The Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook

Description

A definitive, fresh and approachable collection of 150 traditional recipes from an authoritative voice on Middle Eastern home cooking, Salma Hage's new book is in line with the current Western trends of consciously reducing meat, and the ancient Middle Eastern culture of largely vegetarian, mezze style dining. Traditionally, the Middle Eastern diet consisted largely of vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices, pulses, grains and legumes. Salma simplifies this fast becoming popular cuisine with easily achievable recipes, many with vegan and gluten-free options. Drawing inspiration from ancient and prized Phoenician ingredients, from grassy olive oil to fresh figs and rich dates, this book offers an array of delicious breakfasts and drinks, mezze and salads, vegetables and pulses, grains and desserts. Salma shows how to easily make the most of familiar everyday fruits and legumes, as well as more exotic ingredients now widely available outside of the Middle East, with nourishing recipes so flavourful and satisfying they are suitable for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.

Salma Hage, a Lebanese housewife from Mazarat Tiffah (Apple Hamlet) in the mountains of the Kadisha Valley in north Lebanon, has over 50 years experience of family cooking. She learnt to cook from her mother, mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, and, having helped bring up her nine brothers and two sisters, would often cook for the whole family. She has also spent many years working as a cook and currently shares her time between London and Lebanon.

'Vibrant... Proves just how exciting veggie food can be. Heavenly.' - Independent.co.uk 'Another absolutely gorgeous cookbook from Hage (author of The Lebanese Kitchen) and the folks at Phaidon.' - SFGate 'A definitive, fresh and approachable collection of 150 traditioinal recipes from an authoritative voice on Middle Eastern cooking.' - The Jewish Vegetarian 'Authentic fair with some delicious flair.' - Guest of a Guest 'At last! A compendium of Middle Eastern dishes written especially for vegetarian cooks.' - Vegetarian Times 'A vegetarian take on the exciting flavours of the Middle East.' - The Sunday Times 'Recipes that are simple but zing with enticing, exotic flavours... Perfect light dishes for summer dining... Plenty to tempt even the most entrenched meat-eater.' - The Lady 'A viable contender for the fun-yet-sensible, go-to encyclopedia for anytime you want to get your mezze on. It's comprehensive enough to feel like the only cookbook you should own, but it's bright, glossy, open and quite easy to browse.' - The Age 'Utterly delicious aromatic salads.' - Veggie 'Puts Middle Eastern vegetarian fare on the map.' - The National 'What is remarkable is that this book is full of ideas that are very now... Could it be that a woman in her seventies [...] has written this years most on trend cookery book.' - Waitrose Weekend 'The recipes have an ease and the ingredients are mainly familiar ones, but then comes a technique or a pairing that adds seductive allure or ingenuity.' - The Nashua Telegraph 'Authoritative but approachable.' - Vegetarian Living