Paola Gavin

Food and cooking are at the heart of Jewish life. During their 2,000 years of exile, Jews migrated across the world taking their culinary heritage and traditions with them. Wherever they settled, they adapted the dishes of their country of residence to fit their own dietary customs and laws, and as a result, Jewish food today embraces a vast variety of cuisines and cooking styles.Acclaimed food writer Paola Gavin takes the reader on a culinary journey through more than twenty countries from Poland to Morocco uncovering a myriad traditional vegetarian dishes that play such an important part in Jewish cooking. When Jews arrived in the Promised Land they became farmers and agriculturists, growing wheat, barley, rye and millet. Their diet was mainly vegetarian – based on bread, pulses, goat’s and sheep’s cheese, olives and nuts, vegetables and herbs, fresh and dried fruit. For the poor, food was made more palatable by sweetening with honey or syrup made from dates, pomegranates or carob beans. These are some of the unique tastes and ingredients that are still associated with modern Jewish cooking today.Through 150 recipes Paola leads us from North Africa to Italy, Lithuania, Turkey and beyond, examining the subtle differences and genesis of the dishes of these regions. With lavish, colourful food photography and a meticulously researched narrative, Hazana is a classic in cookbook writing.

This delicious collection of over 225 traditional Mediterranean dishes from over 15 countries makes it easy to reap the benefits of eating a Mediterranean diet, which has been linked to good health and a longer life by lowering the risk of heart disease and cancer. The dishes range from appetisers, salads, main courses, soups, eggs, rice, pasta and vegetables to desserts. These recipes have been passed down through generations of simple peasant cooking and still retain their original flavour and appeal. Traditional favourites like Potato and Spinach Croquettes from Albania, avocado Hummus from Israel, Ravioli and Eggplant from Sardinia, Neapolitan Stuffed Tomatoes from Italy, Chocolate Mousse with Almonds from France are also included. The accompanying text provides profiles of each region, outlining the cultural and historical foundations of each country's culinary specialities.

This stunning book is a collection of over 200 tasty recipes featuring the marvelously varied vegetarian cuisine of France. Represented within are French provincial, regional and local specialties from Flanders to Provence that showcase the vast range of flavors to be found in French cuisine. Vegetarian food is nothing new to France where vegetables have always been treated with great respect. In the Middle Ages, after France suffered many famines; cereals, dried beans, roots, and herbs formed the basis of the peasant diet. French cooking as we know it today did not evolve until after Catherine de Medici married the Dauphin and brought her Italian chefs to France. This book is a personal collection of regional vegetarian dishes from all over France; their influences range from Flemish and German cuisine in the north to Spanish and Italian in the south. Within you will find gratins from Savoie, lentil dishes from Languedoc, wine-based dishes from Burgundy and ratatouille from Provence. These concise and easy-to-follow recipes bring the famed cuisine of France to your vegetarian kitchen.

Easy-to-follow directions and an introduction explaining the cuisines makes this an enlightening as well as a delicious read. DSBooklist