Ripe Figs

January 18, 2021
Food writer Khan (Zaitoun) turns her attention to the eastern Mediterranean in this collection of poignant travel essays and delectable recipes. Khan started researching the work “just two weeks after a miscarriage,” while also living near the epicenter of the refugee crisis in Greece. Solace came in the form of welcoming strangers into her home for comforting meals, among them Syrians, Pakistanis, and Afghans who had sought shelter on the Greek island of Lesbos, and a restaurateur named Lena who set up a restaurant catering to the palates of refugees. The refugees’ origins influences many of the recipes, such as an Afghan-spiced pumpkin and an Iranian eggplant and kashk dip made with a fermented yogurt paste. Breakfast treats range from sweet tahini swirls inspired by Cyprus street vendors to a Turkish-spiced tomato scramble. Pomegranate shows up in a beet, fennel, and pomegranate salad; a pomegranate and sumac chicken; and a raspberry and pomegranate roulade. Food photographer Matt Russell’s elegant images, meanwhile, capture the crisp colors of Khan’s dishes. This powerful work shines both for its bright flavors and its humanitarian ethos.