Customer Reviews (1)

The best Middle Eastern CookBook ever
This great cookbook by Rose Dosti has been my very favorite for 28 years.It covers many cuisines in the Middle East with authentic recipes and complete instructions.My original copy is torn and worn with many notes and comments jotted along the margins.I have s pristine copy on my shelves for future use when the original finally disintegrates.This recent copy was purchased as a gift for a new friend who recently set up housekeeping with a very old friend of Greek origin who loves these recipes having eaten many of them at my home.This recent copy was in amazing condition considering the age.It appeared to have never been opened and only showed signs of aging from being on an shelf somewhere.Both my new and old friend were thrilled with the gift.

I have tried unsuccessfully to find out if Rose Dosti is still around as I would truly like to thank her for the pleasure her book has given and continues to give to my family and so many friends. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Healthy, and good food
I love this cookbook, because it has easy, quick, healthy and tasty meals. Since I have been using Middle Eastern and Indian recipes, I have lost my taste for fast food and frozen food. It was not a case of giving it up, I just do not have the desire for it anymore. You can have a delicious home-cooked meal in minutes.

This book is great
Delicious and easy to follow.The hummous recipe is the real thing! ... Read more

Product Description

Cooking Class Middle Eastern presents the flavors of Morocco, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, and more. Many dishes are common to each country, so the recipes themselves, while distinct, can be combined into one delicious international flavor experience.

About Australian Women's Weekly:

Australian Women's Weekly cookbooks have enjoyed more than two decades of success. Available in 100 countries and a dozen different languages, these books Australian Women's Weekly Large Format Series have sold more than 2 million copies in Canada. Their amazing success rests on three points: the recipes are for today's food, the dishes are quick and simple to make, and each recipe has been triple-tested, guaranteeing that it works the first time, and every time.

Product Description

Product Description
Both novice and accomplished chefs will enjoy this handsome volume packed with scrumptious, step-by-step recipes culled from the finest kitchens in the Middle East. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good recipes
Beautiful book with many great recipes I hope to try soon.Very fast shipping, and book was very well described. ... Read more

Product Description
Delights from the Garden of Eden is the revised edition of the 2003 publication by the author. This new edition is luxuriously illustrated with color food photos, paintings, medieval miniatures, sketches, and much more.

It is a unique Iraqi cookbook, which displays the diversity of the region's traditional culinary practices, delicious and enduring. It contains more than 400 recipes, all tested and easy to follow, with practical weights and measures applicable everywhere. The recipes cover all food categories with ample choice for both vegetarians and meat lovers, and many that will satisfy a sweet tooth. Light healthy touches are suggested throughout, and ingredients and cooking techniques indigenous to the region are duly explained.

Preceding the recipes is a comprehensive thoroughly researched introductory chapter, which traces the genesis and development of the Iraqi cuisine over the centuries, starting with the ancient Mesopotamians, through medieval times and leading to the present, aided throughout by the author's intimate native knowledge of cookery. Research on the ancient Sumerian and Akkadian cuisine draws extensively on archaeological findings, such as the Babylonian recipe collection and literary sources. The medieval era focuses on the Abbasid cuisine as exemplified by the contemporaneous luxurious culinary culture that encouraged the trend of writing cookbooks.

Of particular interest are the book's numerous food-related folkloric stories, reminiscences, anecdotes, songs, poems, excerpts from narratives written by foreign visitors to the region, and cultural explications of customs, all interwoven with the recipes. The book is supplemented with detailed menus and an extended Glossary to familiarize the reader with the indigenous ingredients used in creating authentic Iraqi meals.

A reliable source on the culinary history of Iraq. It is the only Iraqi book which tends to the needs of the appetite and the intellect in an interesting fashion: Informative, practical, and entertaining.

A valuable addition to the shelves of specialized and general libraries, and a must-have for food lovers everywhere. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Great book! Fun and very useful
I bought this as a gift for my wife and she really loves it. It is not just simply a recipe book but tells you some stories and history about the recipe as well...I find it interesting to read myself.

