinary collection, it should be The Arab Table: its range and presentation can't be beat.

"Tafadalo! Please, come to the table!" May Bsisu taught me these words in her book and in the few days I have spent with her book I have found the stories and recipes to be exactly what these words proclaim: an offering and an invitation, a giving to others that is an essential expression of hospitality in the Arab world. These days, when hummus can be found at any diner, the origins of and ingredients in Arab food are mostly still a mystery to me. Morocco and Egypt and maybe Lebanon and Israel -- I know some dishes and ingredients but I wanted to know the history and ingredients and especially the stories surrounding these dishes and find out more about the Arab gulf, Iraq, and other areas. In this book I found a great selection of recipes that represent both the author's and the regions' rich heritage and the introduction alone could be a primer for any kitchen. What I also love is a balance between the simple foods with rich combinations of spices to special dishes for celebrations. I just tried the rub from Yemen called hawajat, a yellow spice mixture of turmeric, black pepper, cumin, coriander, and cardamom, on a piece of grilled fish last night and we were delighted. This weekend, I think I'll make a table of mezza salads and cold dishes (mezza is similar to Tapas). A great find!

This book was one that helped me because I had become as they say, "rusty of cooking food from home because of life's little circumstances." But when I picked up this cookbook and it had some dishes that is very rare here in America, I knew I had found a jewel among the shelves of dusty books. For those who collect cookbooks or just wish a preview of Arab cooking, the picture's are a feast for the eyes as the recipe's are for the pallet.

If you are an experienced cook but do not know Arabian cuisine, buy this book. If you are not experienced, you can use this book successfully. If your introduction to the Mediterranean was with David, this is a good next book at the distance of a half century; while Bsisu does not have David's recepies for Melokhia or Chatchouka, David was in no position to bring you enough of the southern shores.

Bsisu presents a broad, plentiful selection of authentic recepes that work. They are basic and do not prend to scholarly exhaustive treatment. If you want scholarship, you need many books. Even though she intelligently narrows herself to the Arab world, it is too vast for just a few volumes, let alone one if you are looking for comprehensive treatment. And Bsisu, while she acknowledges Arab influence on other cultures, also appreciates what the Arabs have absorbed as well. Morocco is older than the Arab influence on their substantial cuisine. See Wolfert if you want narrow and deep treatment of Morocco. Greek influence is significant. So, while her focus is Arabic, she is not a purist. Cuisine and culture are not limited to Islam; Christian culture within the Arabian world is included.

Bsisu is a little like the young Julia Child. She is a cultural force more than a working chef like a Keller or a Waters. Like Child, Bsisu has her Simca, sort of...
In this case it is Kathleen Hackett, a powerhouse of talent, execution and experience in book craft. Hackett stands the heat of Bsisu's kitchen and is critical to turning out a book that is well presented (and I do not mean decoration), easy to use, well organized and, I imagine, better written and faster than otherwise would have been possible. Good show! Polish rather than glitz. Helpful sidebars or boxes.

This is a great time to do some Arabian cooking because of the availability of product. Even in Salt Lake City (neither cosmopolitan nor culinary), I can get good ingredients from our Pars Market and a few others. The web is the horn of plenty. I do not even miss so much my great Kalustyan's in Manhattan (they are on the web and in her sources anyway). Bsisu removes all barriers.

This is one of the best books on Arab cuisine that I own. Bsisu is an excellent cook - the recipes are wonderful and easy to follow. The end results are great and very authentic - perhaps because Bsisu book is more of a book on recipes passed down from family and friends than a cultural anthology (home recipes taste the best after all!). The techniques she uses are excellent and distinguish her version of certain recipes from others. The book concentrates mostly on cooking from the levant (where Bsisu is from) but it also has several recipes from other regions, especially the gulf region where Bsisu lived. It includes most of the popular arab recipes as well as lesser known ones, such as those from Gaza, where Bsisu's husband hails. The book is also filled with wonderful cultural ancedotes from Bsisu's family life as well as a thorough explanation of many arab (both christian and muslim) cultural traditions. One thing the books lacks is many stew recipes (she has several of the popular ones but just not as many as I expected). However, what the book lacks in stews is compensated by the huge reportaire of main course dishes -all which are excellent.

