Claudia Roden Popular Books

Claudia Roden Biography & Facts

Claudia Roden (née Douek; born 1936) is an Egyptian-born British cookbook writer and cultural anthropologist of Sephardi/Mizrahi descent. She is best known as the author of Middle Eastern cookbooks including A Book of Middle Eastern Food, The New Book of Middle Eastern Food and Arabesque—Sumptuous Food from Morocco, Turkey and Lebanon. Early life Roden was born in 1936 in Cairo, Kingdom of Egypt, the daughter of Cesar Elie Douek and his wife Nelly Sassoon. Her parents were from prominent Syrian-Jewish merchant families who migrated from Aleppo in the previous century; she grew up in Zamalek, Cairo, with two brothers, the surgeon Ellis Douek, and Zaki Douek.She was Egypt's national backstroke swimming champion at the age of 15.In 1951 Roden moved to Paris and went to boarding school for three years. In 1954 she moved to London where she studied painting at St. Martin's School of Art. She shared a flat with her brothers Ellis Douek and Zaki Douek. In the London flat Roden, while preparing the meals for her brothers, started to experiment with cooking. She remembered family recipes from Alphandary, pies with aubergine and spinach, and mint and lamb. Both were foods not often cooked in London in that period and so finding ingredients in London was an adventure.She did not return to Egypt for a quarter of a century, well after her family and most of Cairo's Jewish community had been expelled; many of her books reflect her longing for the close communal culture that was lost, especially as expressed in the culinary arts and social occasions associated with them. Career Besides her numerous cookery volumes, Roden has also worked as a food writer and a cooking show presenter for the BBC.Food writers and chefs such as Melissa Clark and Yotam Ottolenghi have credited her with playing a large role in introducing the food of Egypt in particular and the Middle East in general to Britain and the United States. Paul Levy classes her with such other food writers as Elizabeth David, Julia Child, Jane Grigson, and Sri Owen who, from the 1950s on, "deepened the conversation around food to address questions of culture, context, history and identity." Her many cookbooks, Clark writes, have "produced a genre of works that is at once literary and deeply researched while still being, at heart, practical manuals on how to make delicious meals." Roles President (previously co-chair) of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery (2012 – present)Honorary Fellow of University College London (2008)Visiting Fellow Yale University, USA (2010 – 2011)Honorary Fellow of the School of Oriental and African Studies (2012) Personal life In 1959, she married Paul Roden, a clothes importer, and they separated after 15 years. They had three children.She has lived in Hampstead Garden Suburb since the early 1970s. Activities and awards 1997 - The National Jewish Book Award in the Sephardic and Ashkenazic Culture and Customs category for The Book of Jewish Food Roden is a Patron of London-based HIV charity The Food Chain. 1999 - Prince Claus Award "in recognition of her exceptional initiatives and achievements in the field of culture." from the Prince Claus Fund, an international culture and development organisation based in Amsterdam. 2005 - André Simon Memorial Fund Food Book Prize for non-fiction for The Book of Jewish Food. 2005 - Glenfiddich Best Food Book award for Arabesque. 2019 : Observer Food Monthly Awards: Lifetime achievement 2022 - Roden was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to food culture.Publications 1968: A Book of Middle Eastern Food, ISBN 978-0-394-71948-1 (reprint) 1970: A New Book of Middle Eastern Food, ISBN 978-0-14-046588-4 (reprint) 1978 Coffee, (Faber & Faber 1978) New updated edition Pavilion (1994) ISBN 978-1-85793-341-3 1981: Picnic: The Complete Guide to Outdoor Food, ISBN 978-0-14-046920-2 (reprint) 1986: Middle Eastern Cooking, ISBN 0-7445-0653-0 1987: Mediterranean Cookery, accompanied The BBC TV series (BBC Books 1987, newly enlarged edition Penguin Classic 1998) ISBN 978-0-14-027278-9 (reprint) 1990: The Food of Italy, ISBN 978-0-09-927325-7 (reprint) 1992: Claudia Roden's Invitation to Mediterranean Cooking: 150 Vegetarian and Seafood Recipes, ISBN 978-0-330-39169-6 (reprint) 1995: Everything Tastes Better Outdoors, ISBN 0-517-12234-0 (reprint) 1996: The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand and Vilna to the Present Day, ISBN 978-0-14-046609-6 (reprint) 1999: Coffee: A Connoisseur's Companion, ISBN 978-1-86205-283-3 1999: Tamarind and Saffron: Favourite Recipes from the Middle East, ISBN 978-0-14-046694-2 (reprint) 2000: The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, ISBN 0-375-40506-2 2001: Picnics: And Other Outdoor Feasts, ISBN 978-1-904943-17-4 (reprint) 2003: Claudia Roden's Foolproof Mediterranean Cooking, ISBN 978-0-563-53496-9 2003: Foreword to Traditional Moroccan Cooking by Madame Guinaudeau, ISBN 1-897959-43-5 (reprint) 2004: The Arab-Israeli Cookbook: The Recipes, with Robin Soans, ISBN 978-0-9515877-5-1 2005: Arabesque - Sumptuous Food from Morocco, Turkey and Lebanon, ISBN 978-0-7181-4581-1 2006: Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon, ISBN 978-0-307-26498-5 2007: Simple Mediterranean Cookery, ISBN 978-0-563-49327-3 2011: The Food of Spain, ISBN 978-0-06-196962-1 2021: Claudia Roden’s Mediterranean, ISBN 978-1-9848-5974-7References External links Claudia Roden, entry by Joan Nathan in Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia (Jewish Women's Archive), 20 March 2009. Retrieved January 5, 2010 Claudia Roden interview by Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire (Oxford Oral History Project) Take the Spice Route - article by Roden Capsule biography at Penguin Books Capsule biography Archived 2010-01-31 at the Wayback Machine at the BBC Staff page at SOAS, the School of Oriental and African Studies. Discover the Claudia Roden popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Claudia Roden books.

