Ottolenghi Popular Books
Ottolenghi Biography & Facts
Yotam Assaf Ottolenghi (born 14 December 1968) is an Israeli-born British chef, restaurateur, and food writer. Alongside Sami Tamimi, he is the co-owner of seven delis and restaurants in London and the author of several bestselling cookery books, including Ottolenghi: The Cookbook (2008), Plenty (2010), Jerusalem (2012) and Simple (2018). Biography Yotam Ottolenghi was born to Jewish parents in Jerusalem and raised in its Ramat Denya suburb, the son of Michael Ottolenghi, a chemistry professor at Hebrew University and Ruth Ottolenghi, a high school principal. He is of Italian Jewish and German Jewish descent and often spent his childhood summers in Italy. He has an older sister, Tirza Florentin. His younger brother, Yiftach, was killed by friendly fire in 1992 during his military service. Ottolenghi is an Italian name, an Italianised form of Ettlingen, a town in Baden-Württemberg from which Jews were expelled in the 15th and 16th centuries; many settled in Northern Italy. Ottolenghi was conscripted into the Israel Defence Forces in 1989, serving three years in IDF intelligence headquarters. He then studied at the Adi Lautman Interdisciplinary Programme for Outstanding Students of Tel Aviv University where in 1997, he completed a combined bachelor's and master's degree in comparative literature; his thesis was on the philosophy of the photographic image. While working on his thesis, Ottolenghi served as a night copy editor for Haaretz. In 1997, Ottolenghi and his then partner Noam Bar moved to Amsterdam, where he edited the Hebrew section of the Dutch-Jewish weekly NIW. He later relocated to London to study French pastry cooking at Le Cordon Bleu. Ottolenghi met his partner Karl Allen in 2000; they married in 2012 and live in Camden, London, with their two sons, born in 2013 and 2015. In 2013, Ottolenghi "came out as a gay father" in a Guardian essay that detailed the lengthy process of conceiving their first son via gestational surrogacy, an option that he believes should be more widely available to those who cannot conceive naturally. Culinary career Ottolenghi served as a pastry chef at three London restaurants: the Michelin-starred Capital Restaurant, Kensington Place, and Launceston Place in Kensington New Town. In 1999, he became head pastry chef at the artisanal pastry shop Baker and Spice, where he met the Palestinian chef Sami Tamimi, who grew up in Jerusalem's Old City. Ottolenghi and Tamimi bonded over their shared language, Hebrew, and a joint "incomprehension of traditional English food". In 2002, the duo (in collaboration with Noam Bar) founded the eponymous delicatessen Ottolenghi in the Notting Hill district of London. The deli quickly gained a cult following due to its inventive dishes, characterised by the foregrounding of vegetables, unorthodox flavour combinations, and the abundance of Middle Eastern ingredients such as rose water, za'atar, and pomegranate molasses. When asked to explain his cooking philosophy Ottolenghi said "I want drama in the mouth." The Ottolenghi brand has since expanded to three more delis (in Islington, Marylebone and Chelsea), a formal restaurant in Spitalfields, a brasserie named NOPI in Soho, and a vegetable-centric restaurant named ROVI which opened in Fitzrovia in June 2018. In 2006, Ottolenghi began writing a weekly column for The Guardian titled "The New Vegetarian," though he himself is not a vegetarian and has sometimes noted where a vegetable-centric recipe would pair well with a particular cut of meat. Influenced by the straightforward, culturally-grounded food writing of Nigella Lawson and Claudia Roden, Ottolenghi's recipes rarely fit within traditional dietary or cultural categories. He explained that his mission is "celebrating vegetables or pulses without making them taste like meat, or as complements to meat, but to be what they are. It does no favour to vegetarians, making vegetables second best." His debut cookery book Ottolenghi: The