I checked out this book from the library because I wanted to get some insight into Turkish recipes, and happily enough it also had recipes from all over the Eastern Mediterranean region. There are some good Greek, Cypriot, and even Afghani recipes included.
This book has some dramatic and colorful photos – some of the best photos I’ve seen for a cookbook. The author traveled around the region with a professional photographer in tow, and the results are great.
I found quite a few recipes I’d like to try in this book – so I can’t wait to cook them and see how they turn out. Lots of veggies and soups, which is pretty much our focus during the winter months.
If I had to critique, I’d say the writing of the interludes – the descriptions of the places she went and the people she met – were a little too breathy and dramatic for my taste. My focus is always on the food rather than the people, but the author does tend to bring herself into the story a bit more than what felt comfortable to me. Still, her focus is on the humanitarian crisis in the area and her problem with borders – and her history in activism makes it natural for her to point these issues out. I skipped ahead to hear about the dishes and where they came from.
Overall a good cookbook – we’ll see how the recipes turn out!
