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Boustany: A celebration of vegetables from my Palestine: The Sunday Times Bestseller
ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF 2025, THE GUARDIAN AND THE NEW YORK TIMES
Vegetarian recipes celebrating the food of Palestine, from the co-author of Falastin, Jerusalem and The Cookbook.
A homage to Palestinian food and culture, Boustany, is the first solo cookbook from Sami Tamimi, Ottolenghi co-founder and champion of Palestinian food and culture.
Boustany translates from Arabic as 'My Garden', and the down-to-earth, relaxed and plentiful recipes are reflective of Sami's signature style and approach to food. Bold, inspiring and ever-evolving, Boustany picks up where Falastin left off, with flavour-packed, colourful and simple vegetable- and grain-led dishes; this is how Sami grew up eating - platters of aubergine and chickpeas with a spicy green lemon sauce and fragrant lentil fatteh that always tasted better the next day. These are the dishes he has known, loved, cooked and shared with friends.
With over 100 recipes, Sami offers recipes for breakfast, sharing plates, big celebrations, simple breads, moreish sweet treats, easy dinners and more. It’s an approach that’s strongly present in Palestinian cuisine, from building your mooneh, or pantry, by preserving seasonal vegetables and herbs to lining the dinner table with a variety of salads and condiments reflective of a love for fresh and vibrant food.
Vegetarian recipes celebrating the food of Palestine, from the co-author of Falastin, Jerusalem and The Cookbook.
A homage to Palestinian food and culture, Boustany, is the first solo cookbook from Sami Tamimi, Ottolenghi co-founder and champion of Palestinian food and culture.
Boustany translates from Arabic as 'My Garden', and the down-to-earth, relaxed and plentiful recipes are reflective of Sami's signature style and approach to food. Bold, inspiring and ever-evolving, Boustany picks up where Falastin left off, with flavour-packed, colourful and simple vegetable- and grain-led dishes; this is how Sami grew up eating - platters of aubergine and chickpeas with a spicy green lemon sauce and fragrant lentil fatteh that always tasted better the next day. These are the dishes he has known, loved, cooked and shared with friends.
With over 100 recipes, Sami offers recipes for breakfast, sharing plates, big celebrations, simple breads, moreish sweet treats, easy dinners and more. It’s an approach that’s strongly present in Palestinian cuisine, from building your mooneh, or pantry, by preserving seasonal vegetables and herbs to lining the dinner table with a variety of salads and condiments reflective of a love for fresh and vibrant food.
311 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 19, 2025
102 people are currently reading
573 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 28, 2026
How very, very much can change in 10 years! When I reviewed Israeli-born and London-based celebrity chef Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbook Plenty, so many of the Middle Eastern ingredients would be impossible to find in my local grocery store — and I live in the foodie city of Louisville! I laugh now to see how once grapeseed oil, tamarind pulp and truffle oil were impossible to source.
Sami Tamimi, who managed Ottolenghi’s food and kitchens business and himself quite the cook, introduces us to Palestinian cooking, and except for banana shallots and fresh za’atar, I can find every ingredient at my neighborhood grocery. Sumac, Aleppo chile flakes and dried sumac are in my kitchen cupboard as I type, and I can get any other of the ingredients easily. Good thing because I like these recipes, although I don’t love them. Like Plenty, Boutany is vegetarian or vegan. (Boustan means “my garden” in Arabic. And I see that I need to revisit Plenty soon, now that I have access that I didn’t have then.
Sami Tamimi, who managed Ottolenghi’s food and kitchens business and himself quite the cook, introduces us to Palestinian cooking, and except for banana shallots and fresh za’atar, I can find every ingredient at my neighborhood grocery. Sumac, Aleppo chile flakes and dried sumac are in my kitchen cupboard as I type, and I can get any other of the ingredients easily. Good thing because I like these recipes, although I don’t love them. Like Plenty, Boutany is vegetarian or vegan. (Boustan means “my garden” in Arabic. And I see that I need to revisit Plenty soon, now that I have access that I didn’t have then.
July 15, 2025
Written by Ottolenghi co-founder Sami Tamimi, Boustany is an homage to the author's hometown of Palestine. Inside you'll find more than a hundred vibrantly-photographed, vegetarian, nutrient-packed dishes. Included are recipes for savory breakfasts, dips and sides, salads and soups, plated meals, breads, and sweets. I loved this vegetarian cookbook not only for the highly delicious recipes but also for the fact that it isn't reliant on soy or any commercially made ingredients created to resemble a non-vegetarian based component. Instead the recipes rely heavily on various pulses, whole grains, yogurt, and tahini. Feta cheese, eggplant, lemon and mint figure prominently. There is a helpful glossary that explains some of the more uncommon ingredients and offers easily-found substitutions. Some dishes that I enjoyed are the loaded sweet potato with black-eyed peas, green beans with leek and tomato, an oregano and cheese loaf bread, and a lemon and pistachio cookie. Ten Speed Press provided me with a free copy of this book: the opinions are my own.