I thought it would be useful to compare this book to two other famous middle eastern cookbooks - Claudia Roden's "A New Book of Middle Eastern Food" and Tess Mallos' "The Complete Middle Eastern Cookbook." Bsisu's recipe's are more difficult than Roden's and Mallos' and take longer. Most of the time, I feel that the techniques she uses are far superior to those used by Roden and Mallos. Her versions of certain dishes are much better. However sometimes I appreciate the simpler recipes that Roden and Mallos give. Mallos and Roden's books are more extensive but Bsisu's book has recipes from regions that Roden ignores. I found Bsisu's explanation of Arab cultural traditions and mores much more accurate though more limited. Roden portrays herself as more of a food historian but certain statements that she makes are wholly inaccurate.

The only caveat I have with this book is the introduction section, where Bsisu lists all the arab countries. She lumps all the gulf arab countries in one category despite listing all the other countries seperately. While the cooking of the Gulf states is similar, it is no more similar than the cooking of Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine. I would understand lumping Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE and Qatar in one category. Oman and Saudi however deserves categories of their own. Oman lies on the Arabian sea and has a very different culture than the rest of the gGulf as it is influenced by trade with Africa and India. As for Saudi Arabia, only the eastern coast has a cuisine similar to the rest of the Gulf. The rest of Saudi Arabia borders Egypt (through the red sea), the Levant and Iraq, so its cuisine is vast and distinctive. Of course, Bsisu is probably just not familiar with the various styles of Saudi cooking since the book is really based on her experience of the Arab world - nothing is wrong with that but I just wanted to point it out. Another strange thing is that Bsisu doesn't include Libya, Algeria and Sudan among her list of Arab countries and I find this omission really strange as they are very important and it doesn't make sense to include every other arab country except these three! Anyhow, NONE of this detracts from the book, as like I said before it is a book of family recipes and recipes passed down from friends and not a cultural anthology. The recipes are excellent, authentic and hail from all over the arab world - so if you want a cook book on arab cooking, buy this one. I bought this book from my sister who learnt how to cook from it and my cousin bought herself a copy too - they both love it!

The Arab Table by Mary Bsisu is a must have for anyone interested in Middle Eastern cooking.

I have read the other reviews and agree that it is a 5 star book.

One thing of note---one of the other reviewers criticized Bsisu for citing too many contributors to her book. Why? She had her own recipes and if she collected recipes from others that indicates only that she knows a good recipe when she finds it and if she felt that it belonged in her book than good for her for adding it, it can only benefit us the readers.

I used to live in the caribbean and made perfect baklava there many times. When I came back to the States all my batches of baklava were ruined by sugar syrup that had crystallized by the next day. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what was going on and wondered if it had something to do with the humidity?!?! My sister in law cooks her sugar syrup for 10 minutes, my mother in law for an hour, so I knew it had to be something scientific, maybe due to temperature not length of time cooked. Neither my MIL or SIL could explain it.

WHile reading BSISU's cookbook (it makes fine reading even when you don't have anything particular you want to look up), i came across a recipe for Kunafa bi Jibin, or Shredded Pastry with Cheese. In this recipe, she gave instructions on making the sugar syrup, including " Let the syrup boil until it has reached the thread stage (about 225 on a candy thermometer)". HELLO! this was my mistake and this is the ONLY cookbook i have seen this mentioned in out of many, many middle eastern/greek cookbooks. So I applaud her (and THANK her because imagine making a whole pan of baklava only to have it ruined by the next day---heartbreak). BUT, to the subject of the other reviewers comments about her book being a collaboration of recipes from many people, I have to point out that the ONLY place this temperature is mentioned is in the Kunafa with cheese recipe, not the Sugar syrup recipe (which is on the page before), or the baklava recipe, or the regular konafa recipe. I do think that this is an omission because such a simple instruction should have definitely been in the sugar syrup recipe, and the fact that it is not leads me to believe that the recipes came from different people or sources.

Anyhow, the price of the book definitely pays for itself just for saving my baklava.

The explanations of customs and holy days are interesting and entertaining, and nowadays any book that can shed light (in a positive way) on how arab/middle eastern people live can only help to broaden the understanding between people which will benefit us all.

There are recipes such as Spinach Triangles, Onion Rice, Fava Bean Salad, and many others that are purely vegan. The good thing with most middleastern recipes (Arab & Iranian) is that you can omit the meat (or replace the broth with water) and still have a great-tasting food (soy ground meat is also an amazing substitute for real ground beef). This book is also good for families who want to alternate between foods with meat and without meat.

I have bought this book because May was our neighbor and I have tatsed her food and know that her recipes work. She always entertained with style and grace and love that showed and shows in the recipe she shares. I have applied her recipes and they are excellent.

This book has been long anticipated and recieved with pleasure

Nabila Abu-Hantash