King Solomon's Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking from Around the World: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking from Around the World: A Cookbook

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Review ;There is no greater authority on Jewish cooking than Joan Nathan. King Solomon's Table is a comprehensive guide to global Jewish cooking that is approachable, informative, and mouth-watering. Joan's confidence and perspective truly shine in this must have cookbook!" --Michael Solomonov, author of Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking "I admire the way Joan Nathan deftly weaves together small personal stories with great historical narratives whilst always making sure our appetites are properly whet and scrumptious food is on offer. In essence, this is the secret of every good host and it is also what makes this such a generous cookbook." --Yotam Ottolenghi, author of Plenty and Jerusalem "Over the last four decades, Joan has become the most important preservationist of Jewish food traditions, researching and honoring the rich heritage that has connected people for millennia. I still marvel at her devotion, which is so evident in this book: A meticulous historian and intrepid anthropologist, Joan follows the threads of Jewish food culture across centuries and continents, tracing the surprising and delicious ways they cross and weave. Just as important, she is a clear-voiced storyteller and food writer who takes us on little journeys that bring each dish to life. . . . This is what makes King Solomon's Table so important, and such a pleasure to read: Joan celebrates both the diversity and unexpected commonalities of these foods from around the world. And she shows us how simple, beautiful and real food can bring us all together, around the table and across the globe, forming the heart of our communities." --from the Foreword by Alice Waters "Nathan's eleventh collection--with its historical overview and thoughtful anecdotes that precede most recipes--is a reminder of why good cookbooks are a thing to cherish. . . . Nathan employs the table of mighty King Solomon, who built the First Temple in Jerusalem, as a metaphor to track the many places Jews have come to call home after fleeing by force or voluntarily uprooting in search of a better future. The impacts of kashrut, the strict dietary laws codified in the Torah, and the table-centered rituals that are at the core of many Jewish observances serve to connect these wanderers, regardless of where they landed. . . . Just as Jews are diverse across the globe, traditional Jewish food has adapted to the native plants and proteins found where observant emigres settled. Nathan's recipe for Syrian-Mexican Chicken with Apricot, Tamarind and Chipotle Sauce exemplifies such evolving, best-of-both-worlds cooking." --Raleigh News & Observer "A cookbook to be read and savored for its stories as much as its recipes. . . . An important contribution to Jewish history and culture. . . . In this, one of her best books to date, Nathan, a James Beard Award-winning author and authority on Jewish food, explores the origins and evolution of Jewish cuisine around the world. Nathan's comprehensive yet condensed history begins with King Solomon, who ruled a kingdom rich with diverse foods and cultures; follows traders and merchants as they traveled and settled along the Spice Routes; and explains how Sephardic cooking morphed into the more well-known Jewish food traditions of Eastern and Central Europe. The 170 recipes explain the cross-cultural embrace required of Jews as they moved around the globe, and include Syrian-Mexican chicken that incorporates both apricots and chipotle peppers and El Salvadoran latkes made with yucca and served with cilantro cream. Each recipe is prefaced with an engaging origin story that further helps explain the complex Jewish food story." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)<br \><br \>-There is no greater authority on Jewish cooking than Joan Nathan. <i --Publishers Weekly (starred review)-A tour de force of Jewish cooking from around the globe. . . . A rich tome that bounces from country to country, recipe to recipe, drawing connections all along the way. . . . Nathan serves as a modern emissary, gathering recipes and stories from all around of the globe to bestow upon the king, who presumably is everyone paging through King Solomon's Table.- --The Washington Post -With recipes for curries, cookies and five kinds of haroset--the fruit paste on the Passover Seder plate that symbolizes the mortar Jewish slaves mixed in ancient Egypt--Nathan tells a story that's weightier than her recipes' measurements. . . . By looking back thousands of years to trace global influences on Jewish cuisine, [Nathan] discovered a lesson for today. She found that what we think of as Jewish food, from the matzo ball to the bagel, tells a larger story of expulsions, wanderings and explorations across borders. In other words, immigration.- --Minneapolis Star Tribune -I admire the way Joan Nathan deftly weaves together small personal stories with great historical narratives whilst always making sure our appetites are properly whet and scrumptious food is on offer. In essence, this is the secret of every good host and it is also what makes this such a generous cookbook.- --Yotam Ottolenghi, author of Plenty and Jerusalem -Thumbing through the book's recipes and bright, color-drenched photographs feels like a dizzying, exhilarating ride through the myriad kitchens and countries that collectively tell the story of global Jewish cuisine. . . . What makes King Solomon's Table truly great is the same thing that has made all of Joan Nathan's previous cookbooks great: Nathan herself. Her zest for exploration and passion for bringing people together through their stories is unrivaled.- --Leah Koenig, Tablet Magazine -There is no greater authority on Jewish cooking than Joan Nathan. King Solomon's Table is a comprehensive guide to global Jewish cooking that is approachable, informative, and mouth-watering. Joan's confidence and perspective truly shine in this must have cookbook!- --Michael Solomonov, author of Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking -The reigning queen of Jewish cookery, Joan Nathan, takes her readers on a culinary voyage thousands of years in the making in her new cookbook.