Description
Book Synopsis“The recipes in Zaatari are glorious. Passed down the generations from mother to daughter, cooking keeps the people of Zaatari camp connected to the towns and villages of the Syria they fled.” — Claudia Roden
On the Jordanian-Syrian border lies Zaatari Camp, the largest Syrian refugee camp in the world. Opened in 2012 to provide new arrivals with emergency relief, the camp quickly became a locus of Syrian culture and tradition. In this thriving community of over 80,000 people, the residents of Zaatari combine ingenuity and imagination to ensure that the glorious culinary traditions at the heart of Syrian culture continue to be observed and celebrated.
In this immersive culinary tour, Karen E. Fisher guides us through life at Zaatari, sharing its stories, its art, and its food. Authentically styled and stunningly photographed dishes accompany a vast array of recipes prepared by the camp’s residents for family dinners and community celebrations — and now for others to enjoy at home.
Both an introduction to Zaatari Camp and a robust cookbook, Zaatari: Culinary Traditions of the World’s Largest Syrian Refugee Camp offers an intimate encounter with Syrian food practices and traditions as they have been handed down through generations.
Trade Review“The recipes in
Zaatari are glorious. Their styles and flavours belong to Arab cooking traditions inherited from an old and glittering civilisation. What makes
Zaatari extraordinary and poignant is that the food and stories come from a refugee camp in Jordan and we also get an intimate insight into the misery, culture, and joyful vitality of the camp through the voices of its inhabitants. Passed down the generations from mother to daughter, cooking keeps the people of Zaatari camp connected to the towns and villages of the Syria they fled.” -- Claudia Roden, author of
Arabesque“What a captivating book!
Zaatari represented a source of emotional attachment for me, evoking the concept of home. It is an essential read for individuals with an appreciation for food; cultural diversity; and narratives of hope, inspiration and humanity.
Zaatari serves as a forceful reminder of the remarkable capacity of food to enact change and promote unity, even in situations of adversity. I recommend this book to all those seeking to acquire knowledge of our Syrian cuisine and the culture associated with it.” -- Tareq Hadhad, founder and CEO of Peace by Chocolate
