Summary
Summary
In the Arabian Gulf, just east of Saudi Arabia and across the sea from Iran, the kitchens of Oman are filled with the enticing, mysterious aroma of a spice bazaar: musky black limes, earthy cloves, warming cinnamon, cumin, and coriander all play against the comforting scent of simmering basmati rice. Beyond these kitchens, the rocky crags of Jabal Akhdar tower, palm trees sway along the coast of Salalah, sand dunes ripple across Sharqiyah, and the calls to prayer echo from minarets throughout urban Muscat. In The Food of Oman , American food writer Felicia Campbell invites readers to journey with her into home kitchens, beachside barbeques, royal weddings, and humble teashops. Discover with her the incredible diversity of flavors and cultures in the tiny Sultanate of Oman.
Omani cuisine is rooted in a Bedouin culture of hospitality--using whatever is on hand to feed a wandering stranger or a crowd of friends--and is infused with the rich bounty of interloping seafarers and overland Arabian caravan traders who, over the centuries, brought with them the flavors of East Africa, Persia, Asia, and beyond. In Oman, familiar ingredients mingle in exciting new ways: Zanzibari biryani is scented with rosewater and cloves, seafood soup is enlivened with hot red pepper and turmeric, green bananas are spiked with lime, green chili, and coconut. The recipes in The Food of Oman offer cooks a new world of flavors, techniques, and inspiration, while the lush photography and fascinating stories provide an introduction to the culture of a people whose adventurous palates and deep love of feeding and being fed gave rise to this unparalleled cuisine.
Author Notes
Felicia Campbell began her adult life as a 17-year-old private in the United States Army, deploying to Iraq as a member of the initial invasion in 2003. Her experiences there transformed her perspective on the world. She fell in love with the Iraqi people and the warmth and hospitality of Middle Eastern culture over steaming cups of tea and plates of grilled chicken, inspiring a lifelong passion for food as an essential human pleasure that can open the door for intimate connections, even under the most dire circumstances. She has spent the last decade exploring these themes, earning a master's degree in food studies with a focus on Middle Eastern culture from New York University and sharing stories from the region as an International Association of Culinary Professionals award-nominated writer and staff editor at Saveur and as a freelance journalist. She now lives in Muscat, where she is the executive features editor at the Times of Oman .