I use it almost everyday!
I bought my cookbook a couple months ago, and I must say I've never used a cookbook so much. That being said, my husband is Iraqi and really loves Iraqi cuisine. For me it's improved my "iraqi cooking" tremendously. Everyone has noticed that I am now making authentic Iraqi food. I am very happy with it. I bought the the other Iraqi cookbook called Iraqi Family Cookbook. While that one is good, it is small. If you are deciding which one to buy, I would definetly get this one. While it doesn't have the beautiful colorful presentations as the other one,it does have a whole lot more recipes.

AMAZING!!
I can't stop flipping through the pages of this book. Each page sparks a different memory from Iraq. The recipes are so easy to follow and turn out so well. The best cook book EVER.

Delights from the Garden of Eden a Cookbook and History of Iraqi Cusuine
My wife is a first class Chef and needed information abiout Iraqi Cooking
to prepare and serve at Master classes
On the WWW there was only 11 recipies
So doing a search on AMazon.com walla a book. The book has many recipies and information about Iraqi Culture it is easily to read and is very informative, it is pity that the Americans went in on a false premise and are surely destroying a vibrant culture.

Incredible!
I received this cookbook as a birthday gift two years ago. When I opened it, I was excited to find a Middle Eastern cookbook, but was not expecting it to 'measure up' to the 10 or so Middle Eastern/North African cookbooks in my collection, as the author is not well known as are the authors of many of the other books. After all this time, I have made quite a few recipes from this book, and all were fantastic. That being said, I feel that I haven't even scratched the surface of this book. The number of good recipes in the book is astounding, and the history portion of the book is very interesting. I highly recommend the book for anyone interested in learning more about cooking Middle Eastern food, and learning about its roots. ... Read more

Product Description
The author reveals the colorful and tasty range of cuisines of the Middle East. Color photographs accompany clear, easy-to-follow recipes for over 200dishes from all over the Arab world, as well as Iran, Turkey and Cyprus. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Really bad cookbook
How much are you supposed to spend for a 72 page book?I think $25 is a bit much. Why are some of the books in this series only $7.95? Is there some reason that the Latin American and Middle Eastern series are more expensive than the Thai?

Buy a better and more complete book.

Suitable for kids and people new to Middle Eastern cooking
This book contains really simple, easy recipes that anyone can follow.The dishes are not complicated, and it's a nice introduction to Middle Eastern food for the absolute beginner.It may seem too simple to someone who is an experienced cook, or is familiar with Middle Eastern foods. ... Read more

Product Description
Featuring over 70 authentic recipes, including traditional classics like Taramasalata and Rose-scented Baklava, and little-known specialties like Persian Chicken with Walnut Sauce. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great Middle Eastern Recipes
I'm really happy with my latest cookbook, Essential Middle Eastern Cooking.A nice selection of dishes from Turkey, Lebanon, Morrocco and other Middle Eastern countries including fish, poultry, rice, lamb,and a lot of vegetarian dishes.I was very relieved almost all the ingredients were easily found in my local grocery store!The desserts are absolutely delicious.And it's really a healthy cuisine which is especially important today.

Wish I Found it Sooner
I love Middle Eastern food, in general, but I am sometimes disappointed when one place's hummous is not as good as another...or the variyng qualities of bab ghanoush available at restaurants. This book has the best recipes for every dish that I am familiar witha nd introduced me to new dishes that have become new favorites for me as welll. I particularly like the fish baked in tahini, which I've not seen at any restuarnat. Unfortunately, I recently moved to a region of the south US that sorely lacks Middle Eastern eatries, but this book has been a life saver.

