Welcome to Tasting Jerusalem, a virtual cooking community where weโll hang out, chat about cooking, ingredients, and recipes, and enjoy delicious dishes.
Sarene and I, your fearless group organizers, share a long-time friendship, mutual love for food and cooking, and long careers in the communications profession - all of which lead us to Tasting Jerusalem. After a fortuitous conversation on Twitter about our shared interest in "Jerusalem: A Cookbook", we decided to combine our interest in the cuisine and cooking and launch a virtual cooking community to explore this book together.
The group will โmeetโ monthly about the topic and recipes, but feel free to chime in anytime during the month to share photos, stories or ask questions.
Brief Background
Middle Eastern cuisine, informed by the religions, cultures and geography of the region, enjoys complex flavors that are foreign to many of our palates, which is why we have launched #TastingJrslm. The goal of this group is to become familiar with the regionโs culinary personality by traveling virtually through its ingredients and flavors using the recipes in "Jerusalem: A Cookbook" by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi (Ten Speed Press).
This Monthโs Topic: Sumac
To start off, weโve picked the spice sumac, an interesting ingredient used in numerous recipes of the region but one that many of us may not have used in our cooking. To understand sumac's versatility and flavor, we chose several recipes that incorporate sumac and a couple that do not. (If you have trouble sourcing the ingredient, that will give you time to order by mail or discover a local ethnic grocery store that may carry it.)
โItโs very versatile, can be added to so many dishes,โ says Sami Tamimi, co-author of Jerusalem: A Cookbook.
Sumac is a dried red berry with a tangy flavor and fruity undertones. Its culinary use is said to date back to ancient Roman times. Today, itโs most often found in Middle Eastern cuisine, where flecks of the ground, red berry appear in savory dishes. Tamimi also uses it in puddings.
Sumac is used on its own to add a bit of zip to dishes or in spice blends like zaโatar, which also features thyme, sesame seeds and sometimes oregano.
Itโs available at Middle Eastern grocers and through many online retailers such as Penzeys Spices and Dean & DeLuca.
Monthly Menu #1
A Staple: Hummus, pg. 114, you can head over to NPR to hear the Ottolenghi/Tamimi interview and youโll find the recipe available there, in case you havenโt ordered the book yet. Hummus is such a staple of the region that we wanted to include it right from the start so you can fine-tune your version. It is lovely with a sprinkling of sumac on top but not necessary.
Three Salads:
Spinach Salad with Dates and Almonds, pg 30 โ this salad uses sumac but the night I experimented, I used a store-bought za'atar spice mix instead. It was still a knock out. And I think you can add a protein to this dish and serve it as a main course.

Naโamaโs Fattoush, pg 29 โ this recipe is also something of a staple to the region. The recipe is available on the blog inmediasrecipe.com and also available to be reprinted in your blog post if youโd like. (** See info at the end of the post for how to correctly publish the recipe if you plan to do so.)
Kohlrabi Salad, pg 46 โ recently I happened upon kohlrabi in my local grocery store and was stunned by its beautiful color. I had no idea what it was until the produce manager told me. This salad is simple and intriguing as it encourages cooks to try a crunchy winter root vegetable that may have eluded us all these years
Two Main Dishes:
Both of these are approachable for a midweek meal but combine ingredients we might not be accustomed to using in a typical meal.
Braised Eggs with Lamb, Tahini, and Sumac, pg 205 โ questions on this one? - @casacks of inmediasrecipe.com cooked this already โ Iโm sure she would love to share tips and tricks. Contact her on Twitter @casacks or via her blog inmediasrecipe.com
Turkey and Zucchini burgers with Green Onion and Cumin served with a Sour Cream and Sumac Sauce, pg 200 - @yumivore of the blog Yumivore.com is a former resident of Israel and one of our culinary experts in this group. She has already cooked these burgers so can provide feedback and answer questions. She said they are easy to put together and a good choice to get a quick meal on the table any day of the week.
