Tamarind and Saffron: Favourite Recipes from the Middle East

by Claudia Roden

The ravishing cover of Tamarind and Saffron, brilliant yellow quinces in a blue-glazed dish, hints at the pleasures within its covers. Claudia Roden has subtitled the book "Favourite Recipes from the Middle East", and it is no more and no less than this. Eschewing the broad historical and geographical panorama that so enriched The Book of Jewish Food, she concentrates solely on the food, putting together a collection of recipes from the Middle East that are light, fresh, delicious and immensely evocative. The enticing aromas of North Africa rise from its pages, expressed in the differing spice-dialects of the national cuisines--the coriander, cinnamon, cumin, honey, orange-blossom water, preserved lemon, mint. The dishes range from the simplest of mezze to elaborate feast dishes but there is nothing that is remotely difficult. At the minimalist end of the scale, "Squid with Garlic and Chillies" is just that--the three briefly fried together; "Artichokes, Broad Beans and Almonds" combines unexpected ingredients to exquisite effect; and the Quince Dessert simply poaches the fruit in a light syrup, allowing its magical flavour to predominate. More demanding dishes include the spectacular " Pigeons Stuffed with Cous cous", the very elegant "Turkish Lamb Stew with Aubergine Cream Sauce" and "Roast Leg of Lamb with Meat, Rice and Nut Stuffing" (standing for that grandest of Arab dishes, whole stuffed baby lamb). And then there are the sweet dishes. This is an endlessly fascinating book, its deceptive simplicity masking a profound knowledge of the region's food. Really, as critics tend to say, one could cook from it forever. --Robin Davidson

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Claudia Roden was brought up in Cairo. She finished her education in Paris and later studied art in London. Starting as a painter she was drawn to the subject of food partly through a desire to evoke a lost heritage - one of the pleasures of a happy life in Egypt.
With her bestselling classic, A Book of Middle Eastern Food, first published in 1968, Roden revolutionized Western attitudes to the cuisine of the Middle East. Her intensely personal approach and her passionate appreciation of the dishes delighted readers, while she introduced them to a new world of foods, both exotic and wholesome. The book received great critical acclaim.
Mrs Roden continued to write about food with a special interest in the social and historical background of cooking.
Then came the BBC television series, Mediterranean Cookery with Claudia Roden and the accompanying book entitled Claudia Roden's Mediterranean Cookery.
In 1992, she won the Glenfiddich Trophy, the top prize in the Glenfiddich Awards.

Reviews

[Julie Thomason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy Claudia Rodeo both as a cookery writer and the recipes she uses. I love Middle Eastern Food. However I have some of her other cook books and I found quite a few of the recipes repeated but looking forward to trying some new ones.