Best Seller Claudia Roden Books of 2024

  • River Cafe Italian Kitchen synopsis, comments

    River Cafe Italian Kitchen

    Rose Gray & Ruth Rogers

    The RIVER CAFE COOKBOOKS are a publishing phenomenon, with over a quarter of a million sold. Following a successful pilot on BBC, Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers were asked by Channel 4 ...

  • Sabor synopsis, comments

    Sabor

    Nieves Barragan Mohacho

    Nieves Barragán Mohacho is the renowned Spanish chef behind London's Michelin star restaurant Sabor.In her cookbook Sabor (meaning flavour in Spanish), the Basqueborn chef shares t...

  • Barrafina synopsis, comments

    Barrafina

    Eddie Hart, Nieves Barragan Mohacho & Sam Hart

    'Possibly the best Spanish cookbook ever' Rachel Cooke, Observer Food Monthly'Barrafina is a tapas bar and the best of its kind . . . the food is fantastic' Giles Coren, The TimesW...

  • To the Baltic with Bob synopsis, comments

    To the Baltic with Bob

    Griff Rhys Jones

    In the summer of 2002, two profoundly amateur sailors, Griff and Bob, set off in an elderly yacht for Russia, because, on the map, it looked easier than sailing to Cornwall. They t...

  • The Elegant Economist synopsis, comments

    The Elegant Economist

    Eliza Acton

    Before Mrs Beeton there was Eliza Acton, whose crisp, clear, simple style and foolproof instructions established the format for modern cookery writing, leading to her being called ...

  • Morito synopsis, comments

    Morito

    Samantha Clark & Samuel Clark

    As the little sister of Moro, Morito has been serving delicious and innovative tapas and mezze in the heart of London’s Exmouth Market for over three years. Morito’s cracked plaste...

  • Simple Asian Cookery synopsis, comments

    Simple Asian Cookery

    Ken Hom

    In Foolproof Asian Cookery (now available in paperback as Simple Asian Cookery), Ken Hom expands the culinary horizon with the food of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. T...

  • The New Book of Middle Eastern Food synopsis, comments

    The New Book of Middle Eastern Food

    Claudia Roden

    The definitive volume on Middle Eastern cooking, a modern classic from the awardwinning, bestselling author of The Book of Jewish Food and Claudia Roden's MediterraneanOriginally p...

  • Bahari synopsis, comments

    Bahari

    Dina Macki

    With honesty and curiosity, Britishborn OmaniZanzibari chef Dina Macki explores the unique foodscape of Oman, in the first Omani cookbook to be written by an Omani chef.Bahari, mea...

  • The River Cafe Classic Italian Cookbook synopsis, comments

    The River Cafe Classic Italian Cookbook

    Rose Gray & Ruth Rogers

    Thirty years after its doors first opened, The River Café remains one of London's most iconic restaurants, loved for its innovative Italian food. Pioneering chefs Rose Gray and Rut...

  • Cooking synopsis, comments

    Cooking

    Jeremy Lee

    WINNER OF A FORTNUMS SPECIAL AWARD 2023WINNER OF THE ANDRÉ SIMON AWARD 2022 FOR BEST FOOD BOOK‘A beautifully written instant classic that is every bit as exuberant and delicious as...

  • Casablanca synopsis, comments

    Casablanca

    Nargisse Benkabbou

    OBSERVER RISING STAR IN FOOD 2018 'a book that is infused with the flavours of Morocco and is as accessible as it is inspiring' Nigella Lawson 'It practically sings with aromati...

  • Real Ale synopsis, comments

    Real Ale

    Bill Laws

    This delightful book tells you everything you ever wanted to know about real ale from its first recorded brewing by the Sumerians 5,000 years ago through its spread to Europe via ...

  • The Food Almanac synopsis, comments

    The Food Almanac

    Miranda York

    SHORTLISTED FOR THE FORTNUM & MASON FOOD AND DRINK AWARDS 2021The Food Almanac is a seasonal collection of recipes and stories celebrating the joy of food – a dazzling, diverse...

  • Tapas Revolution synopsis, comments

    Tapas Revolution

    Omar Allibhoy

    Prepare to fall in love with Spanish food! With stunning photography, easytofollow, stepbystep recipes and a real sense of love for the cuisine, this is the perfect book for anyone...

  • New Flavours of the Jewish Table synopsis, comments

    New Flavours of the Jewish Table

    Denise Phillips

    Food has always played a crucial role in Jewish culture, with numerous celebratory feast days marking important occasions throughout the year. In her mouthwatering new collection ...

  • Cherish synopsis, comments

    Cherish

    Anne Shooter

    'Sesame & Spice is an absolute treat; full of warmth and generosity, and so many recipes I want to cook, that I've been headily immoderate with my postit notes!' Nigella Laws...

  • Ultimate Slow Cooker Favourites synopsis, comments

    Ultimate Slow Cooker Favourites

    Cara Hobday

    Cara Hobday follows her bestselling The Ultimate Slow Cooker Cookbook with this new collection of original and enticing recipes. There are over 100 delicious recipes for every occa...

  • Arabesque synopsis, comments

    Arabesque

    Claudia Roden

    Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon offer some of the world's most exciting cuisines. In this delectable cookbook, the awardwinning, bestselling author of The Book of Jewish Coo...

  • Venice synopsis, comments

    Venice

    Russell Norman

    A beautifully designed cookbook with easy, seasonal Italian recipes perfect for any foodie!Russell Norman returns to Venice the city that inspired POLPO to immerse himself in th...