Group Guidelines:
- How often will we cook: Weโll pick a new set of recipes monthly to allow us all to fit in the cooking when we can and to find any ingredients that might not be available at your typical grocery store stop.
- Do I need to cook all the recipes?: We offer up several recipes to fit your taste buds, menus, schedules - cook as many or as few as you desire. But once you start cooking from this book, you probably won't stop!
- What do I need to participate: The cookbook! Plus an interest in cooking, willingness to try new flavors, and an electronic device that communicates via the Internet. We will always post the monthโs information in a blog post via omgyummy.com so you can subscribe to Bethโs blog to be guaranteed to receive it or just check in frequently via the Facebook page or Twitter hashtag #TastingJrslm
- How to share what you cook: Tasting Jerusalem is open to anyone. You do not have to be a blogger or food professional of any sort. But if you have a camera, we encourage you to share photos of your dishes on Twitter or the Facebook page or Instagram, using the hashtag #TastingJrslm โ we all love to see the results of your kitchen adventures. New to these types of social media? Just drop me an email beth (at) omgyummy (dot) com โ Iโll be glad to help you get started.
- What recipes can be published and how to publish: We expect to cook through most, if not all, of the recipes in the cookbook over time. As such, for those of us blogging or writing about our experiences in any way, itโs important that we donโt include the recipe in our blog posts, unless Ten Speed Press has approved its use. The goal of the group is to learn together and enrich our experience using this cookbook, not create an online version of it. We are in touch with Ten Speed Press to find out which recipes we can post. For an example of another group that writes about their cooking but doesnโt post each recipe, please visitย French Fridays with Dorie.
- What if I have questions? Sarene and I will be monitoring the Facebook page and Twitter hashtag #TastingJrslm almost continuously so just leave us a note there. If you see a question and know the answer, jump on in before us. Part of the fun of the group will be each of us sharing our own knowledge, perspectives and ideas.
- What to include if you write a blog post: If you do post about what you cook, please let us know - we will link to it. And feel free to post it on the Facebook page and Twitter with the #TastingJrslm hashtag. Weโd also appreciate it if you would include this verbiage in the context of your post:
โTasting Jerusalem is a virtual cooking community exploring the vibrant flavors and cuisine of the Middle East through the lens of "Jerusalem: A Cookbook" by Ottolenghi and Tamimi published by Ten Speed Press. You can follow along and cook with us by subscribing to omgyummy.com, following the hashtag #TastingJrslm on Twitter and Instagram, and liking our Facebook page.โ
Have fun! And give us feedback. Sarene and I decided to do this out of sheer enthusiasm for the cookbook and the potential for expanding our cooking horizons and meeting people from all over who want to do the same. We are completely open to the group morphing and changing as we go along.
** What to include if you plan to publish the Fattoush recipe:
โReprinted with permission from Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, copyright ยฉ 2012. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc."
Food Photography credit: Jonathan Lovekin ยฉ 2012
And always include a link to a website where someone can purchase the cookbook, such as Amazon.
If you plan to write about it in your blog, I have a document with the recipe already typed out and a photo, just email me beth (at) omgyummy (dot) com and I'll send it to you.
Cher
Beth - this is a wonderful idea. Jerusalem is a beautiful cookbook and this seems like a great idea to dive into it.
Beth
Thanks Cher. I was inspired by the learning and commeraderie of French Fridays with Dorie, but also the sheer beauty and interesting flavor profile of the recipes are stretching me outside my usual comfort zone. I hope to be cooking with you guys soon - I always follow along and check in on what's going on!
Batya
Hi Beth! I'm looking forward to the picks for next month! Count me in. I kinda jumped the gun on the herb pie, because sometimes you just can't stop yourself from making something that delicious-- but I'll restrain myself for February and go with the group picks! Love the idea ๐
Beth
We have kept the format as open as possible to encourage anyone to join in any way that they can. It's fun to see dishes that others have already tried - gives us inspiration for the future! Glad to have you with us Batya!