Cookbook was published in 2008. Eight volumes have followed: the all-vegetable cookery books Plenty (2010), Plenty More (2014) and Ottolenghi Flavour (2020); Jerusalem (2012); NOPI (2015); the dessert cookery book Sweet (2017); Ottolenghi Simple (2018); and most recently a series of Ottolenghi Test Kitchen (OTK) books: OTK: Shelf Love (2021) and OTK: Extra Good Things (2022). Ottolenghi's bestselling cookery books have proven influential, with The New York Times noting that they are "widely knocked-off for their plain-spoken instructions, puffy covers, and photographs [that Ottolenghi] oversees himself, eschewing a food stylist". In 2014, the London Evening Standard remarked that Ottolenghi had "radically rewritten the way Londoners cook and eat", and Bon Appétit wrote that he had "made the world love vegetables". Ottolenghi has hosted three television specials: Jerusalem on a Plate (BBC4, 2011); Ottolenghi's Mediterranean Feast (More4, 2012); and Ottolenghi's Mediterranean Island Feast (More4, 2013). He served as a guest judge on the ninth (2017), eleventh (2019) and thirteenth (2021) seasons of the cooking game show Masterchef Australia. He had declined numerous guest-judge offers in the past and agreed to appear on Masterchef Australia "because it's quite humane and positive. It's about the personal development of the contestants more than the competition." Published works Ottolenghi: The Cookbook (2008) (with Sami Tamimi) Plenty (2010) Jerusalem: A Cookbook (2012) (with Sami Tamimi) Plenty More (2014) NOPI (2015) (with Ramael Scully & Tara Wigley) Sweet: Desserts from London's Ottolenghi (2017) (with Helen Goh & Tara Wigley) Ottolenghi Simple (2018) (with Tara Wigley & Esme Howarth) Ottolenghi Flavour (2020) (with Ixta Belfrage & Tara Wigley) Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love (2021) (with Noor Murad) Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Extra Good Things (2022) (with Noor Murad) Awards and recognition 2010 Galaxy National Book Awards "Food and Drink Book of the Year" for Plenty 2010 Observer Food Monthly's "Best Cookbooks Ever", Plenty ranked number 40 2011 Condé Nast Traveler "Innovation and Design Awards", NOPI, winner of the Gourmet award 2011 Observer Food Monthly's "Best Cookbook Award" winner for Plenty 2012 Restaurant and Bar Design Awards, "Identity" category for the restaurant Nopi 2012 Guild of Food Writers Awards, "Kate Whiteman Award for Work on Food and Travel" for Jerusalem on a Plate (BBC4) 2013 James Beard Award "International Cookbook" for Jerusalem 2013 Guild of Food Writers Awards, "Cookery Book Award" for Jerusalem 2013 Guild of Food Writers Awards, "Evelyn Rose Award for Cookery Journalist" for journalism in The Guardian 2013 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, the Dun Gifford Award winner for Jerusalem 2013 International Association of Culinary Professionals Awards, winner of the International award and the Best Cookbook award for Jerusalem 2013 Fortnum and Mason Food and Drink Awards, "Television Programme of the Year" for Ottolenghi's Me.... Discover the Ottolenghi popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Ottolenghi books.
Best Seller Ottolenghi Books of 2024
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Something Old, Something New
Tamar AdlerThe awardwinning, bestselling author of An Everlasting Meal “revitalizes classics and longforgotten dishes, bringing them into this century with verve and ease” (Bon Appetit) in th...
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NOPI
Yotam Ottolenghi & Ramael ScullyA cookbook from acclaimed London restaurant Nopi, by powerhouse author Yotam Ottolenghi and Nopi head chef Ramael Scully. Pandan leaves meet pomegranate seeds, star anise meets sum...
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One Pan Perfect
Donna HayDonna Hay returns with her new, gorgeously luxe hardcover cookbook One Pan Perfect to make life simple, easy and delicious for her millions of fans.Donna loves to make it easy for ...