The instricutions are simple and easy to follow, and the ingredients are well explained and usually acessible even where I live now. There are picutres to give a better idea about foods that may initially be unfamilar to you. I wish that the book included a few more vegetarian alternatives, but in general, am so happy with the product, that my only genuine complaint is aimed at myself - for not having bought the book earlier.

if you like Middle-eastern cuisine, BUY THIS BOOK NOW
Among the several middle-eastern cuisine books I have bought, this book still ranks first for me. Soheila Kimberley has obviously a deep knowledge of Persian cooking, but also has a number of very interesting recipes from other parts of the Middle-east, all the way to Morocco. I had been looking for the Omm Ali (Egyptian bread pudding) for a long time. Finally, I got it in this book. Just looking at the pictures makes me hungry.Most of the recipes are written in 4 to 6 clear steps that will transform you in a Middle-Eastern Chef in no time. If you love Middle-Eastern food as much as I do, you won't regret buying this book. ... Read more

Product Description
A wide range of authentic Greek and Middle Eastern recipes which are suitable for simple family fare or mouthwatering menus when entertaining. Many vegetarian recipes have been included. Chapters include: soups and starters, fish, meat, poultry, pulses, vegetables and rice, salads and sweets. ... Read more

Product Description
Since its original publication twenty years ago, Samia Abdennour’s Egyptian Cooking has become a true classic - a must-have cookbook for anyone who wants to eat as the Egyptians do. From hearty staples like foul midammis (stewed fava beans) and kushari (a mix of pasta, rice, and lentils under a rich tomato sauce) to more complex meals such as roast leg of lamb and baked stuffed fish, Egyptian Cooking runs the gamut of the national cuisine. Now, in this revised and expanded edition, Abdennour has added over eighty new recipes from all over the Middle East, including some of the most popular dishes from the Levant, the Gulf, and North Africa. With some 480 recipes and mouthwatering color photographs, this versatile guide gives users a wide array of basic meals and sumptuous dishes.With entries organized under the categories of Mezze, Breakfast, Main Courses, Sweets and Desserts, and Beverages, Egyptian Cooking offers a comprehensive collection of Middle Eastern recipes in one volume. Spiral-bound for easy accessibility while cooking, this practical handbook offers detailed advice on shopping, food preparation, and unusual ingredients, as well as the Arabic names for individual items and recipes. Ideal for the novice as well as the experienced cook, this expanded edition of an Egyptian bestseller is the ideal introduction to cooking this delicious cuisine at home. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Don't think this is a second cookbook by the same author!
Well... first of all DO NOT click on the link to "buy these books together" (referriing to the amazon offer to buy this book and her other book "Egyptian Cooking, a practical guide") as this book contains ALL the recipes in the first edition, along with additional recipes.You will be WASTING your money as i did (I gave the first edition away, no need to keep it, for me I bought them years apart, for you it will be money down the drain or a headache with the return) Amazon should NOT be offering them together.

Being that this book basically consists of the other book and then some, I will go over in a nutshell the comments i made of the other as they also apply here.

Its good for the basics if you're already familiar with the cuisine.The arabic/english spice translations are helpful.Her instructions are thoroughly lacking, so if you are not an experienced cook, or are not familiar with egyptian/middle eastern cooking, you might have a hard time with the recipes as they would have benefited from a little more description.(for more on that see my review of the other book) They are written in a very matter of fact way, just mix, shape, saute.....They don't really sound very appealing.The recipe numbers not corresponding to page numbers is annoying but you get used to i (the recipes are numbered, page 1 might have recipes 1-3, page 2 recipes 4-6, page 3 recipes 7 and 8, and the index refers to the recipe number, not page number so the recipe for falafel could be recipe 6 which would be on page 2), as well as the fact that to make a recipe containing tomato sauce, you've got to refer to the tomato sauce recipe on another page (consisting of tomato sauce, salt and pepper).

The additional recipes are not egyptian and are really not of any value to me as there are tons of other middle eastern recipe books out there that are FAR better than this one.

