Cooking the Middle Eastern Way: Culturally Authentic Foods Including Low-Fat and Vegetarian Recipes (Easy Menu Ethnic Cookbooks) [Library Binding]

Alison Behnke (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 7-10. From the Easy Ethnic Menu Cookbooks series, this volume begins with an introduction to the history and varied cultures of the Middle East, followed by lists of cooking tips, utensils, terminology, and regional ingredients as well as a discussion of healthy, low-fat choices. The main chapters offer recipes for a wide variety of dishes, linked with the country or countries where they are served. Each recipe appears on one or two pages, and many are illustrated with full-page color photos. With dishes such as hummus, falafel, latkes, and khoescht fesenjan ("Chicken in Walnut and Pomegranate Sauce"), the recipes may be "easy" from an experienced cook's point of view, but most new cooks will find them challenging. Still, this is a well-designed, attractive source of recipes for Middle Eastern fare. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Library Binding: 72 pages
• Publisher: Lerner Publications (July 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822512386
• ISBN-13: 978-0822512387
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,325,373 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Suitable for kids and people new to Middle Eastern cooking, November 22, 2005

By 

Bored Easily "spooter79" (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cooking the Middle Eastern Way: Culturally Authentic Foods Including Low-Fat and Vegetarian Recipes (Easy Menu Ethnic Cookbooks) (Library Binding)

This book contains really simple, easy recipes that anyone can follow. The dishes are not complicated, and it's a nice introduction to Middle Eastern food for the absolute beginner. It may seem too simple to someone who is an experienced cook, or is familiar with Middle Eastern foods.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for homeschooling, June 1, 2011

By 

Will Riddle "and Jaime Riddle" (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cooking the Middle Eastern Way: Culturally Authentic Foods Including Low-Fat and Vegetarian Recipes (Easy Menu Ethnic Cookbooks) (Library Binding)

Not sure why this book is so expensive, but I'm not sure why it is negatively reviewed either. Our family picked it up in the children's nonfiction section at the library (in the Middle East reference works), and we had a great time talking about Middle Eastern food. This was their first introduction to the spices and staples of Middle Eastern food, and it was a great supplement to geography/history of the area because it included a couple basic recipes from each region. My kids really got the point that Middle Eastern cooking is its own thing, but each country is distinct too.

It is short and to the point. Includes a page about eating at the table and a couple intro pages on cooking methods, tools needed. It is written at a very simple level, probably 3-8th grade.

Recipes include:
Hummus
Armenian Salad
Cracked Wheat pilaf
Fattoush
Baked Lamb and Bulghur
Seasoned Fava Beans
Falafel
Spicy Fish Stew
Lentils in Tomato Sauce
Upside Down Lamb and Eggplant
Stuffed Peppers
Baklava
Sweet Dates
Semolina Cake
Red Lentil Soup
Latkes
Lamb in yogurt Sauce
Chicken in Walnut and Pomegranate Sauce
Sesame Cookies

I would have given it five stars if it had had something about curries, since I understand that a curry is a staple Asian food but that it differs widely. It would have been nice to have some discussion of rice too. Also, the pictures were fabulous but there was not a picture for each recipe. Considering how short the book is and how much you're paying, they should have included one for each.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Really bad cookbook, May 2, 2006

By 

R. Smith (NY, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cooking the Middle Eastern Way: Culturally Authentic Foods Including Low-Fat and Vegetarian Recipes (Easy Menu Ethnic Cookbooks) (Library Binding)

How much are you supposed to spend for a 72 page book? I think $25 is a bit much. Why are some of the books in this series only $7.95? Is there some reason that the Latin American and Middle Eastern series are more expensive than the Thai?

Buy a better and more complete book.