December 27, 2025
Rate 3.5 Stars Rounded Up to 4
A nicely designed cookbook filled with well-written recipes based on the author's Palestinian roots. There are loads of beautiful photos of the dishes, which are ones the author cooks regularly at home, think Palestinian comfort food.
While these are a nice collection of homey plant-based recipes there was a fair bit of repetition, the same spices and ingredients show up again and again. I know these ingredients are commonly used in this cuisine but it was the same flavour profiles tweaked ever so slightly that felt repetative. I couldn't help but wonder whether this book would have been published if the author wasn't already a renowned chef/cookbook author. That said, this would be a good cookbook for less experienced cooks and those looking to eat a more plant-diet who enjoy Mediterranean flavours.
A nicely designed cookbook filled with well-written recipes based on the author's Palestinian roots. There are loads of beautiful photos of the dishes, which are ones the author cooks regularly at home, think Palestinian comfort food.
While these are a nice collection of homey plant-based recipes there was a fair bit of repetition, the same spices and ingredients show up again and again. I know these ingredients are commonly used in this cuisine but it was the same flavour profiles tweaked ever so slightly that felt repetative. I couldn't help but wonder whether this book would have been published if the author wasn't already a renowned chef/cookbook author. That said, this would be a good cookbook for less experienced cooks and those looking to eat a more plant-diet who enjoy Mediterranean flavours.
August 15, 2025
Update: I liked this cookbook so much I bought my own copy
Boustany means "my garden" in Arabic, and this cookbook is filled with fresh recipes using vegetables, fruits and nuts, foods traditionally found in the Palestinian garden. Sami Tamimi has included classic dishes of his homeland, and has also updated other dishes hilighting his traditions and culture.
The cookbook provides beautiful photographs of the easy to read recipes, and is divided into sections...soup, salads, breads, sweets etc. I particularly like the section on pantry items which includes recipes for labneh, green lemon sauce and preserved eggplant.
We have made Green beans with leek and tomato (Fasoulia Khadra bil zeit) and Rice & lentils wet pilaf (Sha'aktoura), both of which were delicious. We intend make many more!
Boustany means "my garden" in Arabic, and this cookbook is filled with fresh recipes using vegetables, fruits and nuts, foods traditionally found in the Palestinian garden. Sami Tamimi has included classic dishes of his homeland, and has also updated other dishes hilighting his traditions and culture.
The cookbook provides beautiful photographs of the easy to read recipes, and is divided into sections...soup, salads, breads, sweets etc. I particularly like the section on pantry items which includes recipes for labneh, green lemon sauce and preserved eggplant.
We have made Green beans with leek and tomato (Fasoulia Khadra bil zeit) and Rice & lentils wet pilaf (Sha'aktoura), both of which were delicious. We intend make many more!
January 22, 2026
This is a love letter to Palestinian food and the Palestinian people--
the author, who I first discovered when he co-authored a book with Yotam Ottolenghi called Jerusalem, lives in London, but his food is firmly rooted in the Middle East.
This is a bit of a love letter as well as a book full of food--there are stories to go with every recipe, and also at the beginning of each section.
This is a deeply personal book, laced with longing and a loving nostalgia. You can almost picture the author's grandparents’ boustan, or garden, and feel the joy he experienced spending time there as a child. He shares cherished family recipes, offers up dishes from the various ethnic communities in Palestine, and expresses enormous pride in his people’s culinary heritage.
It is all vegetables all the time. There are a lot of dairy products used, but they can often be eliminated or replaced with plant based alternatives if that is how you roll.
the author, who I first discovered when he co-authored a book with Yotam Ottolenghi called Jerusalem, lives in London, but his food is firmly rooted in the Middle East.
This is a bit of a love letter as well as a book full of food--there are stories to go with every recipe, and also at the beginning of each section.
This is a deeply personal book, laced with longing and a loving nostalgia. You can almost picture the author's grandparents’ boustan, or garden, and feel the joy he experienced spending time there as a child. He shares cherished family recipes, offers up dishes from the various ethnic communities in Palestine, and expresses enormous pride in his people’s culinary heritage.
