The Arabian Nights Cookbook: From Lamb Kebabs to Baba Ghanouj, Delicious Homestyle Middle Eastern Cookbook

by Habeeb Salloum

**2011 Best Arab Cuisine book in the U.S., Gourmand World Cookbook Award**

Prepare delicious and healthy meals with this award-winning Arabian cookbook

For untold centuries, the Bedouin of the Arabian Peninsula, in their desert tents, have served their honored guests lavish meals featuring roasted lamb with rice. Bedouin hospitality has not changed over the ages, but Arabian cuisine has undergone a remarkable evolution in the last 100 years, making it extremely diverse. This diversity is due, in part, to the explosion of wealth on the Arabian peninsula which has drawn people—along with their foods and cooking methods—from around the world.

The blending of these culinary worlds has produced something remarkable. In The Arabian Nights Cookbook, author Habeeb Salloum has compiled an amazing array of recipes that celebrate this blending of cultures while still making it compatible with the everyday kitchens of the Western world. From the familiar, Hummus Bi-Tahini, to the unique, Stuffed Lamb, Salloum offers an accessible world of savory tastes and memory provoking aromas.

Authentic Arabian recipes Classic Hummus Chickpea Puree Spicy Eggplant Salad Hearty Meat and Bulghur Soup Tandoori Chicken, Omani-Style Golden Meat Turnovers Fish Fillets in an Aromatic Red Sauce Spicy Falafel Patties Delicious Stuffed Zucchini Cardamom Fritters with Walnuts in Orange-Blossom Syrup Real Arab Coffee Made Just Right And many more…

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Food and Drink, Nonfiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Habeeb Salloum is a Canadian author who grew up in Saskatchewan, joined the RCAF during the Second World War, and then worked for the Canadian Department of National Revenue for 36 years. For the last 36 years, he has been a full-time Author and Freelance Writer specializing in food, history and travel. Besides 15 books and 20 chapters in books, he has had refereed articles appear in academic journals such as Canadian Ethnic Studies (University of Calgary); Saskatchewan History (University of Saskatchewan), and The Muslim World (Hartford Seminary). In addition, he has had hundreds of articles about culture, food, travel, history and homesteading in western Canada appear in such publications as the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, the Western Producer, Contemporary Review, Forever Young Information Magazine, Countryside & Small Stock Journal Magazine, Vitality Magazine and Saveur.
He is author of: From the Lands of Figs and Olives (Interlink Publishing, 1996); Journeys Back to Arab Spain (The Middle East Studies Center, 1994); Arabic Contributions to the English Vocabulary (Librairie du Liban, 1996); Classic Vegetarian Cooking From the Middle East and North Africa (Interlink Publishing, 2000); Arab Cooking on a Saskatchewan Homestead: Recipes And Recollections (CPRC, University of Regina, 2005), Bison Delights (CPRC, University of Regina, 2010), The Arabian Nights Cookbook (Tuttle Publishing, 2010); Asian Cooking Made Simple (Sweet Grass Books/Far Country Press, 2014); Arab Cooking on a Prairie Homestead – Recipes and Recollections from a Syrian Pioneer (University of Regina Press, 2017); co-author of two major research studies on medieval Arab cookery: Scheherazade’s Feasts: Foods of the Medieval Arab World (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013), Sweet Delights from A Thousand and One Nights: The Story of Traditional Arab Sweets (I.B. Tauris, 2013); and The Scent of Pomegranates and Rose Water (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2018).
Habeeb’s cookbooks have won international awards: Winner of the Cuisine Canada and The University of Guelph's Silver Canadian Culinary Book Awards in 2006 for Arab Cooking on a Saskatchewan Homestead: Recipes and Recollections (CPRC, University of Regina, 2005); Winner for Canada: Category "Canada-English for Best Arab Cuisine Cookbook" for Bison Delights: Middle Eastern Cuisine, Western Style (Regina: CPRC, University of Regina, 2010), Gourmand Best in the World Competition, Gourmand Awards, Paris, 2010; and Winner for U.S.A.: Category "Best Arab Cuisine Cookbook" for The Arabian Nights: From Lamb Kebabs to Baba Ghannouj (North Clarendon, Vermont: Tuttle Publishing, 2010), Gourmand Best in the World Competition, Paris, 2010.
Habeeb was awarded the 2013 Saskatchewan Tourism Travel Media Award by Saskatchewan Tourism (Provincial Government of Saskatchewan) on April 10, 2014 for his literary work on travel, tourism and the culinary arts of that province. In September 2018, Habeeb was awarded the Governor General of Canada’s Meritorious Service Medal for his ground-breaking research and publications about the early Syrian immigrants to Canada, adding a new area of study in Canadiana studies.

Reviews

[Jun]

My first book of mid-east cooking. Good general introduction of local food culture. I am especially interested in the drinks section - I want to get a set of the traditional Dallah and demitasse (china cups) next to my collections of
Chinese, English, and Japanese tea and coffee sets. I will definitely brew every of those delicious drinks once I get the ingredients ready, such as the orange blossom water. Several of the lamb dishes are next on my "new dishes to learn" list.

[Aasinathena]

This is my first reading about Arabian Cuisine ! Very Interesting ! But However I wished it had the recipe for Maqlooba.

[Angela Ould Bouya]

Fabulous recipes and interesting background information. Love the Palestinian credits!

[Rochelle]

Amazing recipes that are easy to pull together and easy to find ingredients.

[Jennifer]

Yep. I'm counting a cookbook because I am currently 3 books behind my annual goodreads goal.

Plus, I did actually peruse all of the recipes, and I've cooked 4 of them (tandoori chicken, hummus, tabbouleh, and basmati rice pilaf), so I figure that must count as reading the book - even if I didn't read every single word.

I'm not a cook at all, and this cookbook was very accessible for me. It allowed to attempt some of my favorite Middle Eastern dishes without being overwhelming with either the number of ingredients or number of steps.

Plus, there were lots of full-color photographs, which is a must in any cookbook for me.

The author also did an excellent job in explaining the different ways some of the dishes were cooked depending upon the region you are in. The book also contained good explanations about the ingredients that are often used in Middle Eastern cooking.

I liked it, and I plan to attempt more of the recipes in the future.

It was a sad day when I had to return it to the library.

[Kara]

Mouthwatering photographs of a wide array of delicious recipes from appetizers to desserts. There’s also a good opening section of explanations about the basics of the ingredients and kitchen utensils needed for most of the recipes.

However, with a title using the phrase “Arabian Nights” I thought there would be a tie in to the literature, or at least the time period. A more accurate title would have referenced the region with maybe the word “modern” or something like “new traditions” thrown in. This, however, is just the book cover equivalent of click bait – which the book should have been above.

[Katja]

Good recipes, though like many I've found in this category it doesn't have a recipe for some of the dough that's used and just says to get some from the store. Regardless of whether it's a pain to prepare, I'd rather have directions and a warning that it's difficult to get right at home and store-bought is going to be the easier option than to not have the option to try homemade. This book also lacks photos for some of the recipes. I did like that it gave directions for making yogurt and cheese.

[Kit]

Great recipes-can't wait to try the Baklava!

[Heidi]

Simple easy dishes, just make sure to have schwarma, garlic, sumac, and lemons on hand :]

[Denise]

Fascinating look into culture and history of the Arabian peninsula via food. Delicious recipes!

[Abraham Ray]

not my personal favorite but it's ok.

[Sharifah Al-Ghamdi]

I loved the authentic Gulf style recipes and very tasty and fairly easy to make.

[Art]

- handed to me by Marsha June 2011 - need to check out vegetarian section