A Fistful of Lentils [Hardcover]

Jennifer Felicia Abadi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2002

This is an intimate culinary food album featuring more than 125 Syrian-Jewish recipes, warm family anecdotes, and little-known stories of Syrian-Jewish culture.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Abadi inherited both Ashkenazi and Sephardic cuisines from her two grandmothers, and presents here the lesser known treasures from her Syrian Grandma Fritzie in a down-to-earth Middle Eastern cookbook that goes beyond the typical hummus and falafel. All recipes are kosher and many are suitable for holidays: Lamb with Lemon and Olives for Rosh Hashana or Stuffed Squash with Lemon-Mint Sauce for special Sabbaths. Many dishes, like Spinach-Mint Soup or Crushed Wheat with Chickpeas and Pot Cheese are easy for everyday light and even vegetarian meals. This well-rounded cookbook explains, in a glossary, ingredients such as tamarind paste and phyllo, provides a list of specialty stores and a menu planner, and guides the cook from appetizers, such as Eggplant Dip with Pine Nuts, to desserts (Flourless Pistachio Cookies, which are perfect for Passover), and from formal (Orange Chicken with Golden Raisins and Figs), to casual (Syrian Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Mint). Never overdone, flavors appear in combinations surprising to the typical North American palate, such as Stuffed Baby Eggplants with Apricots and Meat, and Eggs with Rhubarb. For Syrian Jewish women, cooking is an art form, shared among neighbors and families but closely guarded from outsiders. Luckily, Abadi offers these secrets in her book.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Like others of her generation, Abadi realized that the cuisine she grew up with might disappear unless she recorded the recipes for the traditional dishes that her grandmother and mother had always served. There are fewer than 150,000 Syrian Jews worldwide today and close to 30,000 of them live in Brooklyn, where much of Abadi's extended family still resides, and in nearby New Jersey. Syrian Jews are Sephardic, and their food is Middle Eastern, with some ancient Asian influences, rather than the more familiar Eastern European cooking of Ashkenazic Jews. Abadi's recipes, collected with the help of her feisty grandmother Fritzie, feature lots of spices, sweet-and-tart sauces, flatbreads and flaky pastry doughs, and ingredients such as dates and pomegranates, pine nuts and pistachios. Her well-written, readable text provides historical context as well as family reminiscences and anecdotes; there are also boxes on the holidays and various other celebrations and rituals. For most collections.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Common Press (March 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558322183
• ISBN-13: 978-1558322189
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #137,649 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Middle Eastern
  • #25 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Special Diet > Kosher

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun to read, but the recipes are flawed, October 22, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Fistful of Lentils (Hardcover)

I enjoyed reading Ms. Abadi's book. Since I am Syrian-Jewish, I compared many of her stories to my own family. in addition, she quotes some people that I know. Unfortunately, however, the recipes are not reliable. Since the author's grandmother spent many years in Oklahoma, where Middle Eastern ingredients were not available, she relied on substitutes such as Worcestershire sauce which we do not use.
Every family cooks their own way. However some of the recipes will fail completely. For example, the Kibbe Nabilseeyah. The dough calls for 5 Tbs. water which is way too little. I would advise anyone who is a serious cook to wait for the second edition. This will give Miss Abadi a chance to correct the errors.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Syrian-Jewish recipes from her grandmother's kitchen, May 10, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Fistful of Lentils (Hardcover)

Showcasing more than 125 recipes that celebrate and represent Syrian-Jewish culinary traditions of the Mideast, "A Fistful Of Lentils: Syrian-Jewish Recipes From Grandma Fritzie's Kitchen" by Jennifer Felicia Abadi also includes family anecdotes, religious and historical lore, and her original artwork. Of special note are the uses of spices in these recipes that range from Baba Ganush (Eggplant Dip with Sesame Paste); Lift Meh'lee (Fried Turnips); and Shanech b' Limoneh (Creamed Lemon Spinach with Chickpeas); to Fassouley b' Chuderah (Vegetarian Bean Stew with Cinnamon and Tomato Paste); Kibbeh fil Seeniyah b'Lah'meh (Meat-filled Bulgur Pie); Dja'jeh Burd'aan b'Teen (Orange Chicken with Golden Raisins and Figs); and Mish Mosh M'raba (Syrian Apricot Jam). Of special note is the Menu Planning Guide. Enhanced with the inclusion of an equivalents chart, a glossary of Syrian-Arabic terms, a resource section for specialty grocery and spice stores, a bibliography, and an index, "A Fistful Of Lentils" is an especially recommended addition for personal and community library Ethnic Cookbook reference collections.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Food expresses love and tradition--never better than here, March 26, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Fistful of Lentils (Hardcover)

Going well beyond "the way to a man's heart" this book demonstrates the critical importance of food and its preparation in the life of a family. Written with love and care, beautifully illustrated with drawings and family photos, it is clear that Jennifer Abadi is carrying on--and well able to convey to others--a proud, meaningful tradition. And the recipes are wonderufl and varied; easy to follow, with delicious results.