It is all vegetables all the time. There are a lot of dairy products used, but they can often be eliminated or replaced with plant based alternatives if that is how you roll.
August 27, 2025
I am happy to have a Palestinian cookbook, although, most recipes have eggs or dairy (oh, so many eggs!).
This book was published this year, and it’s a shame the author didn’t (or couldn’t) call out the genocidal terrorist state of Israel. He could also put some food charities in there. A bit more about the culture and history of food in Palestine, would have been nice.
It’s a beautiful cookbook, but I was a little disappointed. 🇵🇸🍉☮️
This book was published this year, and it’s a shame the author didn’t (or couldn’t) call out the genocidal terrorist state of Israel. He could also put some food charities in there. A bit more about the culture and history of food in Palestine, would have been nice.
It’s a beautiful cookbook, but I was a little disappointed. 🇵🇸🍉☮️
November 1, 2025
Yes, I actually do read my cookbooks cover to cover!
February 25, 2026
I've been getting more and more into vegetarian cooking lately so I was anxious to read Boustany. The cover is lovely and I love the title of the book (garden).
The book opens with "Pantry: pickles, dairy, condiments and spice mixes." This section just might be worth the price of the book. There's over twenty pages of pickles, condiments, and spice mixes (with one labneh recipe). Tamimi adds how to use these pantry staples and they are referred to in the following recipes.
The rest of the book is categorized into "Breakfast and brunch," "Small plates and spreads," "Salads," "Soups," "Weekday dinners," Sharing and special occasions," "Breads," and "Sweets."
Here are the recipes from each section that seemed to stand out (read "I want to try them"):
Pantry: Labneh (23)
Breakfast: Cardamom pancakes with tahini, halva & carob (54-55)
Small plates: Honestly, there are too many to name here BUT they all require such garden fresh ingredients that I will have to wait for our growing season.
Salads: The same was true for most of the salad recipes because lots of fresh herbs are called form. I do want to highlight his Garlic-infused broccoli & labneh dip though (102) and Turmeric cauliflower & chickpeas with lemon yogurt (126).
Soups: Chilled tomato & avocado soup with burnt chile (140)
Weekday dinners: Loaded sweet potatoes with black-eyed peas (182)
Sharing and special occasions: Asparagus, leek & hazelnut galette (218)
Bread: Za'atar & anise crackers (246)
Sweets: Spiced apple, walnut & lemon cake (274)
The photographs are beautiful and would be helpful in putting the dishes together.
There might be a bit lost in translation from the Palestinian kitchen via London to the U.S. When Tamimi calls for chiles, I wasn't sure exactly what kind. Red chile and green chile were ingredients in many recipes. I just wasn't sure what varieties. (I didn't find any help in the glossary.) Other than that, most all ingredients are readily obtainable.
This is a book I'm glad I checked out of the library and didn't buy, though. I found a few things that spoke to me but not like in Linger. (I'm still making dishes from that cookbook.)
I did find a recipe that intrigued me. I found myself in the same situation as Tamimi one weekend:
Craving a flavorful yet easy lunch option, I sought to create something delicious without the need for extensive cooking. Inspired by Palestinian cuisine, where cooked greens often become delicious dishes, I decided to make a dip similar to the traditional taghmees. (102)
Tamimi used a head of broccoli that was staring back at him from his refrigerator. I used a over abundance of spinach that was starring back at me.
Tamimi lists his recipe under "Salads" yet this is truly a
The book opens with "Pantry: pickles, dairy, condiments and spice mixes." This section just might be worth the price of the book. There's over twenty pages of pickles, condiments, and spice mixes (with one labneh recipe). Tamimi adds how to use these pantry staples and they are referred to in the following recipes.
The rest of the book is categorized into "Breakfast and brunch," "Small plates and spreads," "Salads," "Soups," "Weekday dinners," Sharing and special occasions," "Breads," and "Sweets."
Here are the recipes from each section that seemed to stand out (read "I want to try them"):
Pantry: Labneh (23)
Breakfast: Cardamom pancakes with tahini, halva & carob (54-55)
Small plates: Honestly, there are too many to name here BUT they all require such garden fresh ingredients that I will have to wait for our growing season.
Salads: The same was true for most of the salad recipes because lots of fresh herbs are called form. I do want to highlight his Garlic-infused broccoli & labneh dip though (102) and Turmeric cauliflower & chickpeas with lemon yogurt (126).
