Learn to COOK - Feast from the Mideast: 250 Sun-Drenched Dishes from the Lands of the Bible (Cookbooks)

From the Fertile Crescent, where agriculture began, to the extravagant tables of Ottoman emperors, the Mideast boasts a surpassingly rich culinary heritage. In Faye Levy's Feast from the Mideast, the acclaimed food journalist and cookbook author brings 250 time-honored recipes into the twenty-first-century American kitchen. Accessible and authentic dishes, helpful shopping tips, and Faye Levy's trademark user-friendly approach make this book a must-have introduction to a vibrant international cuisine.

For almost three decades, Faye Levy has shopped, cooked, and dined her way through the Mideast, and her enthusiasm for this flavorful, unfussy cuisine will inspire you to make these ancient culinary traditions your own. Featuring the bold flavors and simple, healthy techniques of more than ten countries, this collection has dishes for every occasion, from dinner-party feasts to quick and healthy weekday meals. Faye Levy's repertoire of fresh, mouthwatering specialties will add excitement and boldness to any meal, whether it's a simple sandwich enlivened by a zesty Grilled Eggplant Sesame Dip, or elegant Grilled Lamb Chops spiced up with Garlic Cumin Tomato Salsa. Ms. Levy takes readers beyond hummus and falafel—although she offers stellar recipes for both of these classics.

Feast from the Mideast offers a veritable banquet of authentic, tempting dishes and is the ultimate all-in-one guide to the wholesome cuisines of these historic, sun-drenched lands.

To those new to Middle Eastern cuisine, it can be described briefly as being based on olive oil and clarified butter; yogurt and soft cheeses; citrus, nuts and seeds; rice and bulgar wheat; honey and dried fruits; spice mixes; flatbreads; and eggplant and leafy green vegetables. Beans are common and used more creatively than in many cuisines. Wine and vinegar use is very small. Pork and cured pork products make no appearance at all. Breads and pasta are limited in variety, although those which do appear are distinctive. New world vegetables appear, but mostly as fresh rather than cooked ingredients. Fin fish and squid appear, but bivalves are uncommon.

Levy and Roden concentrate on different geographical boundaries, with Roden including and Levy excluding North Africa west of Egypt, although Levy still includes reference to famous Morrocan features such as couscous and tangines. Levy identifies the primary regions of Middle Eastern cookery as the Eastern Mediterranean (Turkey, Levant, Egypt), Iran (Persia) and the arabian peninsula and Iraq.

Levy discusses very little of the historical background but does discuss some of the says the cuisine has been influenced by India and how it has in turn influenced Europe, especially the Balkans; however, Roden goes into this in more detail. Levy's wraps her discussion in more of a linguistic focus, being careful to give the various different names of dishes for different nationalities.

Both books divide the dishes into many similar categories. To Roden's sixteen (16), Levy gives us these fourteen (14):

Appetizers
Salads
Soups
Brunch and other Fast Dishes
Seafood
Poultry
Meat
Legumes
Vegetables
Grains
Pasta
Sauces and Relishes
Breads and Savory Pastries
Cakes and Cookies

Levy includes some modern western interpretations of classic dish styles, while Roden appears to focus on the authentic modern and historical cuisine of the region. Levy always presents just the basic dish. Roden typically gives variations on basic dishes based on how the dish may have been treated in different parts of the Middle East. On examining recipes from the two books for the same dish, I believe there is little to choose in the clarity of presentation, although I would give a slight not to Roden for spelling out the regional variations.

Both writers were born in the Middle East and both appear to be thoroughly in touch with their subject. Neither is here just for a brief visit. Both have also produced books on Jewish cuisine, so it is not surprising that these volumes concentrate much more on the Muslem cuisine than on any Jewish dishes.

Levy includes a chapter on menus for entertaining and give a somewhat more detailed discussion of spice mixes. Levy also includes recipes for pantry items such as stocks. I recommend anyone wishing to make stocks for these recipes stick with a good French, Culinary Institute, or Cooks Illustrated Best Recipe source.

Levy's book has 380 pages for $30 and Roden has 490 pages for $35. If I were picking one book, I would take Roden based on the deeper historical perspective, the more interesting geographical range, and the (I suspect) more valid separation of Turkish cuisine from that of the Levant. If you were primarily interested as a source for entertaining and most especially interested in the Arab cuisine, then Levy's book may give you more of what you want. Both are superior books on a regional cuisine. I give it only four stars because it did not teach me anything really new about cooking and cuisine. You may have a different background, so I leave that open to your judgement. I agree with another reviewer that the book did not entirely fit it's subtitle as sun-drenched is not discussed and the range exceeds the lands of the Bible, but I don't hold it against the author.