Hot Date! (Hardcover)

Named a Best Cookbook of the Year by Real Simple, The New Yorker, Serious Eats, and Publishers Weekly

“This bright and lively tome is not only the best-looking cookbook of the year―it’s very cookable, packed with playful recipes featuring this humble Middle Eastern fruit.”―Slate 

“The beautiful book―rich with photos, Alkhatib’s own water-color illustrations, and her handwritten notes―investigates the history, cultural significance, and many varieties of the date, along with the unusually wide spectrum of contexts into which the savory-sweet fruit fits.”―The New Yorker

"The most sumptuous cookbook I’ve ever encountered…. Savor this book with your sweetheart, take yourself out on your own date: Hot Date! is a joy.”―The Paris Review

The first comprehensive cookbook on an ancient superfood and the cultures that revere it. Mesmerizing and art-packed, Hot Date! features 99 mouthwatering, date-centered recipes that are the perfect mix of traditional favorites and inspired new creations.

This is not simply a cookbook about dates. It is a love song, a celebration of food and culture from a global perspective. Every page is a surprise in this highly colorful volume, with recipes ranging from Brooklyn to Babylon.

Author Rawaan Alkhatib draws inspiration from her Middle Eastern and Indian cooking background to bring a unique perspective to her topic. As a global citizen who has lived and traveled throughout the world, she explores both the significance of the fruit and its chameleon-like characteristics in cooking. 

Divided into six chapters, Hot Date! features recipes that are big on flavor and low on fuss, ranging from Party Food (stuffed dates of all kinds!) to Breakfast; Mains; Soups, Salads & Sides; Sweets; and Drinks & Condiments (the Date Chili Crisp is a life changer). Informative sidebars that read like a scrapbook, how-to content, timelines, and historical snippets feature Rawaan's watercolor illustrations, patterns, and elegant hand-lettering, exploring such topics as:

• Date-growing cultures, history, and visits to date farms in Palm Springs, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt
• The evolution of the classic Palm Springs date shake
• How date palms are pollinated (entirely by hand, to this day—millions of them!)
• How to stuff dates
• Dates at different stages of ripeness
• Shopping and sourcing suggestions
• Extensive suggestions for more reading to enter the world of the date

Hot Date! is doing away with the Western practice of viewing dates as a sugar-free substitute and instead gives the fruit the platform and profile it deserves: an entire book filled to the brim with praise, knowledge, and delicious recipes for date novices and connoisseurs alike. UNIQUE COOKBOOK: The first of its kind published in the United States, this beautiful book centers a global food known for its versatility, flavor, and nutritional heft. There are no other definitive cookbooks or guides to dates published in English that share recipes, explore the fruit’s history, and feature 3,000 (and counting) varieties of dates.

INTERWOVEN STORYTELLING: Hot Date! is rich with stories, poems, and imagery from the Arab world, including visits to date-rich oases throughout the Middle East and Africa, as well as Palm Springs, California.

BEAUTIFULLY PRODUCED GIFT BOOK: Much more than a typical recipe book, this volume brims with photos, illustrations, and irresistible details like its fuchsia-dyed page edges, which make you feel like you’re entering a fantasy world. It is as much a cookbook as an artistic object and makes a perfect gift for home cooks, readers interested in the fruit, anyone with an interest in or ties to the Middle East, and those drawn to the colorful art.

CANDY BAR DATES & SO MUCH MORE: Dates date back 7,000 years and are at the core of many cultures' cuisines. This fruit has spanned generations, from the centuries-old love of their nutritional superpowers to the viral sensation of Date “Snickers” bars with over 1.3 billion views on TikTok. Hot Date! is for everyone from established date lovers to those looking to experiment with big flavors and textures, and anyone who savors stunning coffee table books featuring rich art and vivid details.Perfect for:

• Date lovers 
• Home cooks of all ages 
• Anyone interested in Middle Eastern-inspired cooking 
• Whole food-oriented cooks seeking flavor-rich recipes 
• Anyone looking to switch up the menu for an Iftar gathering
• Gift-giving to food lovers, cookbook enthusiasts, and art book collectors

Rawaan Alkhatib is a home cook, writer, and artist of Palestinian and Indian descent who was born and raised in Dubai, UAE, where she experienced first-hand the warmth and generosity of a date-centric culture. Rawaan holds an MFA in poetry from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and has taught poetry and creative writing at the University of Iowa and Kean University. Currently, she works on the content development side of museum exhibit design. She is an illustrator and textile designer with a deep roster of collaborations and independent projects, including children’s books, cover designs for an independent poetry press, exclusive silk scarves for Cole Haan, and much more. In 2020, Rawaan developed recipes and art for a date-themed cookie collaboration with the award-winning Mirzam Chocolate, Dubai’s first bean-to-bar chocolatier. In 2022, she created a date-themed spice blend collection in celebration of Ramadan with Atef Boulaabi of NYC’s legendary spice and rare ingredient purveyor SOS Chefs. She now lives in Brooklyn, New York, where she continues to hone her cooking practice.