Soups: Chilled tomato & avocado soup with burnt chile (140)
Weekday dinners: Loaded sweet potatoes with black-eyed peas (182)
Sharing and special occasions: Asparagus, leek & hazelnut galette (218)
Bread: Za'atar & anise crackers (246)
Sweets: Spiced apple, walnut & lemon cake (274)
The photographs are beautiful and would be helpful in putting the dishes together.
There might be a bit lost in translation from the Palestinian kitchen via London to the U.S. When Tamimi calls for chiles, I wasn't sure exactly what kind. Red chile and green chile were ingredients in many recipes. I just wasn't sure what varieties. (I didn't find any help in the glossary.) Other than that, most all ingredients are readily obtainable.
This is a book I'm glad I checked out of the library and didn't buy, though. I found a few things that spoke to me but not like in Linger. (I'm still making dishes from that cookbook.)
I did find a recipe that intrigued me. I found myself in the same situation as Tamimi one weekend:
Craving a flavorful yet easy lunch option, I sought to create something delicious without the need for extensive cooking. Inspired by Palestinian cuisine, where cooked greens often become delicious dishes, I decided to make a dip similar to the traditional taghmees. (102)
Tamimi used a head of broccoli that was staring back at him from his refrigerator. I used a over abundance of spinach that was starring back at me.
Tamimi lists his recipe under "Salads" yet this is truly a
August 24, 2025
Gibt’s eigentlich ein Gesetz dagegen, dass Kochbücher süchtig machen? Falls ja, dann müsste „Boustany“ sofort auf den Index gesetzt werden. Dieses Teil liegt auf meinem Küchentisch wie eine Dauer-Einladung nach Palästina – und zwar in die vegetarisch-vegane Genuss-Lounge. Kaum aufgeschlagen, schon riecht man gedanklich nach Kreuzkümmel, Zitrone und frisch gerösteten Kichererbsen. Und ganz ehrlich: Wenn ein Kochbuch es schafft, dass ich freiwillig ein Glas Tahin aus dem Schrank hole, ohne dass mich jemand dazu zwingt, dann ist das schon die halbe Miete.
Sami Tamimi bringt in seinen Rezepten eine solche Wärme rüber, dass man fast meint, er sitzt persönlich am Herd und ruft: „Mach mehr Knoblauch rein, Bruder, vertrau mir!“ Und ja, ich hab’s getan. Ergebnis? Mein Freundeskreis denkt seitdem, ich wäre ein heimlicher Mezze-König. Ob Linsen-Fatteh, das am nächsten Tag noch besser schmeckt, oder Auberginen mit Zitronen-Kick – das hier ist kein Standard-Kochbuch, das ist ein Festival der Geschmacksknospen.
Natürlich habe ich schon so einige Hochglanz-Kochbücher durchprobiert, die mehr zum Blättern als zum Kochen taugen. „Boustany“ ist das Gegenteil: fleckig, weil ständig in Gebrauch, mit Kichererbsenresten zwischen den Seiten und Olivenöl-Fingerabdrücken als Erinnerungsstücke. Und wisst ihr was? Genau so soll’s sein.
Fazit: Dieses Buch ist nicht nur eine Sammlung von Rezepten, sondern eine Einladung, sich einmal quer durch die palästinensische Seele zu futtern. Und das ganz ohne Fleisch. Wer also meint, vegetarisch sei langweilig, sollte sich warm anziehen – „Boustany“ bläst dir diese Ausrede direkt vom Teller.
Sami Tamimi bringt in seinen Rezepten eine solche Wärme rüber, dass man fast meint, er sitzt persönlich am Herd und ruft: „Mach mehr Knoblauch rein, Bruder, vertrau mir!“ Und ja, ich hab’s getan. Ergebnis? Mein Freundeskreis denkt seitdem, ich wäre ein heimlicher Mezze-König. Ob Linsen-Fatteh, das am nächsten Tag noch besser schmeckt, oder Auberginen mit Zitronen-Kick – das hier ist kein Standard-Kochbuch, das ist ein Festival der Geschmacksknospen.
Natürlich habe ich schon so einige Hochglanz-Kochbücher durchprobiert, die mehr zum Blättern als zum Kochen taugen. „Boustany“ ist das Gegenteil: fleckig, weil ständig in Gebrauch, mit Kichererbsenresten zwischen den Seiten und Olivenöl-Fingerabdrücken als Erinnerungsstücke. Und wisst ihr was? Genau so soll’s sein.
Fazit: Dieses Buch ist nicht nur eine Sammlung von Rezepten, sondern eine Einladung, sich einmal quer durch die palästinensische Seele zu futtern. Und das ganz ohne Fleisch. Wer also meint, vegetarisch sei langweilig, sollte sich warm anziehen – „Boustany“ bläst dir diese Ausrede direkt vom Teller.
