A collection of recipes inspired by the vibrant and diverse culture of the Levant, the region of the Middle East that stretches along the shores of the eastern Mediterranean. The Levant is a place with a wide palate of tastes embracing numerous cultures in the southeast corner of the Mediterranean, the ‘fertile crescent’ that was the cradle of civilisation. When it comes to the food of the region chickpeas, tahini, feta, halloumi, aubergine, peppers, courgette, olives, pomegranates, mint, lemon and yogurt are among the staple ingredients. Dishes also call on nuts and seeds, as well as beans and pulses, plus the magic of fresh herbs and spices. Some of these spices are familiar ― cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, caraway, nutmeg and cardamom. Others are unique to the Levant, such as baharat, an Arabic mixed spice, or the lemony tang of sumac. Small plates to relish (relish being the original meaning of the Persian word maza from which the term mezze derives) include popular dips, salads and small bites – hummus, baba ganoush, tabbouleh and falafel – as well as less familiar recipes. Freshly grilled fish and seafood, served with yogurt dips flavoured with spicy harissa paste, or a simple coupling of mint and cucumber, are just the start of an ocean odyssey of tastes. For carnivores, chicken dishes are enhanced by all manner of spicy marinades, such as paprika and lemon-infused taouk; or how about grilled skewers of beef with a tahini-based tarator sauce; or one of the greats of Levantine feasting, a slow-roasted lamb shoulder steeped in spices and served with a pomegranate, yogurt and pistachio sauce. You’ll want to return to these delicious dishes time and again.

Melding the rural and the urban with the local, regional, and global, Levantine cuisine is a mélange of ingredients, recipes, and modes of consumption rooted in the Eastern Mediterranean. Making Levantine Cuisine provides much-needed scholarly attention to the region’s culinary cultures while teasing apart the tangled histories and knotted migrations of food. Akin to the region itself, the culinary repertoires that comprise Levantine cuisine endure and transform—are unified but not uniform. This book delves into the production and circulation of sugar, olive oil, and pistachios; examines the social origins of kibbe, Adana kebab, shakshuka, falafel, and shawarma; and offers a sprinkling of family recipes along the way. The histories of these ingredients and dishes, now so emblematic of the Levant, reveal the processes that codified them as national foods, the faulty binaries of Arab or Jewish and traditional or modern, and the global nature of foodways. Making Levantine Cuisine draws from personal archives and public memory to illustrate the diverse past and persistent cultural unity of a politically divided region.

After falling in love through their shared passion for food, Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer launched Honey & Co., one of London's hottest new restaurants, in 2012. Since opening the doors, they have created exquisite dishes, delectable menus, and an atmosphere that's as warm, inviting, and exotic as the food they serve. Recipes include spreads and dips, exquisitely balanced salads, one-pan dishes, simple fragrant soups, rich Persian entrees, the tagines of North Africa, the Sofritos of Jerusalem, and the herb-infused stews of Iran. Honey & Co. brings the flavors of the Middle East to life in a wholly accessible way, certain to entice and satisfy in equal measure. "Honey & Co.'s food -- taking its cue from generations of dedicated home cooks -- captures everything that is generous, hearty, and delicious in the Middle East."-Yotam Ottolenghi

