Judging from the evidence available from depictions of daily life on tombs and in historical texts, the ancient Egyptians were just as enthusiastic about good food and generous hospitality as are their descendants today. Magda Mehdawy and Amr Hussein have done extensive research on the cultivation, gathering, preparation, and presentation of food in ancient Egypt and have developed nearly a hundred recipes that will be perfectly recognizable to anyone familiar with modern Egyptian food. Beautifully illustrated with scenes from tomb reliefs, objects and artifacts in museum exhibits, and modern photographs, the recipes are accompanied by explanatory material that describes the ancient home and kitchen, cooking vessels and methods, table manners and etiquette, banquets, beverages, and ingredients. Traditional feasts and religious occasions with their own culinary traditions are described, including some that are still celebrated today. A glossary of ingredients and place names provides a useful guide to unfamiliar terms.

Paula Wolfert’s name is synonymous with revealing the riches of authentic Mediterranean cooking, especially the cuisine of Morocco. In The Food of Morocco, she brings to bear more than forty years of experience of, love of, and original research on the traditional foodways of that country. The result is the definitive book on Moroccan cuisine, from tender Berber skillet bread to spiced harira (the classic soup made with lentils and chickpeas), from chicken with tangy preserved lemon and olives to steamed sweet and savory breast of lamb stuffed with couscous and dates. The recipes are clear and inviting and infused with the author’s unparalleled knowledge of this delicious food. Essays illuminate the essential elements of Moroccan flavor and emphasize the accessibility of once hard-to-find ingredients such as saffron, argan oil, and Moroccan cumin seed. Lavishly photographed in full color, The Food of Morocco not only showcases Wolfert’s tantalizing recipes but also evokes Morocco in all its timeless splendor and mystery: its markets with their lush produce, its dazzling textiles and intricate mosaic tiles, its communal ovens and ancient souks, and of course its people, from Marrakech to Tangier. A labor of love four decades in the making, The Food of Morocco is a once-in-a-lifetime book of uncommon scope and authenticity, an essential work for every serious cook, anyone interested in Moroccan cuisine, and discerning armchair travelers alike.

Tagines form the basis of traditional Moroccan cooking. These hearty casseroles are cooked and often served in an elegant, specially-designed cooking vessel, the tagine. In this collection of recipes you will find some of the best-loved classics. A chapter on Traditional Lamb Tagines includes the sumptuous Lamb Tagine with Dates, Almonds, and Pistachios. Also included are less traditional but equally delicious recipes for Beef, Kefta, and Sausage Tagines. Try a Beef Tagine with Sweet Potatoes, Peas, and Ginger; or a Chorizo Tagine with Lentils and Fenugreek, Lighter recipes for Chicken and Duck Tagines include a tangy Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon, Green Olives, and Thyme. Ideas for Fish and Seafood dishes include a Creamy Shellfish Tagine with Fennel and Spicy Harissa. Vegetable Tagines make satisfying and economical meals. Try a Tagine of Artichokes, Potatoes, Peas, and Saffron. A chapter devoted to Couscous Dishes provides an essential recipe for Plain, Buttery Couscous, as well as ideas for couscous-based dishes, such as Green Couscous with a Spring Broth; and Couscous Tfaia with Beef. Finally, Salads and Vegetable Side Dishes are often served alongside tagines to balance the flavors. Recipes to try include Preserved Lemon and Tomato Salad with Capers; and Honey-glazed Pumpkin with Spices. . Featuring over 50 foolproof recipes, this book is the perfect introduction to the fabulous cuisine fo Morocco.. Beautiful location photography by Martin Brigdale and Peter Cassidy.

In Classic Lebanese Cuisine, a leading chef presents 170 dazzling recipes that reflect the full breadth of authentic Lebanese cuisine. Many recipes include several variations, giving you the option of preparing a vegetarian dish or adding chicken, lamb, or beef.