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The Healthy Lebanese Family Cookbook
Mona Hamadeh'As Mona Hamadeh's two previous books are already a staple in our house, I have been waiting eagerly for the release of her new title and I was not disappointed. This new book is a...
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The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook
Tarek MaloufThe number one bestseller (more than 830,000 copies sold) now updated with new recipes.From their first shop in Notting Hill's Portobello Road, The Hummingbird Bakery introduced Lo...
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A Year of Good Eating
Nigel SlaterAn immediate new classic from Nigel Slater. Over 250 recipes, moments and ideas for good eating, with extraspecial seasonal sections for quick, weeknight eats.The third instalment ...
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Your Daily Veg
Joe Woodhouse'I absolutely adore the food in this beautiful book.' Nigella Lawson'One of the most inventive vegetable cooks.' Anna Jones'Joe just makes the most delicious food that happens to ...
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Six Seasons
Joshua McFadden & Martha HolmbergWinner, James Beard Award for Best Book in VegetableFocused Cooking Named a Best Cookbook of the Year by the Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Bon Appétit, Food Network Magazine, ...
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The Everyday Athlete Cookbook
America's Test KitchenFinallya cookbook for people who love food as much as they love fitness. ATK helps you eat delicious preworkout, postworkout, and maintenance meals to reach your goals, improve you...
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The Angel
Elly Wentworth'I have to say that for someone so young she is an amazing talent, she has a very balanced palette and understanding of flavours as well as technique, which produces some pretty im...
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Simply
Sabrina GhayourTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'I have been looking forward to Sabrina Ghayour's new book, Simply, ever since I knew she was writing it... Every page is an invitation to cook.' Nigel...
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From a Persian Kitchen
Atoosa SepehrAn Irish Times Best Food Book of the Year. 'A dream of a cookery book. Sumptuous, tempting with quite beautiful photography.'Irish Examiner'The book is so beautiful, full of [your]...
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Casablanca
Nargisse BenkabbouOBSERVER 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...
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A Modern Way to Eat
Anna JonesA beautifully photographed and modern vegetarian cookbook packed with more than 200 quick, healthy, and fresh recipes that explore the full breadth of vegetarian ingredientsgrains,...
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Levant
Rawia Bishara & Jumana BisharaShe believes one of the greatest assets of Middle Eastern cuisine is its inherent fluidity, its remarkable capacity to adapt and transform over time. In Levant, she offers more tha...
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Ottolenghi Flavor
Yotam Ottolenghi, Ixta Belfrage & Tara WigleyNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The author of Plenty teams up with Ottolenghi Test Kitchen’s Ixta Belfrage to reveal how flavor is created and amplified through 100+ superdelicious...
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Plenty More
Yotam OttolenghiThe hotly anticipated followup to London chef Yotam Ottolenghi’s bestselling and awardwinning cookbook Plenty, featuring more than 150 vegetarian dishes organized by cook...
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Week Light
Donna HayAustralia's bestselling cookbook author and most trusted home cook, Donna Hay, returns with a beautiful new cookbook that you'll want to use every night of the week. There are endl...
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SIMPLE
Diana HenryNoone is better than Diana Henry at turning the everyday into something special. Here is a superb collection of recipes that you can rustle up with absolutely no fuss, but which ...
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Brutto
Russell Norman'Brutto is actually bellissimo. A perfect cookbook for lovers of true Tuscan food.Simply brilliant.' STANLEY TUCCIBrutto ma buono ugly but good. This is the food of Florence rigo...
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One More Croissant for the Road
Felicity Cloake‘Joyful, lifeaffirming, greedy. I loved it’ – DIANA HENRY‘Whether you are an avid cyclist, a Francophile, a greedy gut, or simply an appreciator of impeccable writing – this book w...
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The New Book of Middle Eastern Food
Claudia RodenThe 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...
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The Borough Market Cookbook
Ed Smith'Like the market, the book is exciting, instructive, seductive and inspirational.' Claudia RodenAn essential gift for the keen cook in your life. Borough Market is the beating hear...
