I got this from the library earlier in 2012 and tried cooking from it. I was so impressed with all of the recipes I tried, I put this at the top of my Amazon wishlist. I was just gifted this book and I can't wait to explore it even further. I am neither Jewish nor Syrian, but I find the history and photos of this so beautiful and touching - Mrs. Dweck has opened her heart as well as her family recipe book to share her heritage.

I've tried the spinach-cheese frittata (p. 224), lemony allspice-cumin potato salad (p. 37), velvety lemon sauce (p. 198), carmelized onions stuffed with ground meat and rice (p. 147), and green peas and rice with coriander and meat (p. 118). All delicious. (The spinach cheese frittata is now a staple, even though I've probably already got at least 5 recipes similar to this dish.) I have found the recipes to be very clearly written and incredibly accessible. The ingredients are not so unusual that they can't be found at a good supermarket or Whole Foods: Tamarind paste, rosewater, pomegranate molasses, and Aleppo peper are the most unusual ingredients and those are all fairly common these days. There are many wonderful vegetable recipes, along with diary and meat dishes. The section on sweets and beverages could have been it's own book - it is that extensive and unique. I've got a sweet tooth so I can't wait to try SO many of them, such as candied apricots with pistachios (p. 287) and white coffee (p. 323) which is not coffee at all but an herbal infusion. (Though, I really don't like working with fillo dough, so I might skip the pistachio filla wedges in rose water syrup, p. 251. If someone would send me some I'd be most grateful.)

Other recipes I'm anxious to try include tamarind-stewed meatballs (p. 162), okra in tomato sauce with meat (p. 88), red lentil soup with garlic and coriander (p. 106), eggs scrambled with rhubarb (p. 231), and roast chicken with crispy spaghetti (p. 192). Crispy spaghetti... in my house that would be considered a mistake, but in this recipe it bakes with a chicken and is served in a sauce with cinnamon and allspice. It sounds delicious.

When I got this from the library, I read it almost cover to cover like a work of non-fiction, not a cookbook. it is beautiful, enlightening, heartfelt. The recipes are delicious, the photography and information are incredible - it's like cultural anthropology. I try and introduce my family to as many cultures as possible through cooking - I've always felt if you can meet anyone over their table, you will be able to make a friend. There is a heart and soul to the Syrian Jewish diaspora, and it is felt in this book. Cook from it and you will feel it too.

Brand	N/A
Rating	4.8 (317 ratings)
Price	$37.1
Category	Middle East

Aromas of Aleppo: The Legendary Cuisine of Syrian Jews