The world is surprisingly full of Arabic cookbooks, but not all of them deserve house room – the curse of the dodgy translation is widespread, and many haven’t made the transition from a local to an international market. That still leaves a good selection for anyone wanting to explore Arab cuisine, and here are five that you really should look out for:

1.                  One Thousand and One Delights Nahda Salah

Also called “Arab World Cook Book” in some versions; you might have to hunt this one down (lots of European and American online stores claim to have it) but it’s a goodie – especially because the author put a lot of effort into simplification, aiming for quick and spontaneous cooking.

2.                  Spice ‘n Easy Muslim Cookbook Hajra Makda

Another one worth searching for: over 130 delicious family recipes, easy to make and featuring maximum flavour and visual appeal.

3.                  A Taste of Arabia – Jessie Kirkness Parker

Ms Parker has worked in the Gulf for some years as a food editor, food stylist, and food consultant. Her book is more a giftable souvenir than a kitchen standby, mixing recipes with photography of the region and an introduction to the culture, but the dishes do work.

4.                  The Arab Table – May Bsisu

Another attempt to define Arab cuisine (from Morocco to Yemen and the Gulf) with over 180 good recipes – mostly Mediterranean, to be fair, but those are good and there’s an excellent Chicken Shawarma in here.

5.                  The New Book of Middle Eastern Food – Claudia Roden

The Godmother of Mediterranean cookery books; she writes well, her recipes are tested and true, and she understands cultural nuances as well as the practicalities of cooking for a Western audience. True, this excellent update of a book that first appeared in 1968 majors on Lebanese and Turkish cooking, but there are more than 800 recipes here (as well as folk tales, tips, and anecdotes). Encyclopaedic yet intimate.

[Originally published in Abu Dhabi Week vol 2 issue 28]