The Lebanese Kitchen Hardcover – October 22, 2012

The Lebanese Kitchen by Salma Hage (author) and Toby Glanville (photographer) is the best Lebanese cookbook EVER! I have several on my bookshelf, but this one is like being in my dear Mother's kitchen, throughout my childhood, right at her elbow, helping to cook dinner, and then, eating her fabulous Lebanese food. The recipes are simple, uncluttered, and authentic, and are accompanied by photographs which do the food justice. I am only realizing now, with this book, that what I always thought were recipes my Mother made up OR culled from The Los Angeles Times, are, in fact, traditional Lebanese recipes (for example, pickled turnips). I have an eight year old grandnephew who loves to cook, and this book is going to be one of his presents at this holiday season. His mother, my niece and goddaughter, learned to cook Lebanese food from both her sittos (one of them, my Mother), and from her mother, and keeps the tradition alive. So this book will be well used in both of our kitchens. When I left home, decades ago, I sat with my Mother for several hours, writing out in long hand with pencil, a handful of my favorites of her recipes. I have them to this day, but this cookbook makes my Mother's legacy to me, permanent. Even tho Lebanon is small, there may still be some regional variations, so sometimes, Lebanese recipes don't ring true for me when I see them in various newspapers, but these recipes are exactly how my Mother cooked. I am overjoyed at discovering this book, thanks to Maureen Abood's lovely review. As always, food is one of the main instruments by which culture is carried through time, so this book, in addition to being a valuable culinary tool, also preserves our culture for second and third generation Lebanese-Americans and their children and grandchildren.

Middle Eastern food has been my favorite for a long time, but there are no good restaurants in my area, so I finally bit the bullet and asked for this book last Pascha. (Okay, I also ordered and paid for it, but I promised to give my husband credit.) I just opened it last week in preparation for the Dormition Fast, when we eat vegan for two weeks. I've tried 5 recipes so far, and as far as I'm concerned just those 5 are worth the cover price!It is difficult to convey the scope of this cookbook: there are over 500 recipes, including many variations on a theme (half a dozen varieties of hummus, for example.) It's easy to be overwhelmed, so I recommend starting with a few of the basics. Last week I cooked Hummus (38), Baba Ganoush (46), Fattoush (40), Walnut and Cayenne Dip (49), and Pickled Turnips (484). Every recipe was a gem: full of bright, healthy flavors, simple to prepare and -- best of all -- tasting exactly the way it does in good Middle Eastern restaurants.There is a fair amount of prep work, since you're working with such fresh produce, but most things can be chopped and blended in bulk ahead of time: I did that and after one afternoon of cooking, I ate delicious leftovers all week. The flavors really develop after a few days in the refrigerator, and the food is even better. I'm already planning a birthday party for my mom next week, including those 5 and a few others (Falafel, Fried Cauliflower, Tabbouli, Semolina & Almond Cake. Hungry yet?)Someday I hope to be able to try every recipe in this book! I know it's ambitious, but God willing, I have many years to work toward that goal. :)

My husband's background is Lebanese, so this book is great for someone like me (a straight-up American country girl) who doesn't even know WHERE to begin with this type of flavor profile. As with any cookbook, you'll have to tweak the recipes according to your personal taste. My husband says that the Chicken Shwarma recipe has the right taste (even though this recipe is for the stove and not a vertical rotisserie), and the fish Tahini Breaded Fish recipe was a big hit, even with my 6-yr-old kid (who is also a straight-up country girl). Also, the book itself is beautiful and looks great on my counter...not that you can eat the book, but it does make for a nice display.

This is a great collection of Lebanese recipes and techniques. The recipes are very good, but the book has many annoying errors. For example, the index is very complete, but will often direct you to the wrong page. The correct recipe is often found 2-3 pages forward or back from the number provided.Phaidon Press should really re-print this wonderful collection of recipes to fix the errors in this book.

I was extremely pleased with the binding and organization of this book by Phaidon press. The cookbook has serrated pages for easy turning and also, 2 ribbon bookmarks. I have never seen serrated pages from American publishers. There are a wide variety of recipes, several for kibbeh and also a recipe for pecan baklava. This is just the beginning of wonderful recipes to prepare. I probably will never travel to Beirut or Lebanon but I can certainly experience the culture by preparing the food. Many thanks to both the author and the publisher!.

I should say first that this is the kind of cookbook you need to read through, then use. First, because it will take the home cook quite a while to decide what to make; and second, if you're not near an ethnic grocer, some ingredients will need to be ordered online. I love the za'atar recipe, and I'm looking forward to the winter storm warning this weekend to try some of the bread recipes!

My husband is Lebanese American, and the son of Lebanese immigrant parents. His mom was an amazing cook of Lebanese foods, and my husband is equally a great cook! He keeps say that his mom would have loved this cookbook, and he is using it on a regular basis! We can't say enough wonderful things about this wonderful cookbook!

My mother in-law from Lebanon bought this for me as one of our engagement gifts and she said it is the bible for the Lebanese food they make in their home. I have made a few of the dishes with the family and they always use this cookbook. I recently started watching the author on youtube.I am learning!!! stunning texture and details on book

This cookbook is full of incredible recipes! It quickly became a family favorite and educated me in cooking this type of cuisine.

schönes Kochbuch mit sehr leckeren Rezepten, Rezepe für libanesische Gewürzmischungen sind mit anegeben, die ebenfalls sehr lecker sind. Buch sehr zu empfehlen, wenn man diese Küche mag.

Magnifique livre très épais et qui vous inspirera certainement so bad that there was no French version available but apparently it will be printed again shortly un livre à avoir bientot ré disponible en français (réimpression en cours)

ok

The book is in english and is plentiful of nice lebanese cooking recipes most of them traditional, and all of them keeping the real method and ingredients.