Published by Grub Street, London, 2010, softcover, index, 384 pages, condition: as new.
All Arto der Haroutunians twelve cookbooks written in the 1980s became classics; it was his belief that the rich culinary tradition of the Middle East is the main source of many of our Western cuisines and his books were intended as an introduction to that tradition.
His Middle Eastern Cookery is regarded as the seminal work on the subject but it has been out of print for twenty years with second hand copies on offer for over four hundred pounds, such was its scarcity and popularity. At last here in a new redesigned edition is the Middle Eastern cookbook that everyone wants. It is a book containing every possible recipe from the Middle East there are dishes from the plains of Georgia, from Afganistan, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Persia and Armenia.
It is written in the same wonderful style as his other classic cookbooks; peppered with anecdotes on life, food and culture. He guides us first round the mezze table and then leads us on to recipes for soups, salads, savouries, pilaffs, kebabs, casseroles and grills that make the best use of meat, fish and poultry. He teaches the cook about the different spices that are favored by different countries mint for Armenia, cumin for Iran and with each recipe comes a piece of history or a fable which makes this a book to read as well as an unequaled collection of recipes.
Arto der Haroutunian was born in Aleppo, Syria in 1940 and grew up in the Levant, but came to England as a child and remained here for most of his life. In 1970, in partnership with his brother, he opened the first Armenian restaurant in Manchester which eventually became a successful chain of six restaurants and two hotels. He died in 1987 at the untimely age of 47 but is survived by his wife and son who still live in Manchester. As well as his passion for cooking, Arto was a painter of international reputation, a composer and translator of Turkish, Arab, Persian and Armenian authors. He was a true polymath.
Part cookbook, part regional history, part folklore: all good. Some might miss having sexy, full-color shots of the dishes, but I find the trade-off here is quality information and some solid recipes. I understand the print version of this book has been out of print for some years and used copies go for triple-digits. That will likely change now that Haroutumin's books are being re-released as e-books.
This book contains recipes from all over the Middle East, and many recipes detail regional variations. There are a wide range, from family dining to feast day dishes. A few recipes are not going to be to the mainstream American tastes (due to texture or use of offal), but they are still very interesting for learning about the region's food culture and history.
Recipes are written in a conversational format that I found interesting and approachable. The author describes not only the steps, but clues for how things should look or feel. It's probably going to be a stretch for a beginner cook who thinks opening a can or box is cooking, but all the information is right there. Anyone comfortable making a meatloaf or from-scratch cake should be more than comfortable with this level of recipe.
