The Gaza Kitchen

The Gaza Kitchen is a richly illustrated cookbook that explores the distinctive cuisine and food heritage of the area known as The Gaza Strip which stands along the Mediterranean Sea and the Sinai Desert, between the Levant and North Africa, between the Arab world and Europe. Accordingly, its food speaks of all these influences. But this is not simply a recipe book, though it contains some wonderful recipes, it is a book about the food of Gaza and the origins of that food, taking readers inside the traditions and cultures of an ancient land. In an area even as small as the Gaza Strip, there's such a wide range of differences in the cuisine. Along the 25-mile Mediterranean coastline, dishes such as sayadiyya abus hasira, sea bass spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom, are full of seafood, while villages inland tend to rely on dishes that are enriched with spices and grains: Sumagiyya, a sumac-infused stew, is a typical dish from Gaza City, while roasted watermelon salad is a specialty of the southern towns and for vegetarians, so many of the recipes are delicious, protein-rich, and complex.
What makes Gazan food distinct is that it contains more chilli, and dill, and has more peppery, herby, lemony flavours than other Middle Eastern cuisines. This remarkable book has earned praise from food luminaries including Claudia Roden and Anthony Bourdain, and it was honoured in the Arab category of the 2013 Gourmand Cookbook Awards, announced at the Paris Cookbook Fair. This is not just a cookbook but also about a people's way of life.