Customer Reviews
The aroma of authenticity! - By: Mr. M. Knowles, 17 Dec 2009 
When I was invited to review this book, I had no idea that the author was quite so prolific. I haven't even had an opportunity to try the others yet! Okay, so the photos are lacking but, let's face it, would you knock any classic novel for not beingin child-sized print or for having no cartoons? No, of course not. I wanted a genuine, tried-and-trusted set of new recipes from the Levant, & the eastern seaboard of the Med to compliment the better known fare from Greece & Italy & that is exactly what this delivered. I'm not the world's best chef but I have managed just fine so far. Love it.
Broad spectrum but... - By: Bob, 09 Dec 2009 
I was impressed by the broad spectrum of recipesin this book & the 2 or 3 things I have made so far have been delicious, but as there are no photos at all of the finished products it can be difficult to know exactly what you're supposed to end up with! I'm an experienced & proficient cook & not afraid to try new things, but was a bit overwhelmed by the number of different recipesin each section & found it difficult to know where to start without photos.
Middle Eastern Cookery - By: P. Mackertichian, 24 Jul 2009 Middle Eastern CookeryA collection of most authentic recipes, excellently presented. A well written book worth every cent. Thinking of buying another copy as a gift to my daughter.
No pictures - By: A. Azzu, 20 Jun 2009 
Very disappointed. No pictures at all.
I thought it's for Middle East food, but the result is a mixture from Iran, Armenia, & other non Middle Eastern countries. That was not clear before I bought this book.
Try different book if you are looking for real Middle Eastern food.
Wide ranging collection - By: E. L. Wisty, 13 Jun 2009 A wide ranging collection of recipes, from the Caucasus, Turkey, the Arab countries & Israel, & Iran, collected by the late Arto de Haroutunian, who by all accounts seems to have been a very talented chapin a number of fields.
This publication has a few negatives for me. Firstly the lack of any photography. OK,in a book this size & this many recipes it could end up being an unfeasibly large book, but I always like to see what I am trying to make, as well as it being an aid to choosing candidate dishes to make when you are flicking through - appearance is as important as taste for me when composing menus. The latter issue of difficulty choosing easily while flicking through is compounded a bit by the use of a 'quasi-Armenian' fontin the recipe titles which is sometimes hard to read, & even further by the fact that some of these titles contain no further information as to what the recipe makes, so you have to read through it to find out.
Nevertheless despite my gripes, this is a welcome addition to the bookshelf of anyone cooking Middle Eastern food, whether an old hand like me or a newcomer to the region's cuisine.
