The Sephardic Table: The Vibrant Cooking of the Mediterranean Jews-A Personal Collection of Recipes from the Middle East, North Africa and India

by Pamela Grau Twena

Pamela Grau Twena's introduction to Sephardic culture began on a blind date. Her future husband came from a family of Iraqi Jews who had immigrated to Israel. She was a non-observant Jew from Hollywood whose encounters with Jewish food had been limited to her grandmother's matzoh ball soup, a semiannual brisket, and an occasional cheese blintz. Twena's mother-in-law ushered her into a world of flavorful dishes. Captivated, she coaxed out the recipes, which had been passed through generations but never written down. Beginning with her husband's extended family, she went on to interview members of the Sephardic community (the term for Jews with ancient roots in Spain), persuading them to open their kitchens to her and divulge their coveted recipes. The result is a collection of 175 of Twena's favorite recipes from Morocco, Libya, Algeria, and Tunisia in North Africa; from the Ottoman communities of Turkey, Rhodes, and Greece; from Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, and Iran in the Middle East;

Genres: Cookbooks, Food

288 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 1998

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good first book for those interested in Sephardic (and Oriental) Jewish cuisine. The recipes are not complicated and are uniformly delicious. There are standards that many will find familiar as well as some items that a little outside most cookbooks’ repertoires.

[amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great cookbook. There are so many wonderful recipes that are easy to make, healthy, kosher, and just plain delicious! i keep it in my kitchen bookshelf and refer to it often!