Teresa
I'm looking forward to reading about the group's progress through the book. It's one that's on my wishlist currently.
Beth
Hi Teresa! So great to see your face here! I still follow along with the recipes at French Fridays and hope for an opening in my schedule to cook and share with the group - I am always glad that I did. Hope you get "Jerusalem" soon and can join the fun with us as well!
Shut Up & Cook | The Attainable Gourmet
What a neat idea! I'm excited to see where this goes. Very clever indeed...especially like the collection of networking, recipes, and meal plans. A trifecta of success!
Beth
A trifecta of success - I might have to quote that. Thanks for your enthusiasm - thrilled to have you join the cooking and conversation!
Michelle | DailyWaffle
So glad you've started this effort. Like most cookbook junkies, I'm guilty of making 2 or 3 things from a book and that's it. Can't wait to really dig in and get cooking. Thinking the turkey burgers may be Monday's dinner at the end of this long weekend.
Beth
We are so glad you are cooking along! Turkey burgers for the superbowl - love that! You are an inspiration to the group Michelle!
Sadie
So excited to just come across your Tasting Jerusalem project on the Daily Dish! Ironically I just tried my first recipe Zucchini and Green Onion Turkey burgers from this cookbook on Sunday with great success. I substituted Za'Atar instead of straight Sumac in the yogurt sauce and it turned out great. I'm already in love with this cookbook after one recipe. I look forward to reading and sharing!
Beth
Hi Sadie - Welcome to OMG! Yummy and Tasting Jerusalem! I just made the turkey burgers last night - my son loved them, as did I! I'm just loving being pushed out of my comfort zone to try new ingredients and combinations. I subbed za'atar in the spinach salad cuz I didn't have any sumac yet and it was terrific. Great idea!
Hannah
I am so excited and honored to join in this cooking journey! I can't wait to learn and share and eat together. I'll be popping into our little Middle Eastern market to pick up some sumac. Thank you to you and Sarene for organizing this adventure!
Beth
You're welcome Hannah - We are truly lucky to have you cooking with us and sharing your expertise. I am already learning so much - can't wait to hear/see more of your condiment-making to go along with the recipes this month.
sandy corman
sounds like a great endeavor for you and Serene. Good luck with it.
Carol Sacks
Congrats to you and Sarene on this terrific effort!
Beth
Thanks Carol - we are so happy to have cooking along - we've already learned so much from your kitchen!
orly @yumivore
What a wonderful initiative, honored and thrilled to be a part of it! There's nothing like traveling via your taste buds and the cookbook does allow you to venture to Jerusalem each time you have a bite. Happy to not only share my experience, but eager to learn new things as well. Beth, lucky and wonderful to have you close by and hope we get to see Sarene and Carol here for a visit (or a road trip is in order). First up, looking forward to more sumac!
Beth
Hoping both Carol and Sarene will be here in April for IACP - can we convince you to attend and if not, let's at least plan a gathering while they are here!
As Ferran Adria said when he was here, you never stop learning even when you are a world-renowned chef. He said there are over 600 types of oranges so there is always something new to try.
Thrilled to have your enthusiasm, creativity, and informed perspective.
Mardi (eat. live. travel. write.)
Thanks for setting this up Beth and Sarene - I'm excited to experiment with Sumac ๐
Perhaps a silly question: Do we need to make EACH recipe every month? I'm interested but that's too much for even me to fit in!
Beth
No - not silly at all. No, you definitely don't have to cook each recipe -- we thought we'd offer up several choices and each person can cook what works for them. There is variety both for cooking level, tastes, and time. Cook them all, cook just one or anything in between. But when you cook - let us know through photos, comments, blog posts - whatever works for you - so we can "taste" your success or learn from your variations or suggestions.
sarene
Mardi, Good question--no need to cook all the recipes. We wanted to give everyone some options. So feel free to cook one or all. We look forward to hearing about your sumac experiments!