Tekebash & Saba Recipes and stories from an East African kitchen

Written by a mother-and-daughter team, this Ethiopian cookbook offers family recipes and family history. The book begins by sketching the culinary and personal journey of Alemayoh's mother, Tekebash. She was born in Tigray, fled to Sudan, and immigrated to Australia, where she cooked in Alemayoh's restaurant Saba's. The arrangement of the book reflects Tekebash's history, with chapters headed "The first dish she ever cooked," "Fleeing Tigray," "Wedding? No. Married? Yes!," "His favorite dish with a side of mistress," and "Raising a child through a tea cart." Before the recipes is a brief history of Tigray. The opening chapter then explores the backbone of the cuisine, three recipes that need to be practiced for the rest to work, a flatbread, a spiced butter, and a powdered chile mix. From there flow dishes such as chickpea stew, split red lentil curry, and beet and bacon salad. Recipes are headed in the Tigrinya script, and the English transliteration is phonetic. Chapters are introduced with stories and cultural context. VERDICT Largely vegetarian, deeply personal, and rich with dishes that are likely to become part of many a dinner rotation.--Neal Wyatt