Although Dahlia Abraham grew up in New York, her parents trace their ancestry to the Babylonian Exile (now Iraq) and Persian conquest (now Iran) of the sixth century BCE. Her ancestors travelled to Persia, Afghanistan and Bukhara speaking Farsi, Judeo-Persian.
Although Dahlia Abraham grew up in New York, her parents trace their ancestry to the Babylonian Exile (now Iraq) and Persian conquest (now Iran) of the sixth century BCE. Her ancestors travelled to Persia, Afghanistan and Bukhara speaking Farsi, Judeo-Persian. In the early part of the 19th century, they settled in Afghanistan, in the middle of the “silk road,” which was an extensive, interconnected network of trade routes across the Asian continent.
Abraham’s family were merchants, absorbing the culture, languages, tastes and cuisines of all the places in which they lived.
Her cookbook, Silk Road Vegetarian, subtitled Vegan, Vegetarian and Gluten Free Recipes from the Mindful Cook, contains 121 recipes in eight chapters.
Bases, condiments and other useful recipes normally found in supermarkets are easy to prepare and can be sealed and stored, such as hummus dip, tomato paste, za’atar, duck sauce and mango chutney. The appetizers chapter includes vegan chopped liver, stuffed grape leaves and Italian zucchini fritters. In the soups chapter, you’ll finds soups like Persian bean and noodle soup and pumpkin soup.
Because Abraham is not a chef and has no formal culinary education, she has produced a cookbook that is easy to follow, has interesting cultural and historical notes about each recipe, bold-faced ingredients and numbered instructions.
This cookbook is a great resource for creative, healthy recipes. For those who are fascinated by exotic cuisines or are in need of vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free recipes, this is the book to own.
