Cookbooks –
In the united pots of the Middle East
Two Palestinian and Israeli recipe books remind us of the proximity of these culinary registers.
Published today at 8:33 a.m.
Hummus, one of the common traits of Middle Eastern cuisines.
DR
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In a world a little cooler than ours, cooking could transcend everything. Resentments. The injustices. Grudges. Wars, even. Could we live happily and satiated in the Middle East around a well-set and filled table? On paper, certainly. This is the obvious evidence when rummaging through two collections of domestic recipes recently published by Solar. “Chick. “Easy Israeli Cooking” and “Bethlehem. 90 family and traditional recipes from Palestine” indeed display culinary registers that are singularly cousins and compatible, not to say friends like pigs.
Kebabs and olives
Hummus. The falafels. The kebabs. The meatballs. Bulgur. The labneh. The zaatar. Tahini. Eggplant in all its forms. Olives, figs, oranges, etc. Between prohibitions and religious calendars, common heritages and regional resources, the common traits between Palestinian and Israeli cuisines are indeed teeming like shards of green pepper in a bowl of schug. Or shatta.
“Chick. “Easy Israeli Cooking” by Jonathan Sason-Cohen.
DR
Sisters, sure, but not exactly twins. Israel’s meals, due to emigration, borrow from the repertoires of Eastern Europe, the Maghreb and the Middle East, a mix that is ignored by the traditional recipes of Palestine, anchored in their land.
The two books, in addition to lining up sunny recipes, tell us human stories, memories and rituals through the voice of a pair of chefs. The Franco-Palestinian Fadi Kattan, who runs two restaurants in London and Bethlehem, introduces us to the artisans and traders of his hometown. While Jonathan Sason-Cohen, who runs the Chiche restaurant in Paris, offers an immersion in the culinary habits and customs of Tel Aviv. Their respective prose deserves a place in the library of the pacifist gourmet.
“Bethlehem. 90 family and traditional recipes from Palestine” by Fadi Kattan.
DR
To finish, let us dare to detour a thousand kilometers further east with “Iranian Family Cuisine”, same publisher, same principle, which sheds light on “Persian family cuisine”, soft, invigorating and colorful, which remains quite poorly known under our skies. Annoying ignorance if we judge by the 60 tempting recipes contained in the book.
«Chick. Easy Israeli cuisine” by Jonathan Sason-Cohen. Ed. Solar, 176 p. From 42 to 46 fr.
«Bethlehem. 90 family and traditional recipes from Palestine» by Fadi Kattan. Ed. Solar, 240 p. From 49 to 54 fr.
«Iranian home cooking» of Fereydoun and Rochane Garajedagui. Wheat. Solar, 192 p. From 49 to 54 fr.
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Jérôme Estèbe directs the cultural section and the weekend supplement. It covers, in particular, gastronomic and oenological topics. He is the recipient of the 2002 Berner Zeitung local journalism prize. More info
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