This vegan cookbook features the food of the Middle East and North Africa. It is published in support of Karavan, a non-profit that supports displaced people around the world and was founded by author Soraya Beheshti. Beheshti draws heavily on her own Persian heritage, but she also presents foods that she has been served visiting refugees throughout the region. For non-vegan Middle Eastern staples she provides recipes for homemade alternatives, such as coconut milk yogurt and labneh. The food comes from countries as far flung as Afghanistan, Syria, and Eritrea, and headnotes help to place the dishes within the context of regional variations. Features throughout the book highlight the plight of people dealing with war and political oppression, and striking photography helps evoke senses of both place and of the people themselves. Dishes are as diverse as corn in coconut-turmeric sauce from Somalia, and Ethiopian cabbage and potato stir-fry, and Iraqi-style samosas stuffed with pomegranate and mint. Most are accompanied by full-page photographs. Hardcover. Color photographs throughout. 330 pages.