The only reason I would recommend this book at all is that it is specifically Egyptian, and if you are even reading this review it probably means you want an Egyptian cookbook (rather than a generic Middle eastern cookbook.)If that is the case, then i would consider going with "My Egyptian Grandmother's Kitchen" by Magda Mehdawy, as she has pictures with all her recipes and at least that gets your taste buds going (oh, yeah that was also a problem with Abdennour's books, you could read the whole thing and not be all that impressed by anything).I would pair that with either Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Eastern Food (Five Star) or Mary Bsisu's The Arab Table (Also 5 Stars).When you want to cook something, first try to find it in one of the latter books, if you can, read the recipe, then refer to Mehdawy's book and see the Egyptian take on it.Of course Roden and Bsisu books are not going to have all the Egyptian recipes that Abdennour's has, but you will see the difference in the instructions immediately.

I rated the first edition 3 stars because at the time I reviewed I couldn't find other egyptian cookbooks, Abdennour had the whole market.With Mehdaway's cookbook, (and another Egyptian one that i just spotted but havent bought yet, Abdennour has lost the sole claim on the Egyptian cookbook market, thus this second edition isn't as valuable or necessary.So i am rating it 2 stars.

Are we talking about the same cookbook?
When even rice pudding doesnt turn out right, after following the directions to the letter....you can safely say that a cookbook was poorly written.

Simply dissolve sugar in milk, then add rice and simmer on low for 15-20 minutes? Hardly. I started out with a low flame....and was still waiting for the rice to soften 45 minutes later. I made rice pudding out of the Good Housekeeping Cookbook, and I'd much sooner make rice pudding their way----you start out with a boil (to cook the inner core of the grain of rice), and THEN reduce to low and simmer. Works every time.

Ms. Abdennour should also mention to the novice, that it is necessary to stir the rice pudding continuously, or it will stick to the pan and BURN. However the word "stir" was not even mentioned in the recipe! This may seem like common sense to most, but cookbooks should be written at the level of a novice.

The rice in my pudding ended up having a hard, uncooked center. And when I went to taste it (aside from the bitterly hard rice) I felt there was way too much sugar.

In addition the cookbook has a strange format...the pages are numbered but the recipes are indexed not by page number but by recipe number (they are actually numbered from 1 on up) I much prefer good old fashioned page numbers---whats wrong with that?

Also, the author seems to be unfamiliar with the names of certain items in the West. When a recipe calls for "gullash" this corresponds to our "phyllo dough" however the author seems to not know that we have a word for this....so she describes it as "fresh, paper thin sheets of dough at your local bakery"....gee thanks, that would help the novice cook! I know that she is describing phyllo dough, but would a novice know?

In addition, I made kuftat ras al asfur. Again, following the instructions to the letter resulted in a bland tomato sauce.

Some recipe instructions amounted to no more than four sentences, when surely they are a bit more complex to make and worth describing in a bit more detail.

There are better Arabic cookbooks out there...I just haven't found them yet. This cookbook is suited to someone who is familiar with making these dishes....maybe then they can fill in the details which Abdennour fails to mention. But then one wonders, why would these people need a cookbook in the first place?

Authentic, delicious food
Having grown up in Egypt, I had no idea what I took for granted. Delicious stuffed tomatoes, fresh lemony salads, vine leaves, meat stews.It's such a pleasure to find a book that allows me to recreate these meals I had back at home. It's easy to follow and the ingredients are readily available here in the States.I recommend this book for everyone.

Featuring classic dishes that perfectly capture the staples of Egyptian cuisine
First published twenty years ago, and now in a revised and expanded edition with over eighty new recipes added by author Samia Abdennour, Egyptian Cooking And Other Middle Eastern Recipes is a spiral-bound cookbook featuring classic dishes that perfectly capture the staples of Egyptian cuisine. A handful of color photographs illustrate the simple and practical instructions for creating such Middle Eastern delicacies as Falafels, Duck Pot Roast, Baked Rice With Milk, Hot Yogurt Soup, Pickled Eggplant, and so much more. A glossary, list of common spices and cooking utensils, and index round out this "must-have" cookbook for anyone interested in savoring Egyptian cuisine.
... Read more