'Food writing at its best, a moving and beautiful book' Nigella Lawson
Food and travel writer Yasmin Khan travels through Greece, Turkey and Cyprus sharing vibrant recipes and powerful stories from a region that has long-stood as a meeting point between Europe and the Middle East.
Traveling by boat and land, Yasmin Khan traces recipes that have spread from the time of Ottoman rule, to the influence of recent refugee communities. At the kitchen table, she explores what borders and identity mean in an interconnected world.
Featuring more than 80 delicious, easy-to-cook recipes that put vegetables centre stage and unite around thickets of dill and bunches of oregano, zesty citrus and sour pomegranates, sweet dates and soothing tahini and include dishes such as tomato and za'atar salad, courgette and feta fritters, pumpkin and cardamom soup, and pomegranate and sumac chicken.
Illustrated with stunning food and location photography, Ripe Figs is a dazzling collection of recipes and stories that celebrate an ever-diversifying region and imagine a world without borders.
'Once again, Yasmin Khan invites her readers to the table for both the dishes she serves and the stories she tells' Yotam Ottolenghi
About the Author
Yasmin Khan is an author and broadcaster who is passionate about sharing people's stories through food. Her critically acclaimed cookery books, The Saffron Tales and Zaitoun, chronicle her culinary adventures through Iran and Palestine, sharing recipes and stories that celebrate beauty and the power of the human spirit in regions more commonly associated with conflict. Before working in food, Yasmin was a human rights campaigner for a decade with a special focus on the Middle East. Ripe Figs is her third book.
Industry Reviews
“Once again, Yasmin Khan invites her readers to the table for both the dishes she serves and the stories she tells. The two must always go hand-in-hand, of course, for behind every dish there is a person, a family, a journey, a narrative: a story of movement, change and migration. Yasmin also manages to strike a tough balance: between serving food which is delicious and celebratory at the same time as telling hard-hitting (but also hopeful) stories”
Yotam Ottolenghi
“Food writing at its best: Yasmin Khan brings the people and stories behind these recipes to life, paying due respect to the hardships as well as the joy in what is a moving and beautiful book”
Nigella Lawson
“One of the best food writers around”
Telegraph
“An inspiring, joyous, celebration of food and migration. Beautifully written and delicious. I love this book”
Padma Lakshmi
“A brilliant cookbook that reveals the often overlooked plight of refugees and immigrants. Yasmin is a masterful storyteller who reminds us to keep an open heart and mind”
Nik Sharma, author of The Flavor Equation