- --The Columbus Dispatch -It seems that all the scholarship and experience of beloved and acclaimed Washington author Joan Nathan culminate in King Solomon's Table, her 11th book. . . . One dives into [it] knowing that the notes accompanying each recipe will be as enriching as the dishes themselves--a testament to the author's prowess as a culinary historian and chronicler of Jewish cooks.- --Bonnie S. Benwick, The Washington Post -One of those cookbooks that you'll stay up all night reading cover to cover.- --The Forward -A reminder of why good cookbooks are a thing to cherish. . . . Nathan employs the table of mighty King Solomon, who built the First Temple in Jerusalem, as a metaphor to track the many places Jews have come to call home after fleeing by force or voluntarily uprooting in search of a better future. . . . Just as Jews are diverse across the globe, traditional Jewish food has adapted to the native plants and proteins found where observant emigres settled. Nathan's recipe for Syrian-Mexican Chicken with Apricot, Tamarind and Chipotle Sauce exemplifies such evolving, best-of-both-worlds cooking.- --Raleigh News & Observer -Over the last four decades, Joan has become the most important preservationist of Jewish food traditions, researching and honoring the rich heritage that has connected people for millennia. I still marvel at her devotion, which is so evident in this book: A meticulous historian and intrepi --Jewish JournalA tour de force of Jewish cooking from around the globe. . . . A rich tome that bounces from country to country, recipe to recipe, drawing connections all along the way. . . . Nathan serves as a modern emissary, gathering recipes and stories from all around of the globe." --Tim Carman, The Washington Post "A brilliant look at a culture that has adapted to and influenced nearly every region in the world. . . . King Solomon's Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking from Around the World is a winding journey through the foods of the Jewish diaspora, from Roman ghettos to Middle Eastern markets to homestyle flavors in Cuba." --Eater "I admire the way Joan Nathan deftly weaves together small personal stories with great historical narratives whilst always making sure our appetites are properly whet and scrumptious food is on offer. In essence, this is the secret of every good host and it is also what makes this such a generous cookbook." --Yotam Ottolenghi, author of Plenty and Jerusalem "A crowning achievement. Six years in the making, [King Solomon's Table] is filled with recipes from all over the globe, the stories behind them, and the histories of both how Jews influenced the local cultures they were part of and how those cultures left indelible marks on Jewish cuisine. . . . A cookbook with recipes for all occasions." --Bloomberg "A mix of deep historical research combined with personal anecdotes . . . King Solomon's Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking From Around the World, combines Nathan's celebrated knowledge of all things related to Jewish food with her accessible storytelling voice." --Los Angeles Times "Nathan tells a story that's weightier than her recipes' measurements. . . . By looking back thousands of years to trace global influences on Jewish cuisine, [she] discovered a lesson for today. She found that what we think of as Jewish food, from the matzo ball to the bagel, tells a larger story of expulsions, wanderings and explorations across borders. In other words, immigration." --Minneapolis Star Tribune "Over the last four decades, Joan has become the most important preservationist of Jewish food traditions, researching and honoring the rich heritage that has connected people for millennia. I still marvel at her devotion, which is so evident in this book. . . . She is a clear-voiced storyteller and food writer who takes us on little journeys that bring each dish to life. . . . This is what makes King Solomon's Table so important, and such a pleasure to read: Joan celebrates both the diversity and unexpected commonalities of these foods from around the world. And she shows us how simple, beautiful and real food can bring us all together, around the table and across the globe, forming the heart of our communities." --from the Foreword by Alice Waters "A dizzying, exhilarating ride through the myriad kitchens and countries that collectively tell the story of global Jewish cuisine. . . . What makes King Solomon's Table truly great is the same thing that has made all of Joan Nathan's previous cookbooks great: Nathan herself. Her zest for exploration and passion for bringing people together through their stories is unrivaled." --Leah Koenig, Tablet Magazine "It seems that all the scholarship and experience of beloved and acclaimed Washington author Joan Nathan culminate in King Solomon's Table. . . . One dives into [it] knowing that the notes accompanying each recipe will be as enriching as the dishes themselves--a testament to the author's prowess as a culinary historian and chronicler of Jewish cooks. . . . If the author never produces another cookbook --Jewish Journal About the Author JOAN NATHAN is the author of numerous cookbooks, including Jewish Cooking in America and The New American Cooking, both of which won the James Beard Award and the IACP Award for best cookbook of the year. She was the host of the nation-ally syndicated PBS television series Jewish Cooking in America with Joan Nathan, based on the book. A frequent contributor to The New York Times, Tablet magazine, and other publications, Nathan is the recipient of numerous awards, including James Beard's Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America, Les Dames d'Escoffier's Grande Dame Award, and Food Arts magazine's Silver Spoon Award, and she received an honorary doctorate from the Spertus Institute of Jewish Culture in Chicago. She was Guest Curator of Food Culture USA for the 2005 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and a founding member of Les Dames d'Escoffier, and appointed to the Kitchen Cabinet of the National Museum of American History. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Nathan graduated from the University of Michigan with a master's degree in French literature and earned a master's in public administration from Harvard University. For three years she lived in Israel, where she worked for Mayor Teddy Kollek of Jerusalem. In 1974, working for Mayor Abraham Beame in New York, she cofounded the Ninth Avenue Food Festival. The mother of three grown children, Nathan lives in Washington, D.C., and on Martha's Vineyard with her hus-band, Allan Gerson.