Learn to COOK - Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen: A Culinary Journey through Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan
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Manufacturer: The Siamanto Press
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Average Customer Rating: 
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.5956
EAN: 9780970971685
ISBN: 0970971680
Label: The Siamanto Press
Manufacturer: The Siamanto Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 448
Publication Date: 2004-04-15
Publisher: The Siamanto Press
Studio: The Siamanto Press
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Editorial Reviews:
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This culinary milestone has been hailed as a masterpiece, a classic, and the first and last word on eastern Mediterranean cooking. A welcome blend of scholarship and entertaining reading, this revelatory work features a wide range of authentic, clearly written recipes, many personal reminiscences, impressive culinary history, valuable information on ingredients, meals, and traditions, stunning period illustrations, and much more.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Very Good Culinary History of Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan
Comment: `Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen' by Sonia Uvezian, a native of Beirut, Lebanon, and a leading culinary journalist on Middle Eastern cuisines, is both a personal and scholarly account of food history and modern practice from the Arab (and other) traditions of Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria.
The very best thing about the book is the mix of scholarly history, personal observations, and culinary content. While the scholarly aspect is firmly grounded in copious footnotes and a five page bibliography, mostly of 19th and early 20th century travelogues and histories, it is neatly tucked away, below the level of our stream of consciousness read of the excellent prose. The personal observations have all the richness of an upper class native, whose family could afford a country house up in the mountains east of Beirut, and also afford all of the best ingredients, and were familiar with the full range of the cuisine of the Levant.
All this makes the book very different from the long-standing authority on cooking of the Levant, Paula Wolfert's celebrated `The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean'. Not only is the approach different, but Ms. Uvezian does not even cite Ms. Wolfert, even though Wolfert's well-known book was published five years before Ms. Uvezian's volume. Ms. Uvezian also does not cite the other great writer on eastern Mediterranean cooking, Claudia Roden, with her `The New Book of Middle Eastern Food'. I point this out not as a criticism, but as an indication that Ms. Uvezian has much of her own thing to say and does not need references to other modern culinary writers. I compared Ms. Uvezian's recipes with those from Mme. Wolfert, and was surprised to find little overlap there, even in the very well defined realm of breads. All this adds up to the conclusion that if you have an interest in Arab cooking of the Levant, you would do well to get both books (although if your interest is strictly culinary, Ms. Wolfert has a slight edge, as she is the better writer, and has an extremely good eye for describing recipes, even if they were not learned at her mother's knee.)
Ms. Uvezian gives us a lucid description of the history the culinary history and landscape of Arab, Turkish, Druse, Persian, and French influences on the cooking of the Levant. It should be no surprise that in spite of the presence of Israel smack dab in the middle of this region, ancient Hebrew and modern Jewish food traditions are not covered, although there are shelves of other books dedicated to this subject.
This cuisine is part of the greater Mediterranean world of food, with some very important differences from the western (European) Mediterranean of Spain, France, and Italy. First, there is no charcuterie to speak of, since there is the prohibition against eating pork. Thus, there is also no cooking with lard; however, the rich sources of olive oil and nut oils make this absence virtually unnoticed. And, butter is more important than in pig-rich Spain and southern Italy. Next, there is no cooking with wine, due to the Muslim prohibition against alcoholic beverages. And, cheese (especially hard aged cheese) is largely replaced by yoghurt (The primary hard cheeses mentioned are kashkawan, imported from Turkey or Rumania and the famous Italian Parmesan). On the positive side, there is far more cooking with sugar and other sweet products such as dried fruit. While the Italians give little thought to sweet desserts, the Arabs of the Levant love sweet desserts and pastries. They also make much heavier use of spice mixtures, based on their being closer to the source, and somewhat under the influence of the great Indian tradition of spice mixtures. Where the great French cuisine can muster but two named spice mixtures, the Levant has a dozen or more.
While the book is subtitled `A culinary journey through Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan', the direction of the text is oriented more toward a historical rather than a geographical perspective, with each chapter giving an historical overview of how various food lines evolved.
One of the great surprises, given the absence of a tradition of bars, taverns, or other alcoholic dispensers, is the tradition of Mazza, virtually identical in social and culinary function as the tapas of Spain, the merende of Italy, and the mezze of Greece and Turkey. The typical mazza spread looks remarkably like all those other traditions, with ample portions of olives, spiced nuts, fresh fruits and bread-based bites, but without the salamis and hams and wide variety of cheeses. In the place of cheese there is the rich variety of seed and eggplant-based dips plus yoghurt preparations.
Like the very best studies of Italian, Spanish, and French regional cooking, the book includes chapters on virtually every corner of the culinary landscape, including chapters on Appetizers; Salads; Soups; Dairy Products and Dishes; Egg Dishes; Fish and Shellfish; Poultry and Game Birds; Meat; Kibbeh; Stuffed Vegetables and Fruits; Grains and Pasta; Vegetables and Fruits; Sauces Marinades, Garnishes, and Stuffings; Pickles and Preserves; Breads and Savory Pastries; Desserts; and Beverages.
The book includes a list of middle-Eastern food markets from practically every state; however, these are only in major cities, and there are no Internet sources. If your family is from this region, this book is satisfying oasis of great culinary history, lore, and recipes. For all others, it's a great supplement to Ms. Wolfert's famous volume.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The one eastern Mediterranean cookbook I wouldn't be without
Comment: I was thoroughly disgusted to read the baseless criticisms of this superb cookbook. It is precisely to obtain an accurate account of the cookery of this region along with first-rate recipes that one needs to own "Recipes and Remembrances." Although Claudia Roden's "A New Book of Middle Eastern Food" is better than Paula Wolfert's "The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean," when it comes to recipes and text neither can approach "Recipes and Remembrances" in quality. I have cooked extensively from many Middle Eastern cookbooks, including these three, and I can honestly say that Uvezian's book upholds the highest standards of eastern Mediterranean/Middle Eastern cooking and is in a class by itself.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating History Book
Comment: While I haven't cooked a tremedous amount of food out of this book yet, it is probably the first cookbook that I have read more than once. It is some wonderful information on the people, history and food of the Levant. It goes through how the different groups in the Middle East serve and prepare food. Talks about the influence of foreign powers on the food and culture. I really enjoyed this book. It's only flaw if that it is long and difficult to wade through if you just in the mood to cook a simple Middle Eastern dish. One of the strengths is the spice mixes. I keep the prepared spice mixes in my cupbard within easy reach and use them a lot.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Deserves a permanent place on your cookbook shelf
Comment: A gastronomic find, especially for those who evaluate the quality of their lives in terms of what they eat. Uvezian's dedication to excellence is apparent on every page. Impressively authentic recipes and outstanding culinary background information make this richly illustrated volume enormously useful to both professional chefs and home cooks.Another great cookbook by this author is "The Cuisine of Armenia."
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent information, great recipes
Comment: This is an absolutely wonderful cookbook that provides a wide range of authentic, workable recipes that make use of healthful and readily available ingredients. Both the text and illustrations are fascinating, the glossary alone is worth the purchase price, and there are also valuable menu and serving suggestions. Highly recommended!
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