BOOKS
Fadi Kattan.
Bethlehem: A Celebration of Palestinian Food.
North America, Hardie Grant , 2024.
€ 21.50
Bound, hardcover, 240pp., 20x25.5cm., richly illustr. in col., in very good condition (binding with light traces of use). ISBN: 9781958417287.
A celebration of Palestinian food and culture from one of the area?s most dynamic chefs and a portrait of one of the most storied cities in the world. Franco?Palestinian chef Fadi Kattan celebrates the hidden parts of Bethlehem, his home, conjuring the colours and smells of its market and spice shops and introducing readers to the local farmers and artisans with whom he works to find the perfect ingredients and shares his love of culinary experimentation. Fadi?s inspiration comes from these food artisans, who grow the grapes, mill the wheat, make the olive oil, and most importantly, pass down the generational food knowledge. His loving profiles of these people are accompanied by his own recipes, some passed down, some from his restaurants in Bethlehem and London. Learn to stuff grape leaves with Nabulsi cheese, slow roast lamb seasoned with fenugreek and cardamom, roll labaneh in nigella seeds, and make?Mouhalabieh, a milky pudding scented with mastic and pistachios. Bright and bold flavours and the stories of their origins await readers in Bethlehem. Amidst growing chaos and strife, these stories, recipes, and the legacy of this ancient city, Bethlehem, endure. This cookbook is a journey into the heart of Bethlehem through its vibrant food culture and generations of culinary heritage. Divided by the seasons, it offers over 60 recipes rooted in the West Bank: from grape?leaf parcels and labaneh rolled in nigella seeds to slow?roasted lamb seasoned with fenugreek and cardamom. Chef?Fadi?Kattan interweaves personal memories with portraits of farmers and artisans, exploring the land, its produce and the people behind every dish. More than a recipe book, it stands as a celebration of a city, a people and their resilience. Fadi?Kattan is a Franco?Palestinian chef and hotelier born and raised in Bethlehem. He founded the restaurant Fawda in 2016 in his home city and later opened Akub in London in 2023. Having studied hotel management in Paris, he leverages his classical training and his deep connection to Palestine?s land and food heritage to explore and elevate Palestinian cuisine. His debut cookbook, Bethlehem: A Celebration of Palestinian Food, draws on family recipes, local markets, and the artisans and farmers of the West Bank to bring the flavours of his homeland to a global audience.









