Dates: A Global History

(Hardback)

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Description

Dates have an important role in their arid homeland of the Middle East, where they are a dietary staple. The fruit can be consumed fresh or dried, as a snack or a dessert, and are even thought to have aphrodisiac qualities. In Dates: A Global History, Nawal Nasrallah draws on her experiences growing up in the lands of ancient Mesopotamia, where the date palm was first cultivated, to explore the history behind the fruit.

Reviews

'These are food memoirs, salacious and exotic, colourful, powdered, sweet, greasy and globe-trotting ... sharp and speedy little reads, spotted with off-kilter illustrations' - Chicago Tribune 'Nasrallah's epic food memoir offers a smorgasbord of date history and fascinating facts topped with a dash of culture and a sprinkling of Arabic myth. Spicy and exotic, Dates: A Global History is also jam-packed with scrumptious date recipes for every occasion. After one read of this book, you'll feel like an honorary member of Nasrallah's huge family: armed and ready to prepare your own Middle Eastern date banquet.' - Etihad In-flight

Author Bio

Nawal Nasrallah is an independent researcher and food writer who resides in Salem, New Hampshire. She is a member of the Culinary Historians of Boston, and her recipes have featured in publications such as New York Times, Boston Globe Magazine and Food and Wine. Her cookbook Delights from the Garden of Eden (2003) is regarded as the definitive source on the cuisine of Iraq, and her English translation of the tenth-century Baghdadi cookbook Kitab al-Tabikh, Annals of the Caliphs' Kitchens, was awarded 'Best Translation in the World' and 'Best of the Best of the Past 12 Years' at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2007.