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Phaidon Global Cookbooks
The Arabesque Table: Contemporary Recipes from the Arab World
"The Arabesque Table is full to the brim with dishes which are rooted in tradition and at the same time creatively (and deliciously!) transcend it. It is wonderful!" —Yotam Ottolenghi
"A dazzling set of recipes from Reem Kassis" —Nigel Slater
"Reem Kassis's cookbooks tell of her Palestinian family, while giving a modern twist to such dishes as fatteh, lentil soup and pistaschio cake" —The Observer Food Monthly
Acclaimed author Reem Kassis returns with a one-of-a-kind collection of original contemporary recipes tracing the rich history of Arab cuisine.
The Arabesque Table takes inspiration from the traditional food of the Arab world, weaving Reem Kassis's historic research and cultural knowledge with her contemporary interpretations of an ancient, remarkably diverse cuisine.
In her personal, engaging voice, Reem bridges past and present to open up the world of Arabic cooking today, showcasing a mosaic of 130 delicious, accessible home recipes. Organized by primary ingredient, the recipes and vivid photographs bring the dishes to life while her narrative offers not only a sense of taste, but a sense of time and place as well.
More than just a compilation of modern Arabic recipes, The Arabesque Table celebrates the evolution of Arab cuisine and the stories of cross-cultural connection it recounts, paying tribute to the history and journey that have led to this point.
With the past on full display in this heavily researched and exciting book, you will find dishes from the Golden Age of Islam: like Narjissiya (a fava bean and egg hash) and Makmoora (a layered chicken, onion and pine nut pot pie), as well as contemporary and globally inspired interpretations: like Tahini Cheesecake and Caramelized Butternut Squash Fatteh with Za'atar, revealing a cuisine that is vibrant, nourishing, and exciting, but above all, reminding us of how powerful food is in defining the relationship between people, place and identity.
"A dazzling set of recipes from Reem Kassis" —Nigel Slater
"Reem Kassis's cookbooks tell of her Palestinian family, while giving a modern twist to such dishes as fatteh, lentil soup and pistaschio cake" —The Observer Food Monthly
Acclaimed author Reem Kassis returns with a one-of-a-kind collection of original contemporary recipes tracing the rich history of Arab cuisine.
The Arabesque Table takes inspiration from the traditional food of the Arab world, weaving Reem Kassis's historic research and cultural knowledge with her contemporary interpretations of an ancient, remarkably diverse cuisine.
In her personal, engaging voice, Reem bridges past and present to open up the world of Arabic cooking today, showcasing a mosaic of 130 delicious, accessible home recipes. Organized by primary ingredient, the recipes and vivid photographs bring the dishes to life while her narrative offers not only a sense of taste, but a sense of time and place as well.
More than just a compilation of modern Arabic recipes, The Arabesque Table celebrates the evolution of Arab cuisine and the stories of cross-cultural connection it recounts, paying tribute to the history and journey that have led to this point.
With the past on full display in this heavily researched and exciting book, you will find dishes from the Golden Age of Islam: like Narjissiya (a fava bean and egg hash) and Makmoora (a layered chicken, onion and pine nut pot pie), as well as contemporary and globally inspired interpretations: like Tahini Cheesecake and Caramelized Butternut Squash Fatteh with Za'atar, revealing a cuisine that is vibrant, nourishing, and exciting, but above all, reminding us of how powerful food is in defining the relationship between people, place and identity.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published April 7, 2021
3 people are currently reading
402 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 14, 2024
The recipes are easy to follow. The book gives you suggestions for substitutions which was helpful. It is well laid out. The food is delicious. The font size was a touch too small for easy use. The Halaweh Cardamom bread pudding is delicious.
September 10, 2022
So many tasty-looking recipes in here and the photographs are absolutely gorgeous. I've bookmarked a ton of recipes to try. I have plans for the leftover tahini in my fridge! :)
June 11, 2022
The photography particularly stood out for me in this cookbook. I found a lot of recipes I’d love to eat, but few I’d actually cook, lol!
I’d echo another reviewer’s comment that font was sometimes too small to read comfortably. And, I’d be curious to hear more of the author’s story around Israel/Palestine relations (but maybe if it were there, I’d be saying it was unnecessary, lol). I just recall Ottolenghi’s “Jerusalem” cookbook (co-written between a Jew and a Muslim, as I recall)—made for fascinating dialogue and stories, and proof that the two can combine successfully.
I’d echo another reviewer’s comment that font was sometimes too small to read comfortably. And, I’d be curious to hear more of the author’s story around Israel/Palestine relations (but maybe if it were there, I’d be saying it was unnecessary, lol). I just recall Ottolenghi’s “Jerusalem” cookbook (co-written between a Jew and a Muslim, as I recall)—made for fascinating dialogue and stories, and proof that the two can combine successfully.
November 25, 2024
The food looks mouthwatering, the presentation is hospitable, and the history and other contextual bits were very nifty indeed. Top notch for armchair cooks like myself, I suspect pretty useful as well.
June 26, 2023
I read all the little intro stories. They’re worth it.