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The Wicked Healthy Cookbook
Chad Sarno, Derek Sarno, David Joachim & Woody HarrelsonHi, we're Chad and Derek. We're chefs and brothers who craft humble vegetables into the stuff of food legend. Everything we create is a bold marriage of delicate and punchy flavors...
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Falastin
Sami Tamimi & Tara WigleyA soulful tour of Palestinian cooking today from the Ottolenghi restaurants’ executive chef and partner120 recipes shaped by his personal story as well as the history of Palestine....
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Mezcla
Ixta BelfrageJAMES BEARD AWARD NOMINEE 100 recipes for everyday eating with builtin wow factor, from the Ottolenghi protégé and coauthor of Ottolenghi Flavor shaking up the food world. ...
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The Noma Guide to Fermentation
René Redzepi & David ZilberNew York Times BestsellerNamed one of the Best Cookbooks of the Year by the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Atlanta JournalConstitution...
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Ottolenghi Simple
Yotam OttolenghiJAMES BEARD AWARD FINALIST The New York Times bestselling collection of 130 easy, flavorforward recipes from beloved chef Yotam Ottolenghi. In Ottolenghi Simple, powerhouse a...
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Venice
Russell NormanA 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...
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Meat-free Mexican
Thomasina Miers'This is full of recipes which are fresh, fiery and fun. There is something so convivial and energetic about Mexican food, which Thomasina captures so well.' YOTAM OTTOLENGHI'MeatF...
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Real Fast Food
Nigel SlaterLove food but hate spending hours in the kitchen? This book is the answer, with over 350 delicious recipes ready in less than 30 minutes'Easily my first choice for a simple, good, ...
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Plenty
Yotam OttolenghiYotam Ottolenghi is one of the most exciting new talents in the cooking world, with four fabulous, eponymous London restaurants and a weekly newspaper column that's read by foodies...
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Around the World in Salads
Katie Caldesi & Giancarlo Caldesi'[One of the top] three best plantbased cookbooks.' You Magazine 'There's a globe full of ingredients to explore and discover.' Food & Travel magazine Salads are fresh, healthy...
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Plenty More
Yotam OttolenghiThe hotly anticipated followup to London chef Yotam Ottolenghi’s bestselling and awardwinning cookbook Plenty. Yotam Ottolenghi is one of the world’s most beloved culinar...
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Jerusalem
Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami TamimiA collection of 120 recipes exploring the flavors of Jerusalem from the New York Times bestselling author of Plenty, one of the most lauded cookbooks of 2011. This...
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Ottolenghi
Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami TamimiAvailable for the first time in an American edition, this debut cookbook, from bestselling authors Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi of Plenty and Jerusalem, features 140 recipes fr...
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Golden
Itamar Srulovich & Sarit PackerComforting breads, buns, pastries, cakes, cookies, and other baked delights from the Middle East There's always something sweet in the oven at Honey & Co., the tiny restaurant...
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Ottolenghi Comfort
Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen GohThe New York Times bestselling author of Ottolenghi Flavor reimagines comfort food with over 100 global, personal recipes.Yotam Ottolenghithe beloved chef who has captured the...
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Mediterranean
Susie Theodorou'This book is a love letter to the Mediterranean full of flavours and the kind of wisdom that only a woman who travels with her own set of knives can impart. It is cooking with lo...
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The Low Carb Weight-Loss Cookbook
Giancarlo Caldesi & Katie Caldesi'The perfect cookbook for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight' Gary Taubes'The cookbook every diabetic needs.' Dr Aseem Malhotra on The 30 Minute Diabetes Cookbook'An inspir...
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Sirocco
Sabrina GhayourTHE NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERShortlisted for the Book of the Year Food & Travel Reader AwardsFrom the author of Persiana the golden girl of Middle Eastern cookery Sirocco...