The Harvard Common Press

Let Jennifer Abadi be your guide to the best-kept secret in Middle Eastern cuisine. Abadi embarked on this labor of love—an intimate culinary food album featuring more than 125 Syrian-Jewish recipes, warm family anecdotes, and stories of Syrian-Jewish culture and history—with help from her grandmother, Fritzie Abadi, to record and preserve all the wonderful Syrian-Jewish dishes she had grown up with and that she feared would be lost to future generations.

“This well-rounded cookbook explains, in a glossary, ingredients such as tamarind paste and phyllo, provides a list of specialty stores and a menu planner, and guides the cook from appetizers, such as Eggplant Dip with Pine Nuts, to desserts (Flourless Pistachio Cookies, which are perfect for Passover), and from formal (Orange Chicken with Golden Raisins and Figs), to casual (Syrian Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Mint). Never overdone, flavors appear in combinations surprising to the typical North American palate, such as Stuffed Baby Eggplants with Apricots and Meat, and Eggs with Rhubarb. For Syrian Jewish women, cooking is an art form, shared among neighbors and families but closely guarded from outsiders. Luckily, Abadi offers these secrets in her book.”
—Starred review, Publishers Weekly