Feast

A Sunday Times Book of the Year (Bee Wilson) A sweeping culinary journey across the Islamic world, and a celebration of its most iconic recipes. A diverse and rich culinary tradition has evolved in every place touched by Islam, always characterised by deliciousness and fragrance, a love of herbs and the deft use of spices. Anissa Helou's Feast represents an extraordinary journey through place and time, travelling from Senegal to Indonesia via the Arab, Persian, Mughal or North African heritage of so many dishes. This exploration of the foods of Islam begins with bread and its myriad variations, from pita and chapatti to Turkish boreks and Lebanese fatayer. From humble grains and pulses come slow-cooked biryanis, Saudi Arabia's national dish of Lamb kabsa and magnificent jewelled rice dishes from Iran and Pakistan. Instructions for preparing a whole lamb or camel hump sit alongside recipes for traditional dips, fresh salads and sharp pickles. And sugary sweet treats suitable for births, weddings, morning coffee and after dinner glint irresistibly after them. With more than 300 recipes, spectacular food photography and lively anecdotes, Feast is a comprehensive and dazzling mosaic of Islamic food culture across the globe.

Review: Her range of knowledge and unparalleled authority make her just the kind of cook you want by your side when baking a Moroccan flatbread, preparing an Indonesian satay and anything else along the way -- Yotam Ottolenghi

Both a beautiful cookbook and immense reference work... it is a detailed and authoritative text that makes for cracking bedtime reading -- Jay Rayner * Guardian *

Helou is both scholar and hedonist, which makes for the best kind of guide in the kitchen * Bon Appetit *

It's a masterwork -- Delicious magazine

A go-to tome of classic dishes from across the Islamic world * Independent *

If you're in search of Christmas gift inspiration for a travel-loving foodie, call off the search: Anissa Helou's latest cookbook, Feast, fits the bill perfectly -- Olive magazine

This is a huge and fascinating subject - it's a book that was crying out to be written - but it isn't a "heavy" book (despite weighing a ton), rather one of delicious recipes with history and culture woven around them. Gorgeous design too, like a gold-encrusted box of delights * Sunday Telegraph *

Food writer Anissa Helou has created an astonishingly ambitious overview * Sunday Times *

A masterwork from a masterful writer * Observer Food Monthly *

This substantial, meticulously researched cookbook is a gem, not only because of its in-depth and vast culinary information, but also because it includes an overview of Muslim world history, buttressed with helpful maps and stimulating stories * Forbes *

Feast is bountiful, gorgeously written and a celebration of food from the Islamic world -- Cass Chapman

Helou's encyclopaedic tome includes recipes from every outpost of the Muslim world * Waitrose Weekend *

First an expert on Islamic art, then an expert on Islamic cuisine, world-class chef Helou's book is part culinary revelation, part travel diary * Esquire *

Calling upon a lifetime of knowledge of traditional recipes, Feast brings history to life with rich flavours and beautiful travel photography * Happiful *

Don't miss the history lessons and miniature profiles throughout: In Feast, Helou opens new doors in an area of the world that's often figuratively or literally completely closed off * Eater *

An extraordinary journey through time and place with Anissa drawing from recipes from Senegal to Indonesia via the Arab and Persian worlds * Western Daily Press *

Stupendous collection of travellers' tales and deliciously accessible recipes -- Elisabeth Luard * Oldie *

Through her Iranian flatbreads, Indonesian crab curries and Indian haleems, Helou illuminates the commonalities and differences of a vast set of cultures * Observer *