The Aleppo Cookbook: Celebrating the Legendary Cuisine of Syria

by Marlene Matar

It is hardly surprising that Aleppo, one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities, is also home to one of the world’s most distinguished and vibrant cuisines. Surrounded by fertile lands and located at the end of the Silk Road, which passed through Central Asia and Mesopotamia, Aleppo was a food capital long before Paris, Rome, or New York. Its diverse communities of Arabs, Kurds, Armenians, Circassians, and others contributed to its culinary traditions and produced a vast selection of different types of dishes—and no less than 20 kinds of kibbeh recipes. Here, one of the Arab world’s most renowned chefs unlocks the secrets to this distinctive cuisine in this comprehensive cookbook filled with practical guidance on Middle Eastern cooking techniques as well as step-by step explanations of over 200 irresistible recipes, such as Chili and Garlic Kebab, Syrian Fishcakes, Lamb Stuffed Eggplants, Semolina and Butter pudding, and the queen of the mezze table, Red Pepper and Walnut Spread. Divided into 15 chapters (Basic Recipes, Appetizers and Mezze, Soups, Salads and Accompaniments, Grains, Fish, Poultry, Meat, Kibbeh, Stuffed Dishes, Vegetables, Stews, Bread, Desserts and Sweets, Pickles and Preserves, and Beverages), traditional cooking and pre­servation methods go hand-in-hand with modern combinations of flavors and today’s desire for healthful and natural meals. Wonderful full-color photography of the food, people, and markets of Aleppo make this a stunning cookbook, a great gift for food lovers, and a fitting tribute to a beautiful city and the suffering its people have endured.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food

352 pages, Hardcover

First published November 20, 2014

Reviews

[Kristin]

My favorite spice that I literally add to everything that I cook, except for desserts, maybe.

I want this book....




WASHINGTON POST BEST COOKBOOK 2016

WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF GASTRONOMY AWARD 2016

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOKS OF 2016

LIBRARY JOURNAL EDITOR'S PICK 2016

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book seemed initially unappealing due to a lack of photos, I took it home. Finding a cookbook that enables the reader to produce tasty food on the first try in an area of cuisine (Syrian) that is totally new is rare. This is such a book. I have tried the hummus, baba ganoush, kibbeh, bulgar and spinach soup... and other recipes and each one was relatively simple to execute (with the exception of the kibbeh) and tasted great. I would recommend this book to anyone wishing to experiment with middle eastern cooking.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book starts with a brief history of Ancient and modern Aleppo, but unfortunately the recipes provide minimal context. And while there are pictures, many recipes have none. Many unique foods for an American cook, so this can be very confusing. And no suggestions on where to purchase them. For example, one recipe is “Jew’s Mallow”. There is a glossary that explains what the unusual ingredients are.
Recipes are easy to follow with specific steps. limited pictures of completed dishes.
The good thing about this book is I was introduced to many recipes I haven’t come across like an olive salad with walnuts and pomegranate and an amazing favs bean tahini breakfast dish and many more. Some ingredients may be difficult to procure. And some of the dishes are very complex and seem to be fancy. They look impressive but seem to be a lot of work or even impossible for most cooks (the stuffed carrots have to be drilled to stuff!). One dish calls for mahlepi, rose water, orange blossom water, and Panama bark. Intriguing, and I’d love to see the final result, but I don’t think I would cook anything from this book. It did make me want to eat a lot of it!
The book includes lots of pictures of Aleppo. It’s a good overview of what seems to be a very complex and interesting cuisinle

[Haz the Bhagwan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gold mine of authentic Aleppian recipes. It's loaded with content. The downside of this is that there is less room for photos, so for those unfamiliar with some of the dishes, it might be difficult to "imagine" what the end product should look like. Don't let that deter you as the quality and sheer volume of recipes will have you reaching for this reference for years to come. Saha!

[Clivemichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great photos of what used to be. Easy to follow recipes, stimulating ideas for fusion cooking A few entertaing stories.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jam packed with delicious recipes to try.
Not sure how many recipes might also be in other books I already own, but would love to add this book to my collection.

[Dray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good tour of traditional Syrian cooking. Worth reading.

[Aasinathena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is packed with recipes... But I wish there is more connection between descriptions and recipes. History section sound exciting and I never knew Syria was a hotspot for other nations!

[Avi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good recipes. Didn’t feel very redundant. Almost no photos.

[L. Val · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting introduction to mesopotamian cuisine. Several recipes look worth trying.

[Sally Shabouk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best cookbook for the legendary “Halabi” (Aleppo) cuisine.

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to follow

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Appetizing approachable recipes.

[Mills College Library]

641.59569 M4252 2017

[Dana Al-Basha | دانة الباشا]

Appetizing cover!

يا رايحين لحلب حبي معاكم راح
يا محملين العنب فوق العنب تفاح