Anas Atassi learned to make his family's recipes as a means of "culinary daydreaming," a way to stay connected to his birthplace and his heritage as he moved across the world. Amid political turmoil and a war that scattered Syrian people across the globe, this connection to Syrian food--a "tangible, edible way of remembering"--becomes much larger than one Syrian son and his mother's recipes, as evidenced across every page of his stunning cookbook, Sumac: Recipes and Stories from Syria. Tucked in with recipes such as Musabaha (chickpeas in yogurt with tahini sauce) and Sambusak (filo rolls with cheese filling) are stories of Atassi's family and culture, all evoking the "flavors, smells, and textures of Syrian cooking."
Atassi names two key ingredients in Syrian cooking: the titular sumac, and "nafas," the kind of soulful magic that happens when ingredients combine into something cohesive and larger than the sum of their parts. He calls it one of the greatest compliments one can pay a Syrian cook--and it's a compliment easily paid to Sumac, a beautiful and loving tribute to a food, a place and a people. --Kerry McHugh, freelance writer