Just wrote a review about an Oman cookbook, which made me remember this *fantastic* book from a few years ago. I wish every cuisine in the world was documented in such a thoughtful, thorough way. There's so much in here beyond recipes -- notes on how dishes vary from village to village, pics of women in their home kitchens, an essay on the debate over whether Gaza should strive to grow all its own food, and even a box on the super-basic cooking techniques Gaza cooks use before a recipe even starts. It's these little details--which direction people slice their onions, how they handle meat, etc--that make the distinctions between cuisines, and it's so easy for a cookbook author to gloss over them.

Highly recommend for anyone interested in Middle Eastern food. The Gaza Strip is *tiny*, but there are things in this book that are not cooked anywhere else in the region. So interesting.