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Tucked away in a leafy, up-hill neighbourhood in Surbiton, Surrey, is the home of Naziha Adib; author of Iraq’s first contemporary cookbook.
Adib was visiting London in the early 1990s as war broke out in her motherland, Iraq, rendering her country uninhabitable. Infrastructure, hospitals, schools, and factories were all decimated. Unable to return, Adib and her family settled in the United Kingdom in search of a life of stability.
The idea of the book first took shape in the mid-’60s, when Adib served as the director of the department of home-arts at Baghdad University, College of Fine Arts. She hosted a programme called the ‘Women’s Corner’ on state-run Radio Baghdad, in which she unveiled old, new, and popular recipes; each distinctively Iraqi.
The plug was eventually pulled and the programme was discontinued. Despite that, Adib was adamant not to let the recipes she had collected go to waste. She and her friend, Firdous al-Mukhtar, a teacher at the same college, pieced together the time-tested recipes to form a cookbook.
Adib was visiting London in the early 1990s as war broke out in her motherland, Iraq, rendering her country uninhabitable. Infrastructure, hospitals, schools, and factories were all decimated. Unable to return, Adib and her family settled in the United Kingdom in search of a life of stability.
The idea of the book first took shape in the mid-’60s, when Adib served as the director of the department of home-arts at Baghdad University, College of Fine Arts. She hosted a programme called the ‘Women’s Corner’ on state-run Radio Baghdad, in which she unveiled old, new, and popular recipes; each distinctively Iraqi.
The plug was eventually pulled and the programme was discontinued. Despite that, Adib was adamant not to let the recipes she had collected go to waste. She and her friend, Firdous al-Mukhtar, a teacher at the same college, pieced together the time-tested recipes to form a cookbook.
Their work was a stunning success, and in great in demand after its debut in the late 1960s, by Iraqi women of all shapes and sizes. With no other Iraqi cookbook to compete against locally, Abid’s first edition sold out like hotcakes. The book made its way into every Iraqi household — at home and in exile — published 18 times since its first release. Although not always with the author’s consent, copies were also printed in Beirut and London.The tens and thousands of copies that adorned household bookshelves have also migrated wherever Iraqis have laid down their roots.
For the first time in almost half a century, Adib’s book has been republished and brought into circulation once more. In collaboration with Alaa Abbas — owner of Qatar based Iraqi restaurant, Aloosh — the reprinted book provides Arab communities the opportunity once again to bring Iraqi and Arabic culinary delights to life. Many of the dishes that make-up the 400 page cookbook have survived centuries, and have rarely been adapted or diversified.
Adib’s highly regarded work is the latest contribution to the flourishing market of Arab-inspired recipe books. The latest edition is available for purchase via this link; https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1302766053142954&id=785586774860887
For the first time in almost half a century, Adib’s book has been republished and brought into circulation once more. In collaboration with Alaa Abbas — owner of Qatar based Iraqi restaurant, Aloosh — the reprinted book provides Arab communities the opportunity once again to bring Iraqi and Arabic culinary delights to life. Many of the dishes that make-up the 400 page cookbook have survived centuries, and have rarely been adapted or diversified.
Adib’s highly regarded work is the latest contribution to the flourishing market of Arab-inspired recipe books. The latest edition is available for purchase via this link; https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1302766053142954&id=785586774860887
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