OP: Patisserie of the Eastern Mediterranean
McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, 1989. Hardcover. Very Good. First US printing.
Nuts and seeds, honey and floral syrups, shredded and layered filo doughs, and spiced or custardy fillings are quintessential flavors and textures shared among Middle Eastern and Mediterranean pastry traditions. Patisserie of the Eastern Mediterranean—first published in the UK in 1988 as part of a series dedicated to regional sweet things—is a satisfying sampling of those treats.
You’ll find:
- Kunafeh—shredded filo pastry—with a trio of chopped nuts, all fried in butter and soaked in floral waters, dusted with spiced confectioner’s sugar
- Syrian ma-moul—baked semolina pastries filled with dates, walnuts, and cinnamon—a common Easter offering
- Feqa’min zbib—North African raisin and almond cookies, scented with anise
- Flaky Armenian bread, or blor keteh, topped with sesame seeds
- Quince and pistachio-filled borek
Whether you’re newly exploring the wide world of regional pastries, or specifically interested in Mediterranean flavors, this book offers an approachable introduction with room to, perhaps, grow ambitious enough to make your own filo sheets and work from the ground up.
Our copy is a Very Good, unused copy of the 1989 first US printing. Lightly shelfworn.
