The Kitchen Without Borders: Recipes and Stories from Refugee and Immigrant Chefs

Founded in 2015, Eat Offbeat is a New York City catering company with revolving menus created by immigrant and refugee chefs, whose eclectic and inventive cuisine is showcased in this delightful collection of 70 flavor-packed recipes. Dishes range from the familiar (samosas, hummus, and fried plantains) to such ingenious riffs as Nepali Pizza (a flatbread-like dish with bell peppers, cheese, and a hot and sweet chili sauce atop a spice-laden semolina crust); a sumac salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion dressed in an herby lemon-sumac vinaigrette); and two takes on classic baklava (as an Iranian cake, and in the form of a jelly roll, from Iraq). Each entry is described in detail (and with ingredients likely found in the cupboard), ensuring readers have an understanding of a dish’s flavors, as well as its cultural significance. Biographies and photos of many of the book’s contributors, from Iran, Algeria, Sri Lanka, and Eritrea, are included, adding depth and insight into the immigrant and refugee experience. Informative and engaging, this volume is sure to inspire home cooks. (June)

This review has been updated to reflect a title and publication month change.