Sadly, I don’t have the kitchen tools to make many of these recipes. It helps to have a decent food processor.
Sadly, I don’t have the kitchen tools to make many of these recipes. It helps to have a decent food processor.
May 4, 2022
It’s a beautiful book, but not very practical for a home cook. Also, the font was too small to read in many places.
May 1, 2023
I have been cooking out of this since I checked it out from the library last month, and it is terrific. Reem Kassis introduces the concept of the book with a long introduction (that would have benefited from larger font and more digestible, short sections, but still) about what Home means in a globalized/occupied world, and how the movement of people has always influenced cuisine. But it is easy enough to say things change, and cuisine isn't static. Instead, she has come up with such a perfect articulation of the spirit of Levantine food abroad, it has completely won me over. Ever since I got married nearly 8 years ago, I have been cooking Palestinian food, and mostly by trying to live up to my mother-in-law's Facebook Messenger instructions, or a few good blogs. When I have strayed from those, and instead tried to French up a Palestinian dish, it wasn't good. I don't mean it wouldn't taste good, because it would, but that is such a condescending, very 2000s approach to non-Western European cuisines, that all they needed was French technique and only then could they fulfill their potential. Bah! It may taste good, but it will lose itself in the process.
Now I think I would have understood that intellectually at another time in my life, but it wasn't until I learned about the agricultural practices, the hygiene practices, the religious practices, that the worldview of a cuisine made sense to me. While Reem Kassis doesn't necessarily go into that level of detail here, the recipes themselves prove that the worldview remains in tact even when you swap split green peas in the UK because you couldn't find split dried fava beans for falafel. It's an exciting way to cook: maintain and honor the worldview, and adapt the ingredients as necessary. Besides, no traditional cuisine always had a supermarket with everything you could ever want, any time of the year - adaptation itself doesn't dent the integrity, and is probably key to it anyway. But throwing out the culture that gave rise to this complex, evolving, but identifiable thing called cuisine - that's how you ruin it! That's how you make it mediocre and then feel comfortable thinking it must not have been that good to begin with.
(Now lately I am exploring Chinese food in depth, I am bringing what I've learned about Palestinian culture and food to my exploration of it, and this is my unsolicited advice. How a culture thinks you should clean raw ingredients, and what spices and tonics are said to remove off-flavors, seems like a great starting point for reintegrating culture in cuisine. We have museum-ified and restaurant-ified culture so much that it can seem like that is all culture is.)
Now I think I would have understood that intellectually at another time in my life, but it wasn't until I learned about the agricultural practices, the hygiene practices, the religious practices, that the worldview of a cuisine made sense to me. While Reem Kassis doesn't necessarily go into that level of detail here, the recipes themselves prove that the worldview remains in tact even when you swap split green peas in the UK because you couldn't find split dried fava beans for falafel. It's an exciting way to cook: maintain and honor the worldview, and adapt the ingredients as necessary. Besides, no traditional cuisine always had a supermarket with everything you could ever want, any time of the year - adaptation itself doesn't dent the integrity, and is probably key to it anyway. But throwing out the culture that gave rise to this complex, evolving, but identifiable thing called cuisine - that's how you ruin it! That's how you make it mediocre and then feel comfortable thinking it must not have been that good to begin with.
(Now lately I am exploring Chinese food in depth, I am bringing what I've learned about Palestinian culture and food to my exploration of it, and this is my unsolicited advice. How a culture thinks you should clean raw ingredients, and what spices and tonics are said to remove off-flavors, seems like a great starting point for reintegrating culture in cuisine. We have museum-ified and restaurant-ified culture so much that it can seem like that is all culture is.)
December 18, 2022
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thank you
You have to. Visit the web page below and get it at a very low price. Get delicious recipe books that are used by more and more people around the world.
https://payhip.com/FoodforaHealthyLife
For your kind attention
A book that many people around the world use to learn how to cook delicious food is worth more than $100. But according to the existence of this site, you can buy one book for as low as $5. (Your support will help the knowledge of others like you)
thank you
March 31, 2022
This was a thorough, evocative, historical yet contemporary read - I've been enjoying it as a leisurely read these past few weeks. Sadly, I live in the middle of Alaska these days or I'd actually COOK from it <3
I really enjoyed how it was broken down into ingredients and so much background.
Utterly craving tahini now...
I really enjoyed how it was broken down into ingredients and so much background.
Utterly craving tahini now...
October 2, 2021
What a delightful Arabean cookbook! One of the best I've read. I loved the division of foods via spicing and ingredients. There are many recipes I have never seen before and a hefty number of vegetarian options. Great book. Recommended.
October 7, 2021
The story of another immigrant Arabian table;is a generational get together linked by occasions,memories and ingredients(both original and replacements).
November 6, 2021
Lovely recipes, but there's probably at least 1 ingredient I can't source in each recipe. Anybody want to make these for me?
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November 16, 2021The eggplant maqlubeh was a huge, huge hit. Lots of good recipes here!
April 3, 2024
Not a fan of the layout.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews