Introduction to the New Edition

Since it first came out in 1968, A Book of Middle Eastern Food has become an important part of my life. It has meant a continuing involvement with the area which holds my roots and for which I have a special tenderness. People always talk to me about food, to enthuse or to complain, and those who come from the Middle East reveal their passions and offer culinary secrets. I am invited to eat and to watch people cook and I have correspondents in different countries. My pockets are full of cooking instructions obtained at a chance meeting and my drawers full of recipes written in different hands. Over the years I have amassed a great deal of new material. Most of it has been incorporated in this revised and expanded edition.