The Middle Eastern Kitchen [Paperback]

Ghillie Basan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2005

This remarkable and beautifully illustrated book describes more than 75 ingredients used in Middle Eastern cooking. The cuisines included in The Middle Eastern Kitchen are those of Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. These countries' common culinary tradition has been influenced by the Persian, Islamic, and Ottoman Empires, with a sprinkling of the Byzantine and Roman empires. The insightful texts take the readers into the history and diversity of these ancient cultures, while the 150 recipes allow them to put their knowledge of these ingredients to practical use. Among the offerings are classics like Tabbouleh and Baklava, along with Carrot Rolls with Apricots and Pine Nuts and Persimmon Pickles. Ranging from the exotic and colorful saffron and tamarind to the more unusual tastes of orchid root and mastic, the flavors of the Middle East are brought to life in the kitchen. Each ingredient is broken down into sections on appearance and taste, historical background, and cultivation or manufacture methods. Each is illustrated with specially commissioned location, ingredient and recipe photographs.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ghillie Basan has worked in Turkey and the Middle East as an English teacher, a food journalist, and a restaurant reviewer. She trained at Le Cordon Bleu and has a degree in social anthropology. She is the author of the highly acclaimed Classic Turkish Cookery (shortlisted in Great Britain for both the Glenfiddich Book of the Year Award and the Guild of Food Writers' Cookery Book of the Year).

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Hippocrene Books (September 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0781811902
• ISBN-13: 978-0781811903
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #668,295 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #99 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Middle Eastern

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Cookbook Writer Does It Again, March 19, 2006

By 

Frans Schalekamp - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Middle Eastern Kitchen (Hippocrene Cookbook Library) (Hardcover)

I am the happy owner of three cookbooks written by Ghillie Basan: Modern Moroccan (which I have owned for quite a while now), Classic Turkish Cooking (which I bought more recently) and, since January, this gem: The Middle Eastern Kitchen. Imagine my joy when I found out last December that Ghillie has more cookbooks coming out!

The outline for this book is rather unusual for a cookbook: each ingredient has its own chapter. Each chapter is packed with information on the particular ingredient (how it grows, appearance and taste, buying and storing, manufacturing, medicinal uses, culinary uses --- if relevant for the ingredient). And then there are 2 or 3 great recipes using the ingredient.

The ingredients covered in the book are signature ingredients for the Middle Eastern cuisine, from the more common (yogurt, cheese, chicken, fig, date, cherry, chickpeas, rice, almonds, cinnamon, coriander, bay leaf, thyme, onion, garlic, spinach, just to name a few) to the more obscure (for instance sheep's tail fat, quince, carob, nigella, mastic, sumac, melokhia).

The recipes Ghillie has to offer are amazingly good (as usual). The bold flavors of the Middle Eastern cuisine are really done justice. If you like flavorful food, I can highly recommend this book --- the recipes are straightforward, but the results are amazing.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Goes way beyond most generic Middle Eastern cookbooks, April 4, 2004

By 

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

This review is from: The Middle Eastern Kitchen (Hippocrene Cookbook Library) (Hardcover)

The Middle Eastern Kitchen isn't your usual Middle Eastern cookbook: it offers a narrowed focus on more than 75 ingredients used in the cuisines of Iran, Turkey, Oman, Saudi Arabia and others, discusses shared culinary traditions, and packs in over a hundred recipes based on knowledge and use of these key unique ingredients. Add special photos by Jonathan Basan and you have a presentation piece which goes way beyond most generic Middle Eastern cookbooks.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Middle Eastern Kitchen, October 16, 2009

By 

Anthony C. Rubino "Moroccan food afficiondo" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Middle Eastern Kitchen (Paperback)

I read anythying by Ghillie Bassan. She is good reading and knows what she is talking about. Ghillie won't steer you wrong and no, I have never had any contact with her. I had never heard of her before I got into Mid-East cooking.