Lebanese Mountain Cookery

Rating:
Summary: Idiosyncratic and special
Review: How can you not love a book that practically devotes a whole chapter to dehen, or rendered lamb fat? This book is different from most Middle Eastern cookbooks, and focuses closely on one area and culture. Many of the recipes are unusual, surprisingly easy, and authentic. It provides a window on Lebanese (Druze?) culture in both the U.S. and the old country. The recipe for chicken with sumac in this book, may be for the limited time, effort and money required to put it together, one of the world's greatest dishes, and it deserves to be better known.

Rating:
Summary: a great book
Review: This is one of my favorite cookbooks and has been since it was first published. I am delighted to see it is still available. It is one of two or three cookbooks that I have used consistently for over a decade. It is lovely to read, lovely to look at, but most important, lovely to cook out of. It makes a wonderful gift, which is why I was searching Amazon for it.