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| The Foods of Israel Today | 
 enlarge | Author: Joan Nathan
Publisher: Knopf
Category: Book
List Price: $40.00
Buy Used: $9.22
You Save: $30.78 (77%)
New (23) Used (20) Collectible (3) from $9.22
Avg. Customer Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 246873
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.6
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 8.3 x 1.5
ISBN: 0679451072
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.595694
EAN: 9780679451075
ASIN: 0679451072
Publication Date: March 6, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Ships within 24-hours, Monday-Friday. Your satisfaction guaranteed.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
"Joan Nathan has created a masterful blend of food and culture. She takes her reader on an extraordinary journey through the history of the land of Israel and the development of modern Israeli food. I was delighted to visit all the different ethnic communities that have contributed to Israeli cuisine, and my mouth watered just imagining the feast that Joan Nathan describes."
--Teddy Kollek, former mayor of Jerusalem
In this richly evocative book, Joan Nathan captures the spirit of Israel today by exploring its multifaceted cuisine. She delves into the histories of the people already settled in this nearly barren land, as well as those who immigrated and helped to quickly transform it into a country bursting with new produce. It is a dramatic and moving saga, interlarded with more than two hundred wonderful recipes that represent all the varied ethnic backgrounds. Every recipe has a story, and through these tales the story of Israel emerges.
Nathan shows how a typical Israeli menu today might include Middle Eastern hummus, a European schnitzel (made with native-raised turkey) accompanied by a Turkish eggplant salad and a Persian rice dish, with, perhaps, Jaffa Orange Delight for dessert. On Friday nights she visits with home cooks who may be preparing a traditional Libyan, Moroccan, Italian, or German meal for their families, the Sabbath being the focal point of the week throughout Israel (all her recipes are accordingly kosher). And she takes us to markets overflowing with vegetables, fruits, herbs, and spices.
To gather the recipes and the stories, Nathan has been traveling the length and breadth of Israel for many years--to a Syrian Alawite village on the northern border for a vegetarian kubbeh and to Bet She'an for potato burekas; to the Red Sea for farmed sea bream and to the Sea of Galilee for St. Peter's fish; to Jerusalem's Bukharan Quarter for Iraqi pita bread baked in a wood-fired clay oven, to the Nahlaot neighborhood for Yemenite fried pancake-like bread, and to a Druse village for paper-thin lavash; to a tiny restaurant in Haifa for Turkish coconut cake and to a wedding at Kibbutz May'ayan Baruch in the upper Galilee for Moroccan sweet couscous; and to many, many other places. All the while, she seeks out biblical connections between ancient herbs and vegetables and their modern counterparts, between Esau's mess of pottage and today's popular taboulleh, and she delights us with tales of all she encounters.
Throughout, Joan Nathan shows us how food in this politically turbulent land can be a way of breaking down barriers between Jews, Moslems, and Christians. Generously illustrated with colorful photographs, this enormously engaging book is one to treasure, not only as a splendid cookbook but also as a unique record of life in Israel.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
The foods of Israel today May 14, 2008
Foods of Israel Today is a fantastic book. My husband and chef did not want to return the library's copy. I told him we could buy it from you. That was a wise decision. He has made the Israeli moussaca and the bosnian fish stew. I highly reccomend this book.
The Foods of Israel Today February 5, 2008
When I returned from a trip to Israel, I went looking for a cookbook that presented authentic Israeli recipes to duplicate the tastes I had found on my trip. This book fills the bill. Joan Nathan always does a wonderful job of presenting Jewish recipes and cooking history; she is an author one can trust for authenticity. "Foods of Israel" not only contains excellent, well-researched recipes, but Ms. Nathan's commentary on the food, its presentation, its history, etc. make for wonderful reading. I tend to use cookbooks as reading matter rather than simply as directions; this book fulfills both needs superbly.
Awesome book January 12, 2008
I have been to Israel in the past year and I came back enjoying the food. This is a great book and very authentic! If you have never been, this is about as close as you will get.
History and cooking July 19, 2007
I love Joan Nathan to begin with. Her recipes are always easy to follow and don't call for a million items that you have to search for in speciality stores. This book is like reading a novel. I have several of her books and love when she explains where and how the foods came into being. I would highly recommend it.
A Treat for Gourmet Cooks May 9, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
When I came back from my first trip to Israel, I knew I had to have a cookbook that reflected all the smells and the tastes of Israel. I have always loved Joan Nathan's cookbooks. Her books are chockfull of great information and personal comments, not to mention incredibly delicious recipes! In The Foods of Israel there is a great assortment of recipes reflecting the different cultures that have influenced Israeli cuisine. There are recipes for such standard fare as hummus and fellafel and recipes that are pleasing to the palate using such herbs and spices as cumin, papkria, and cinnamin. Some of the recipes call for sumac, but since I have no idea what that is, I just left it out. Some of the ingredient lists are long, but most of the ingredients are easily obtainable, if one does not have them on hand. Some of the recipes are somewhat involved, but are well worth the effort. As with all recipes, it is important to read all the way through since some require marinating overnight. The writing of the recipes is simple and easy to follow. The table of contents and the index is helpful to the reader. I also loved the illustrations. By now you will have realized that I highly recommend this book!
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