April 2, 2026
Overall: 4.5 stars
Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆
Ingredient accessibility: ★★★★★
Flavour: ★★★★★
What a brilliant book.
I’ve never come across a vegetarian book where I’ve wanted to make so many of the recipes.
The only things I would improve are that I wish the recipes had time estimates! Why is it that all the new cookbooks don’t have time estimates anymore??
And also, some recipes felt a little out of place considering it’s a Palestinian book (like loaded sweet potato with black eyed beans), but maybe I just don’t know the cuisine as well as I thought I did!
I rarely re-borrow cookbooks from the library but this one will be on repeat and very tempting to buy. You absolutely should try the lemony spinach soup with crunchy Zataar, the two lentil mejardra and roast eggplant fatteh - all of which I have made and absolutely loved.
Thank you so much Sami for this amazing book. If I had to buy a cookbook as a gift for someone, this one would definitely come to mind.
Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆
Ingredient accessibility: ★★★★★
Flavour: ★★★★★
What a brilliant book.
I’ve never come across a vegetarian book where I’ve wanted to make so many of the recipes.
The only things I would improve are that I wish the recipes had time estimates! Why is it that all the new cookbooks don’t have time estimates anymore??
And also, some recipes felt a little out of place considering it’s a Palestinian book (like loaded sweet potato with black eyed beans), but maybe I just don’t know the cuisine as well as I thought I did!
I rarely re-borrow cookbooks from the library but this one will be on repeat and very tempting to buy. You absolutely should try the lemony spinach soup with crunchy Zataar, the two lentil mejardra and roast eggplant fatteh - all of which I have made and absolutely loved.
Thank you so much Sami for this amazing book. If I had to buy a cookbook as a gift for someone, this one would definitely come to mind.
August 25, 2025
Sami Tamini’s new cookbook is a beautiful tribute to his Palestinian heritage and his grandparents Boustan-garden. The produce he saw grown there inspired this book of vegetarian recipes. You’ll be inspired too by the colors and textures in the photographs. There are recipes from simple to somewhat complicated for basic meals and snacks to bakes and celebrations. I appreciate the design of the book and the recipes are well-written and easy to follow. It gets bonus points for laying flat when open and having a place ribbon. So far I’ve made the Smoky Chickpeas with cilantro tahini, Za’atar & Anise Crackers, Mango & Salted Seeds Parfait, and Fried Halloumi with Purslane Salad. I’d recommend this book for intermediate to experienced cooks looking for some new adventures in vegetables. Ten Speed Press provided me with a free copy of this book; the opinions are my own.
December 10, 2025
I have to love a book that has my name in it (p. 63). Also delicious roasted veggies. It's very cosmopolitan with everything from foraged greens to cauliflower and avocado. I particularly liked the section on the breads and those dishes that use stale bread. What you won't find is dishes people in the West associate with "Middle Eastern" like hummus and baba ghanouj, but there are umpteen creative soups and salads. I liked the different kinds of kubbeh, which I had thought was only made with meat. I noticed he uses cornstarch to make his ashta. I would only wish for the names of dishes in Arabic to be in actual Arabic, even if dialect. I loved the pictures of Bobo and Bibi that close the book.
August 27, 2025
Gorgeous cover, beautiful photos. Creative, simple ideas for cooking vegetables with fresh, colorful ingredients. I wasn’t a fan of the book’s layout. You see a photo & then you have to turn the page to match it with the recipe. There are a lot of specialty or unfamiliar ingredients & spices, but I think if I left a couple out most recipes would still be delicious. I liked the idea of mashing beans & I loved all the yogurt sauces.
July 21, 2025
Cannot wait to cook all of these recipies...and share them with all my friends!
July 28, 2025
Beautifully printed and illustrated, beautifully and concisely written, mouth-watering vegetarian recipes.
Free Palestine!
Free Palestine!
August 26, 2025
Alhamdulillah there is still some joy to be found in this world
December 21, 2025
An excellent book about great foods from Palestine.
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January 30, 2026Fava and eggplant with eggs - a nice variation on shakshuka type dish.
Lentil soup with dried mint and lemon - so fast and simple, good leftovers with old bread.
Lentil soup with dried mint and lemon - so fast and simple, good leftovers with old bread.
February 6, 2026
a wide range of recipes - i liked how they were collected together.
June 18, 2025
Beautiful book full of beautiful recipies
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews