Travel around the world one plate at a time may be as extraordinary as changing airplanes and taking long journeys around the world. When it comes to food, well curated recipes featuring international cuisines may be an unique opportunity to open up to specific histories and cultures, one spice at a time.
With influences from the Sudanese and Ethiopian cuisine, the traditional meals from Tigray are featured in Tekabash&Saba. Recipes from the Horn of Africa, a mother and daughter experience of East African identity. Saba Alemayoh, after a career in the Australian Army, among the first women to go to combat, is the owner of a successful restaurant in Melbourn, Saba serving a fine selection of Eastern African dishes.
The book, with a beatiful cover and equally beautiful illustrations is an introduction to the geography and tastes of East Africa, particularly Tigray, Ethiopia´s northernmost state. The cuisine mostly developed under the impact of faith and available resources.
The backbone recipes of the cuisine are three essential recipes: tesmi - spiced butter, injera - fermented flatbread where, for instance, different meals spread on, instead of dishes (and there is another type of flatbread, the kicha), and dilik or berbere - a kind of powdered chilli mix or paste (the recipes of how to prepare all of them are also included). Ingredients such as chickpea are one of the most used and appreciated, present in various combinations in the recipes of local meals, such as vegan scrambled eggs that I´ve tried and keep perfecting it over and over again. Some combinations are unique, like the cardamom seeds into the shiro powder. The stuffed green chillies, the accompaniment for meat dishes, are also an excellent and easy recipe to try. For a long summer evening, shredded flatbread with tomato sauce is an fresh choice, to be prepared within minutes (as a matter of fact, the book does not inlude the time requested for preparation, and it may be a bit confusing, but after you try the recipes - or just have an acknowledgeable look over the recipes themselves - one may just realize that mostly one may not spend more than 30 minutes preparing it). It also features one of my favorite veggie, Okra - or Bamya - which is such a pleasure to match with meat or vegetarian dishes.
The recipes are sharing stories of her mother´s and her own´s life. They also introduce the readers into the everyday pace and customs of the average Tigraweyti family, a priviledge to be taken with gratitude.
Most of the ingredients featured can be easily found in the ´ethnic food´ stores from all over the world. The recipes are easy to follow and written in a way that addresses both the experiences and the beginner cook.
Tekebash&Saba are an extraordinary introduction into the food culture in this part of the world. A very delicious invitation, actually.
Rating: 5 stars
Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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