Imad’s Syrian Kitchen
SynopsisPlot
This is the first cookbook by Imad Alarnab, a renowned chef from Damascus. Imad now runs an acclaimed restaurant in London, which was named GQ’s “Best Breakthrough Restaurant 2022.” Imad’s Syrian Kitchen is a bustling tour through 90 traditional and adapted Syrian dishes that can be made in the comfort of your own home. Imad introduces us to the delicious flavors and techniques of the Syrian kitchen. And alongside delicious recipes, mouthwatering photography, and beautiful illustrations, Imad shares the unforgettable details of how he came to settle in London, as well as the story of his home country, Syria. This book is a celebration of how food has the power to bring people together.
Story
About this book
Imad Alarnab is a chef from Damascus who left Syria and eventually opened a restaurant in London. This book, his first cookbook, collects 90 recipes rooted in Syrian cooking traditions. The dishes range across the broad spectrum of Syrian home and street food, covering staples like flatbreads, dips, grilled meats, and sweets. Alarnab presents both traditional preparations and versions he has adapted for ingredients available outside Syria.
Alongside the recipes, the book includes Alarnab's own account of how he came to settle in London, as well as observations about Syrian food culture and the role meals play in daily and family life in Damascus and beyond. The restaurant he runs in London was named GQ's Best Breakthrough Restaurant in 2022, and the cookbook draws on the same approach he developed there: Syrian flavors presented for a broad audience with varied access to specialty ingredients.
The book is organized so that each recipe sits alongside photography and illustrations. Alarnab provides context for the techniques and ingredient combinations that define Syrian cooking, such as the frequent use of pomegranate molasses, sumac, and fresh herbs in both cooked and raw preparations.
