to the sun-soaked deserts and sparkling coastal waters where our spiritual ancestors invented the very first recipes and cooking techniques. A time when the air, thick with the scent of freshly-squeezed lemon, wafted lazily through the olive groves, mingling with the rich, smoky flavor of a tender lamb meat sizzling over a charcoal pit. Let your senses transport you back to the cradle of civilization when food was a sacred nourishment for body and soul.

In this remarkable cookbook, celebrated chef Helen Corey presents authentic, mouth-watering recipes for a range of traditional foods from Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt, Morocco, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. With measurements converted for convenient use in American kitchens and friendly explanations of unfamiliar foods and terms, Food from Biblical Lands is perfectly accessible for those with little or no experience in Middle Eastern cooking. You and your family will be delighted by the succulent taste of chicken smothered in sumac and the zesty flavor of stuffed summer squash in a tantalizing mint-yogurt sauce. And the long list of appetizers, snacks, and deserts will keep you busy with new dishes for months... Not to mention Helen's useful menu suggestions for special occasions and holidays.

Best of all, Middle Eastern food is remarkably healthy; dishes like tabooley salad and laban are delicious low-calorie, protein-filled foods, and others, like falafel and tahini, have long been favorites among healthy eaters. Because traditional Middle Eastern recipes call for ingredients that co-exist closely in nature, the foods are naturally balanced and healthy, just as God intended.

With intriguing, food-related excerpts from the Old and New Testaments scattered between the recipes, Food from Biblical Lands is an engaging and delicious investigation into the relationship between history, spirituality, and food.

Helen Corey's enthusiasm for Syrian cooking stems from her Arabic heritage--her mother and father are natives of Arne and Ein-el-shara, suburbs of Damascus. She has a profound interest in promoting friendly relations between Americans and people of foreign lands and is a firm believer in the notion that understanding other culture's customs and traditions is a crucial step in achieving true peace and brotherhood. Widely known for her freelance television cooking shows, Helen is also the author of The Art of Syrian Cookery, a best seller for nearly 30 years.