Cardamom and Lime
Recipes from the Arabian Gulf
Sarah al-Hamad

published 2008 • 8 ½” x 10 ¾” • 128 pages • full-color photos
ISBN 9781566567251 • hardback • $26.95 •

"Armchair tourists who assume that all Middle Eastern cooking is the same will find Al-Hamad’s collection of Arabian comfort foods a delicious and delightful surprise... an authentic blend of familiar and exotic."
—Publishers Weekly

Winner of Gourmand Cookbook Awards 2008 — Arabic Cuisine

This stunning book contains a wealth of delicious recipes that reflect the flavors and traditional dishes of the Arabian Gulf: Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Little is known in the West about this rich cuisine. Cardamom and Lime provides readers with the inspiration to create these wonderful dishes.

The book starts with a fascinating introduction to the history of the Gulf and the traditions and customs that make food such an essential part of daily life. The cuisine of the Arabian Gulf is diverse yet individual and has long been associated with companionship and tradition. Rice features heavily, as do grains and pulses, while chicken, lamb and fish are also found in traditional dishes. Dates are an essential part of any chapter on desserts, but you will also find aromatic cardamom cake, rose-scented rice pudding and teas. From machbous laham (fragrant lamb pilaf) to mrabyan (shrimp and rice), there is plenty here to tempt the taste buds.

Throughout the book there are beautiful photographs and feature spreads to give a flavor of life in the Gulf, making this a unique and eye-opening introduction to this fabulous cuisine.

Sarah al-Hamad is a food writer who divides her time between London and Kuwait. Passionate about the food and cooking traditions of the region, she has researched family archives and local traditions to write this book.

Click here to view a sample recipe and excerpt from the article in the LA Times that features this book. 

Interlink Books

Media Reviews

“Cardamom and Lime: Recipes from the Arabian Gulf by Sarah Al-Hamad, which features traditional dishes (though by no means tired or unimaginative) from the Gulf states including Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia . Blessedly simple and beautifully photographed, the chapter titles are limited to “Rice,” “Fish and Meat, “Vegetables,” “Desserts,” and “Tea and Coffee” with ample use of dates and cinnamon and saffron throughout the book and “Rose-scented Rice Pudding” in conclusion.”
—Foreword Magazine

"Armchair tourists who assume that all Middle Eastern cooking is the same will find Al-Hamad’s collection of Arabian comfort foods a delicious and delightful surprise. Guided by home cooks native to the Gulf region, Al-Hamad shares recipes for rich and hearty stews, a luscious curry and spinach-based porridge known as Shilla, and Gaboot, an intriguing sweet and sour dumpling dish. Many uses are offered for fish, the bounty of the region: stuffed and baked, incorporated into a flavorful stew and served over rice. Desserts include a simple date-based fudge, crunchy fried dough balls infused with saffron and cardamom called Saimat, and Balaleet, a combination of vermicelli noodles and a hearty omelet. Yes, kebabs and biryani are included, but diversions like flavorful Bengalese potato croquettes and lush, deceptively simple lentil soup (goosed with cooked limes) set the book apart, making it an authentic blend of familiar and exotic."
—Publishers Weekly

"While there are numerous books on Middle Eastern cooking, few of them focus on the food of the Gulf States: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Al-Hamad, a food writer who lives in London and Kuwait, provides a brief introduction to the cuisine and culture of the area, followed by favorite traditional recipes. She describes the food as "largely a combination of Indian, Persian, and Turkish cuisine," because the ancient spice route traversed the region, and dishes such as Chicken Biryani, from Persia, and Red Lentil Stew, an Indian dal, reflect these ancient influences. All of the recipes are shown in color photographs, and there are photos of street life and striking landscapes as well. For most subject collections."
—Library Journal

"Sarah al-Hamad's upcoming cookbook "Cardamom and Lime: Recipes From the Arabian Gulf," celebrat[es] the rich cuisines of the Arabian Gulf — Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates."
— Noelle Carter, Los Angeles Times 

“The culinary traditions of the Middle East are as diverse as the populations of the countries that comprise their ancient lands. "Cardamom and Lime: Recipes From The Arabian Gulf" is a compendium of exotic recipes assembled by Sarah Al-Hamad from Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. Enhanced throughout with full color photography of finished dishes, "Cardamom and Lime" also offers some history of these Gulf nation’s culinary traditions. The thoroughly ‘kitchen cook friendly’ recipes range from Aromatic Rice with Dill and Fava Beans; Chicken Biryani; Baked Fish with Nut Stuffing; and Green Bean Stew; to Gulf-Style Dumplings; Sago and Lychee Pudding; Stuffed Dates in Butter Sauce; and Arabian Coffee. "Cardamom and Lime" is a welcome and highly prized addition to personal and community library cookbook collections, and especially commended to adventures family chefs wanting to bring a bit of Arabia to their special occasion dining.”
—Midwest Book Review

"The enticing book contains a wealth of tantalizing dishes, each chronicled by al-Hamad with photographs as they were being prepared in their native lands and compiled to neatly introduce the culinary history of traditions in the coastal region, renowned more for black gold than culinary gold."
—ALO Hayati

“Sarah al-Hamad’s book on the cuisine of the Arabian Gulf is a fascinating addition to the English-language literature on Middle Eastern and Arab food. The Middle Eastern cookery book scene has so far been dominated by the famed cuisines of a small number of countries including Lebanon, Turkey and Morocco. Al-Hamad opens a window on the intriguing, but far less widely known, cuisine of a region that encompasses Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and the UAE.
Sarah Al-Hamad’s book has an appealing, colorful design and includes many photographs of Gulf food markets, shops and people taken by the author, a food writer who divides her time between London and Kuwait.
In her informative introduction Al-Hamad gives an overview of the cuisine, tells of her food experiences while growing up in Kuwait, and explains how she went about researching her book. She depicts the way in which cooking and eating are a big part of Gulf social life.
Arabian Gulf cookery is inspired by diverse culinary traditions and is largely a blend of Indian, Persian and Turkish cuisines.
Al-Hamad says she had two main aims in writing her book. One was to introduce Arabian Gulf cuisine to the wider world. The other was to preserve in words and images the traditional markets and foods of the Gulf, which are under threat from the fast food culture. Her book succeeds admirably in putting Gulf cookery on the map, and should arouse interest both abroad and within the Gulf itself.”
—Banipal

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