Enchanting book
Ripe Figs
Author: Yasmin Khan Publisher: Bloomsbury RRP: $45 Reviewer: Mary Ann Elliott
BEFORE working in food, Yasmin Khan was a human rights campaigner for 10 years with a special focus on the Middle East.
At the time of writing this latest book, an estimated five million refugees have come through Turkey, Greece and Cyprus in the past five years, highlighting the huge global border and migration issues that we face, due to wars, climate, financial and political crises and not least, the pandemic.
Her two earlier books, The Saffron Tales and Zaitoun chronicled her travels through Iran and Palestine.
Reflecting the diversity of her ongoing journeys, Yasmin Khan’s latest enchanting book represents a cornucopia of Eastern Mediterranean regional cuisine.
In it, she celebrates the food of Greece, Turkey and Cyprus whose national and cultural identity has never waned, thanks to their traditional cooking.
She traces recipes that have survived and thrived from the time of Ottoman rule, to the influence of recent refugee communities today.
Think dill, oregano, citrus, figs and dates, thick tahini and soothing cardamom, along with seasonal vegetable-based recipes. Hot yoghurt soups, zucchini and feta fritters, pomegranate and sumac chicken are the order of the day.
Make your own Turkish flatbread, indulge in fish kebabs, try the delicious lemon chicken soup packed with vegetables and herbs, or a hearty Greek beef stew, stifado. Among many others, sweet treats include sour cherry cheesecake, Turkish semolina halva or fig and peach tart.
Dips, marinades, hummus, taramasalata, pine nuts, falafels and focaccia are here in abundance.
Lentils, aubergines and red peppers also feature widely in these mouth-watering recipes and complement the rich stews and grilled meats.
Among her hundreds of fragrant dishes, Khan tells many stories about the passion and warm hospitality of village people, farmers and cooks from these colourful regions, together with glorious full-colour photographs that combine to give a real sense of time and place.
Above all, she says, her book is about the resilience of the human spirit and the capacity to endure unimaginable challenges, while still finding happiness in the smell of warm bread baking, or a bowl of roasted pumpkin soup by a roaring fire.
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