Falastin recently released and written by Authors, Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley is this new book covering a soulful tour of Palestinian cookery. Published by Appetite – Random House.

This book comes to us from Ottolenghi’s Executive Chef Sami Tamimi, with 120 highly cookable recipes contextualized by his personal narrative of the Palestine he grew up in.

The story of Palestine’s food is really the story of its people. When the events of 1948 forced people from all the regions of Palestine together into one compressed land, recipes that were once closely guarded family secrets were shared and passed between different groups in an effort to ensure that they were not lost forever. In Falastin, Tamimi retraces the lineage and evolution of his country’s cuisine, born of its agriculturally optimal geography, many distinct regional cooking traditions, and, ultimately, Palestinian cooks’ ingenuity and resourcefulness as the country’s foodways mingled and morphed. From the recipes of refugee-camp cooks to the home kitchens of Gaza and the mill of a master tahini maker, Tamimi teases out the vestiges of an ancient cuisine while recording the derivations of a dynamic cuisine and the stories of the people of Palestine–as told from the kitchen.

The Falastin: A Cookbook features chapters such as recipes for Breakfast; Snacks, Spreads & Sauces; Veggie Sides and Salads; Soups; Veggie Mains; Fish; Meat; Breads and pastries; and Sweets.

Some recipes that have caught my eye include:

Warm Hummus with toasted bread and pine nuts – page 34

Roasted Eggplant with tamarind and cilantro – page 118

Lentils with tahini and crispy onions – page 126

Eggplant, chickpea, and tomato bake – page 170

Bulgur Mejadra – page 178

Spinach and toasted orzo with dill and chile yogurt – page 182

Roasted cod with a cilantro crust – page 204

This book makes for a great gift for your favourite foodie, and you can purchase the book online from Amazon.

By: Richard Wolak