A soulful tour of Palestinian cooking today from the Ottolenghi restaurants’ executive chef and partner—120 recipes shaped by his personal story as well as the history of Palestine. JAMES BEARD AWARD NOMINEE • IACP AWARD WINNER • LONGLISTED FOR THE ART OF EATING PRIZE • ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR: Forbes, Bon Appétit, NPR, San Francisco Chronicle, Food Network, Food & Wine, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal “Truly, one of the best cookbooks of the year so far.”—Bon Appétit The story of Palestine’s food is really the story of its people. When the events of 1948 forced residents from all regions of Palestine together into one compressed land, recipes that were once closely guarded family secrets were shared and passed between different groups in an effort to ensure that they were not lost forever. In Falastin (pronounced “fa-la-steen”), Sami Tamimi retraces the lineage and evolution of his country’s cuisine, born of its agriculturally optimal geography, its distinct culinary traditions, and Palestinian cooks’ ingenuity and resourcefulness. Tamimi covers the territory between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River—East Jerusalem and the West Bank, up north to the Galilee and the coastal cities of Haifa and Akka, inland to Nazareth, and then south to Hebron and the coastal Gaza Strip—recounting his upbringing with eleven siblings and his decision to leave home at seventeen to cook in West Jerusalem, where he met and first worked with Yotam Ottolenghi. From refugee-camp cooks to the home kitchens of Gaza and the mill of a master tahini maker, Tamimi teases out the vestiges of an ancient culinary tradition as he records the derivations of a dynamic cuisine and people in more than 130 transporting photographs and 120 recipes, including: • Hassan’s Easy Eggs with Za’atar and Lemon • Fish Kofta with Yogurt, Sumac, and Chile • Pulled-Lamb Schwarma Sandwich • Labneh Cheesecake with Roasted Apricots, Honey, and Cardamom Named after the Palestinian newspaper that brought together a diverse people, Falastin is a vision of a cuisine, a culture, and a way of life as experienced by one influential chef.

Examining stone vessels in the Levant during the 2nd millennium BC, the author explores the links between material culture and society through a comprehensive study of production and distribution. Extensively illustrated with 100 drawings, maps and charts, this volume includes a full object catalogue.This study represents the first comprehensive overview of the stone vessel assemblagesof the Levant in this period, a time which, fed by an increase of wealth and interregional trade, saw a growth in the popularity and variety of such vessels.Previously, our understanding of the varied functions and forms of these diverse vessels has been relatively underdeveloped. In this volume the author attempts to address this problem by creating a typological framework though which we can analyse variability and define essential characteristics of local stone vessel workshops. Only once this has been achieved is it possible to look at stone vessel production in its wider cultural context. Subsequent chapters explore broader themes, beginning within the workshops themselves, examining the links between craftsmen, their sources of raw materials, and the authorities that controlled and distributed their output. Considerations of the geographical and chronological distribution of such goods are then used to provide a regional perspective for the operation of these workshops, connections between them, and further insights into the nature of local and international trade. Finally, the objects themselves can be used to assess the impact of trends such as the growing Egyptianization of the ruling classes of the Levant at this time.

Levantine Arabic Verbs will help learners of all levels master verb conjugation and natural pronunciation. Bonus: Free audio tracks available to download and stream from www.lingualism.com. Features include: • 100+ conjugation tables of some of the most common verbs (and 'pseudo-verb' prepositional phrases) used in daily language. • Phonemic transcription alongside the Arabic script in the conjugation tables to aid in accurate pronunciation and help learners get used to Arabic script as written for the dialect. • Usage notes. • Example sentences under each conjugation table with the verbs in various persons and tenses, demonstrating different meanings and idiomatic uses. • All conjugated verb forms in all tables and example sentences appear on the downloadable audio tracks, spoken by a native speaker from Lebanon. • Grammar reference for Levantine verbs (forms and uses of tenses and moods, negative verbs, compound tenses, etc.) • Indexes with 750 more verbs which can be conjugated using the conjugation tables as models. • Supplementary Anki flashcards with audio are available separately at www.lingualism.com.

Stone Tools in the Paleolithic and Neolithic Near East: A Guide surveys the lithic record for the East Mediterranean Levant (Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan, and adjacent territories) from the earliest times to 6,500 years ago. It is intended both as an introduction to this lithic evidence for students and as a resource for researchers working with Paleolithic and Neolithic stone tool evidence. Written by a lithic analyst and professional flintknapper, this book systematically examines variation in technology, typology, and industries for the Lower, Middle, and Upper Paleolithic; the Epipaleolithic; and Neolithic periods in the Near East. It is extensively illustrated with drawings of stone tools. In addition to surveying the lithic evidence, the book also considers ways in which archaeological treatment of this evidence could be changed to make it more relevant to major issues in human origins research. A final chapter shows how change in stone tool designs points to increasing human dependence on stone tools across the long sweep of Stone Age prehistory.