Anissa Helou | |
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 Anissa Helou at the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, 2012 | |
| Born | 1 February 1952 Beirut, Lebanon |
| Genre | non-fiction |
| Subject | cooking |
Anissa Helou (born 1 February 1952) is a London-based chef, teacher, and author. She specializes in cooking and writing recipes for Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and North African cuisines. Her cookbooks have won numerous awards. She currently lives in London and runs a cooking school, "Anissa's School." [1]
The daughter of a Syrian father from Mashta al-Helu [2] and a Lebanese mother, [3] Helou left her home in Beirut, Lebanon at the age of 21 to study interior design in London. [4]
Following completion of the Sotheby's Works of Art course, [5] Helou started working for the auction house, becoming their representative for the Middle East. At the age of 24, she opened an Antique shop in Paris. Shortly thereafter, she became a freelance art consultant based in London. [4] Then, between 1978 and 1986, Helou lived in Kuwait acting as an advisor to members of the ruling family, before returning to London in 1986. [3]
Helou was inspired by the Lebanese Civil War and a friend in the publishing industry to write a cookbook. Her first work was titled, Lebanese Cuisine, and it was published in 1994. Robert Irwin described it as "No mere utilitarian manual, but a wistful evocation of feasts and picnics held in an easy-going, Levantine environment which all but came to an end ... in 1975". [6] The book was short-listed for an André Simon Award. [7]
In 1999, Helou changed her life by selling a number of collections at Christie's. [3] She also sold her Victorian house and bought a two-story warehouse loft in Shoreditch, which she then converted into a modern minimalist living and working space. She then opened Anissa's Kitchen in this location. [8]
In 2013, Helou was listed by Arabian Business as one of the 500 most powerful Arabs in the world, [9] and one of the 100 most powerful Arab women. [10]
Her book "Levant" was published in 2013 and was selected as one of Observer Food Monthly's 20 Food Books of the Year, [11] Gourmet Travelers Best Books of 2013, [12] 14 Best Cookbooks of 2013 by BuzzFeed [13] and one of Marie-Claire Digby's Top 10 Food Books of the Year. [14]
Her book Feast: Food of the Islamic World was published in 2018.
Tabbouleh, also transcribed tabouleh, tabbouli, tabouli, or taboulah, is a Levantine salad made mostly of finely chopped parsley, with tomatoes, mint, onion, soaked bulgur, and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and sweet pepper. Some variations add lettuce, or use semolina instead of bulgur.
Craig Claiborne was an American restaurant critic, food journalist and book author. A long-time food editor and restaurant critic for The New York Times, he was also the author of numerous cookbooks and an autobiography. Over the course of his career, he made many contributions to gastronomy and food writing in the United States.
Arab cuisine collectively refers to the regional culinary traditions of the Arab world, consisting of the Maghreb and the Mashriq. These cuisines are centuries old and reflect the culture of trading in ingredients, spices, herbs, and commodities among the Arabs. The regions have many similarities, but also unique traditions. They have also been influenced by climate, cultivation, and mutual commerce.
Lebanese cuisine is the culinary traditions and practices originating from Lebanon. It includes an abundance of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fresh fish and seafood. Poultry is eaten more often than red meat, and when red meat is eaten, it is usually lamb and goat meat. Dishes include copious amounts of garlic and olive oil, and dishes are often seasoned with salt and lemon juice. Chickpeas and parsley are also staples of the Lebanese diet.
Najmieh Khalili Batmanglij is an Iranian-American chef and cookbook author. Born in Tehran, she fled the Iranian Revolution in 1979, moving first to France, then the United States, building a career as a cookbook author as she went. Her first book, published in French, was called Ma Cuisine d’Iran (1984), followed by eight cookbooks in English, from Food of Life (1986) to Cooking in Iran (2018). The Washington Post hailed her in 2018 as "the grande dame of Iranian Cooking."
Trish Deseine is an Irish food writer and cookbook author; she was born in Northern Ireland, and moved to Paris in 1987.
Ching-He Huang (Chinese: 黃瀞億; pinyin: Huáng Jìngyì; Wade–Giles: Huang2 Ching4-i4;, often known in English-language merely as Ching, is a Taiwanese-born British food writer and TV chef. She has appeared in a variety of television cooking programmes, and is the author of nine best-selling cookbooks. Ching is recognized as a foodie entrepreneur, having created her own food businesses. She has become known for Chinese cookery internationally through her TV programmes, books, noodle range, tableware range, and involvement in many campaigns and causes.
Ma'amoul is a filled butter cookie made with semolina flour. It is popular throughout the Arab world. The filling can be made with dried fruits like figs, dates, or nuts such as pistachios or walnuts, and occasionally almonds.
Kabsa or makbūs/machbūs is an Arabian mixed rice dish that originates from Saudi Arabia or Yemen. It is commonly regarded as a national dish in all the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council. It can also be found in regions such as southern Iran and Gaza in Palestine.
Saudi Arabian cuisine varies according to the diverse landscapes and regions of the country. The environmental, geographic, and cultural diversity within this vast area has led to a wide variety of dishes. Saudi Arabia encompasses different regions, resulting in cuisines from the Central region, Eastern, Southern and Western regions. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia's position along global trade routes has led to the introduction of various spices.
Silvena Rowe is a Bulgarian chef, food writer, television personality and restaurateur.
Yotam Assaf Ottolenghi is an Israeli-born British chef, restaurateur, and food writer. Alongside Sami Tamimi, he is the co-owner of nine delis and restaurants in London and Bicester Village and the author of several bestselling cookery books, including Ottolenghi: The Cookbook (2008), Plenty (2010), Jerusalem (2012) and Simple (2018).
Catherine Fulvio is an Irish TV chef, food writer, author, and the owner of Ballyknockan House and Cookery School.
Shipra Khanna is an Indian celebrity chef, restaurateur, author and television personality. She is best known for, at the age of 29, winning the second season of the Indian television show MasterChef India (2012) which aired on Star Plus.
Clotilde Dusoulier is a French food writer from Paris. She runs a popular food blog called Chocolate & Zucchini and has published several books related to French food.
Vivek Singh is an Indian celebrity chef, restaurateur, and media personality known for his Indian cuisine. He is the CEO and Executive Chef of four London- based modern restaurants and one Oxford-based modern restaurant. Singh is a regular face on BBC's Saturday Kitchen, and has been featured on television shows including Madhur Jaffrey's Curry Nation, At Home with Rachel Allen, NDTV Good Times – Will Travel for Food and My Kitchen Rules UK.
Bethany Kehdy is a Lebanese-American Chef, cookbook author, presenter and beauty pageant titleholder. She specialises in the cuisines of the Mediterranean, Middle East and North Africa.
Ariana Bundy is an Iranian–American chef, writer, and television personality. She is best known for her cookery and travel series Ariana's Persian Kitchen which airs on Nat Geo People. She is an author of two books and has been featured in notable publications and television programs for her culinary work. Bundy is known for her Persian/Middle Eastern cooking style.
Joudie Kalla is a Palestinian-British chef and food writer. She is the author of two prizewinning cookbooks, Palestine on a Plate: Memories from My Mother’s Kitchen (2016), and Baladi: A Celebration of Food from Land and Sea (2018), and has featured in venues like The New York Times,The Guardian, and Al Jazeera.
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