The Mediterranean Sea unites Africa, Asia and Europe. Each region has their own specialties, but they also share certain common themes – olive oil, citrus fruits, fish both fresh and dried, fresh herbs, ancient grains, and plenty of garlic. Even if you’ve never been there, you can get a taste for Mediterranean foodways by working your way through one of these ten standout cookbooks.
The New Mediterranean Table by Sameh Wadi
Start here for the grand tour of the entire region. Some dishes are quick and easy, others more labor-intensive. (If you want a real challenge, try Wadi’s 21-ingredient recipe for the spice mix known as ras el hanout.) The photos are gorgeous, too, capturing the vivid hues of supremed blood oranges and the fine details of a branch of thyme. Start with the chapter entitled “The Larder” and learn to make the building blocks of Mediterranean food: preserved lemons, pita chips, pickles and stocks.
Mezze: Small Plates to Share by Ghillie Basan
Speaking of small plates, British food writer Ghilli Basan has happily dedicated a whole book to mezze, the Arabic term for the appetizer course. The food is meant to be shared, and sometimes there’s no main dish to follow – the entire meal consists of little nibbles of delicious food. Try your hand at cinnamon-flavored meatballs or the fish balls with turmeric and sunflower seeds. If all that sounds too complicated, though, you could also simply sprinkle some cucumber spears with salt – that recipe is included here, too.
Rose Water and Orange Blossoms by Maureen Abood
Now you’re ready for a deep plunge into one of the most delicious regional cuisines of the Mediterranean region. Maureen Abood grew up in the largest Lebanese-American community in the United States before becoming a professional chef. Her exploration of Lebanon’s culinary delights manages to combine depth and reverence with fresh new ideas, like adding avocado to a version of tabbouleh. If you love kibbeh, the little meaty dumplings that almost define Lebanese cuisine, Abood provides six different recipes to test-drive here.
Olives, Lemons and Zaatar by Rawia Bishara
The copy for this book is a little confusing – on the front, it says it contains “the best Middle Eastern home cooking,” while on the back it proclaims that the recipes are “from the acclaimed restaurant Tanoreen.” Well, which is it, home cooking or restaurant fare? A little bit of both, as Bishara’s restaurant specializes in homestyle Palestinian-Lebanese dishes. For those who are wondering what za’atar is, by the way, it’s a mixture of thyme, sumac, sesame seeds and salt, often sprinkled on bread for breakfast; the breakfast chapter in this cookbook is a standout.
Charcuteria: The Soul of Spain by Jeffrey Weiss
Considering the strict import limits on cured meat from abroad, writing a book like Charcuteria almost seems cruel. James Beard nominee Jeffrey Weiss feels your pain, though, so he’ll happily tell you how to cure meat at home in the Spanish style, all while telling you about the history of Spanish ham- and sausage-making. Considering the complexity of the processes, not to mention the long aging time for some of these delicacies, it’s unlikely that you will actually try much of any of this at home. But you sure will learn a lot just browsing the pages.