Peace through Food?

I have often said that one of the things that we all have in common is the fact that we must eat; because of this, food has become a universal symbol of commonality, hospitality and even trust. It has also been the centrepiece of many gatherings, leading groups to better know and understand each other, while perhaps helping to pave a road toward comradeship and even friendship. From the buffalo-strewn prairies of my native Montana, to the Gothic castles of Medieval Europe, to the jungles of India, people have always come together to share food, to celebrate and to get to know each other.

Although I make it a point never to discuss politics and religion on this forum - except as they might relate to the culinary fundamentals of a dish or concept - we all know that the Middle East is a morass of ancient and bitter conflict. But even as hopeless as some things may seem, there are indeed occasional rays of hope; one of them could be this book, which I discovered while aimlessly browsing around through the "Kindle store" at Amazon.com:



Here's a link to the book, if anyone is interested:

http://www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-A-Cookbook-Yotam-Ottolenghi/dp/1607743949/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

And here's the description of this collaborative work:

In Jerusalem, Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi explore  the vibrant cuisine of their home city—with its diverse Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities. Both men were born in Jerusalem in the same year—Tamimi on the Arab east side and Ottolenghi in the Jewish west. This stunning cookbook offers 120 recipes from their unique cross-cultural perspective, from inventive vegetable dishes to sweet, rich desserts. With five bustling restaurants in London and two stellar cookbooks, Ottolenghi is one of the most respected chefs in the world; in Jerusalem, he and Tamimi have collaborated to produce their most personal cookbook yet.

Perhaps I'm being overly optimistic, but one can always hope....

Tas. I am familiar with the book though I have not purchased it. I like Falafel and Hummus ... I also am very fond of babaghanuj. My younger daughter was in Tel Aviv; Jerusalem and Port Haifa on business and she raved about the Evoo, red wines; goat cheeses and Israeli Mediterranean cuisine she had.

I intend to order this book as well, as soon as possible.

Sooner or later, I need to stop ordering cookbooks, and start reading them....

Or, better yet, I need to start cooking out of them!