Baghdad to Bombay - In the Kitchens of My Cousins - Softcover

Pearl Sofaer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1888345241 ISBN 13: 9781888345247

Publisher: Paper Jam Publishing, 2008

Synopsis

Baghdad to Bombay weaves the threads of a vital family into a rich tapestry of good food and beloved tradition. This tapestry represents the strength of a people who have been constant in their commitment to their ancestry, new homelands, and the future generations to follow, always amid an atmosphere of hard work laced with an appetite for fun. Visual artist and first-time author Pearl Sofaer takes the reader through the color and clamor of her beloved Bombay market. We share her histories and adventures, as well as those of her cousins, who grew up in cities from Baghdad to Bombay. We get acquainted with cousins who survived a World War and escaped from a farhud. We take a dark journey on a freighter through the Suez Canal but also a cheery cruise on the Queen Elizabeth I. London and New York come alive, as do Jerusalem and Sydney. Throughout, we are generously fed and offered new and traditional foods, with recipes so we can replicate these tastes be they spicy from Mesopotamia or soothing from Wellington in our homes. The fun of dance and song enliven the pages of her childhood in India, as does the joy of eating with cousins from around the world. You are left with a feeling that this family clan loves life and has grabbed it with hard work and enthusiasm. As you move from chapter to chapter and culture to culture, you feel Pearl s constant joy, passion, and commitment to her heritage, to her mother cities, Bombay and Baghdad, and to the love she has for the friends of her childhood, her special cousins.

About this title

About the Author:

Pearl Sofaer was born and grew up in Bombay, India. Her large family originated in Baghdad and Kirkuk, Iraq, before migrating to Burma and India during the latter part of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. After the partition of India in 1947, most of her family moved to the four corners of the globe to become a living collage of many nations. One of the results of their rich heritage and embrace of their new cultures has been an expanded repertoire of cuisine, grounded, of course, by the traditional foods of Iraq and India. Food continues to be the centerpiece of celebrations hosted by members of this vast clan, many of who generously opened their kitchens to their cousin. Educated in India and England, Pearl earned a masters degree in mediation in the United States. Besides writing, Pearl is an accomplished visual artist and singer. She has shown her paintings and sculptures in art exhibitions throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and has performed at the Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle, Southern Oregon University, and elsewhere. In addition, she served as a cantor for the Barah Congregation for more than 10 years. She currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area near her children and grandchildren. Pearl spoke about her background and her book at The Library of Congress in Washington, DC on June 17, 2008.

Review:

Baghdad to Bombay: In the Kitchens of My Cousins offers us a view into the world of the Baghdad Jews who journeyed from Iraq to India. Pearl Sofaer, a marvelous story teller, introduces us to her extraordinary family and to the characters of her youth, describing scents, flowers and moments that make us feel as though we are reliving with her the experiences of her childhood. --Joan Nathan, author, The Jewish Holiday Cookbook.

Pearl Sofaer's lovely memoir draws you into a rich family tale simmering with the scents and sounds of Bombay, Rangoon and Baghdad; spices, fruits and flowers, the pop of cricket balls, the songs of Indian street vendors and piano playing aunts. --Jesse Hamiln, San Francisco Chronicle

This delightful combination of personal family history and Iraqi Indian recipes should please those who are looking for good food, but more than just a cookbook. --Judy Montagu, The Jerusalem Post

About this edition

• Publisher: Paper Jam Publishing
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1888345241
• ISBN 13: 9781888345247
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 239
• Editor: Roslyn Schloss
• Illustrator: Craig Sherod