Completely redesigned for today's generation of cooks and food enthusiasts, the 25th Anniversary Edition of Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies by Najmieh Batmanglij provides a treasure trove of recipes, along with an immersive cultural experience for those seeking to understand this ancient and timeless cuisine. This edition is a more user-friendly edition of the award-winning and critically acclaimed cookbook series which began in 1986. Food of Life provides 330 classical and regional Iranian recipes as well as an introduction to Persian art, history, and culture. The book's hundreds of full color photographs are intertwined with descriptions of ancient and modern Persian ceremonies, poetry, folktales, travelogue excerpts and anecdotes. The 2011 Edition of Food of Life is a labor of love. The book began in exile after the Iranian Revolution of 1979 as a love letter to Batmanglij's children. Today, as accomplished adults in their own fields, her two sons, Zal and Rostam, encouraged her to redesign the book for their generation. Food of Life propels Persian cooking into the 21st Century, even as it honors venerable traditions and centuries of artistic expression. It is the result of 30 years of collecting, testing and adapting authentic and traditional Persian recipes for the American kitchen. Most of its ingredients are readily available throughout the U.S. enabling anyone from a master chef to a novice to reproduce the refined tastes, textures, and beauty of Persian cuisine. Food-related pieces from such classics as the 10th century Book of Kings, and 1,001 Nights to the miniatures of Mir Mosavvar and Aq Mirak, from the poetry of Omar Khayyam and Sohrab Sepehri to the humor of Mulla Nasruddin are all included. Each recipe is presented with steps that are logical and easy to follow. Readers learn how to simply yet deliciously cook rice, the jewel of Persian cooking, which, when combined with a little meat, fowl, or fish, vegetables, fruits, and herbs, provides the perfect balanced diet. ABOUT THE BOOK'S TITLE Food of Life, the title of the book, comes from the Persian words nush-e jan, literally "food of life"--a traditional wish in Iran that a dish will be enjoyed. For the updated 1993 edition the title was changed to New Food of Life. Now, for the 25th anniversary edition the title returns to its original name, Food of Life. The full-color Food of Life 25th Anniversary Edition contains 50% more pages than its 2009 predecessor and special added features: *New Recipes adapted from Sixteenth-Century Persian cookbooks *Added vegetarian section for most recipes *Comprehensive dictionary of all ingredients *A glance at a few thousand years of the history of Persian Cooking *Master recipes with photos illustrating the steps. *Color photos of most recipes with tips on presentation *Updated section on Persian stores and Internet suppliers *Fahrenheit and Centigrade temperatures for all recipes *Choices for cooking recipes such as kuku in oven or on stovetop. *Encourages use of seasonal and local ingredients from farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) sources or one's own backyard

Since the book first came out in 1968, Claudia Roden has continued to collect recipes and culinary wisdom from the Middle East. As a result of talking and writing to many people, tasting their food and watching them cook.

Now in paperback, the powerful memoir that The New York Times described as “filled with adrenalized scenes…Ciezadlo is the kind of thinker who listens as well as she writes.…Her sentences make a smart, wired-up sound on the page. Readers will be lucky to find her.”In the fall of 2003, Annia Ciezadlo spent her honeymoon in Baghdad. Over the next six years, she broke bread with Shiites and Sunnis, warlords and refugees, matriarchs and mullahs. Day of Honey is her story of love, war, and the hunger for food and friendship in times of conflict.Living in occupied Baghdad, Ciezadlo longs for normal married life. She finds it in Beirut, her husband’s hometown, a city slowly recovering from years of civil war. But just as the young couple settles in to a new home, the bloodshed they escaped in Iraq spreads to Lebanon and reawakens the terrible specter of sectarian violence.In lucid, fiercely intelligent prose, Ciezadlo uses food and the rituals of eating to uncover a vibrant Middle East that most Americans never see. From secret Baghdad book clubs to home cooking with her sardonic Lebanese mother-in-law, Ciezadlo illuminates the human cost of war and takes us into the heart of the modern Middle East at a historic moment when hope and fear collide. Day of Honey is a profound exploration of everyday survival—a moving testament to the power of love and generosity to transcend the misery of war. 

A soulful chef creates his first masterpieceWhat Mourad Lahlou has developed over the last decade and a half at his Michelin-starred San Francisco restaurant is nothing less than a new, modern Moroccan cuisine, inspired by memories, steeped in colorful stories, and informed by the tireless exploration of his curious mind. His book is anything but a dutifully “authentic” documentation of Moroccan home cooking. Yes, the great classics are all here—the basteeya, the couscous, the preserved lemons, and much more. But Mourad adapts them in stunningly creative ways that take a Moroccan idea to a whole new place. The 100-plus recipes, lavishly illustrated with food and location photography, and terrifically engaging text offer a rare blend of heat, heart, and palate.

For Donia Bijan’s family, food has been the language they use to tell their stories and to communicate their love. In 1978, when the Islamic revolution in Iran threatened their safety, they fled to California’s Bay Area, where the familiar flavors of Bijan’s mother’s cooking formed a bridge to the life they left behind. Now, through the prism of food, award-winning chef Donia Bijan unwinds her own story, finding that at the heart of it all is her mother, whose love and support enabled Bijan to realize her dreams.From the Persian world of her youth to the American life she embraced as a teenager to her years at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris (studying under the infamous Madame Brassart) to apprenticeships in France’s three-star kitchens and finally back to San Francisco, where she opened her own celebrated bistro, Bijan evokes a vibrant kaleidoscope of cultures and cuisines. And she shares thirty inspired recipes from her childhood (Saffron Yogurt Rice with Chicken and Eggplant and Orange Cardamom Cookies), her French training (Ratatouille with Black Olives and Fried Bread and Purple Plum Skillet Tart), and her cooking career (Roast Duck Legs with Dates and Warm Lentil Salad and Rose Petal Ice Cream).An exhilarating, heartfelt memoir, Maman’s Homesick Pie is also a reminder of the women who encourage us to shine.