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Scotsman
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Sami Tamimi: 'Food is a wonderful way of sharing heritage'
Ottolenghi co-founder Sami Tamimi will share stories and flavours from Palestine at this year's Edinburgh International Book Festival, writes Gaby Soutar Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... This won't be London-based author, chef and restaurateur Sami Tamimi's first time at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. The Ottolenghi co-founder visited last year, and had a brilliant experience. 'I love Edinburgh. I've been a few times,' he says. 'It's wonderful to be around so many talented people.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In 2024, he was discussing his last cookbook, Falastin, which was co-authored by Tara Wigley, and talking about food as an expression of community, resistance and celebration. However, on this trip he'll be sharing the beautiful Boustany. This vibrant new release, with a name that translates from Arabic as 'my garden', showcases the colourful vegetable-based dishes of Palestine and is his first solo book. Sami Tamimi PIC: Ostaszewska Smit As part of the EIBF's How to Live a Meaningful Life theme, he'll be headlining the programme's Jenny Lau, Chitra Ramaswamy and Sami Tamimi: Food and Home event on 17 August, from 10:15am to 11:15am. Later on the same day, if you want to taste his recipes, he'll also be involved in a Table Talks session, Have Lunch with Sami Tamimi, from 1pm until 4pm at Elliott's Studio. We don't know yet what will be cooking. It could be anything from his book, which features over 100 recipes. The options might include pickles, like baby aubergine, and condiments such as sumac onions; soups, salads, breads, breakfast dishes including broad bean falafel; small plates and spreads of crushed butter beans with orange, makdous and mint; salads such as a fridge-raid fattoush and a load of gorgeous desserts. We like the sound of labneh and pomegranate ice-cream. 'There's a mother inside of me that wants to feed people. I always say, what's the point of cooking when nobody's enjoying it? That's part of the whole Palestinian tradition where people are always welcome and it's an open house,' says Tamimi, who grew up in Jerusalem. 'They cook more than they need because they don't want to end up in a situation where somebody is dropping by and they can't eat, and it's a wonderful thing. It's about caring for people, making sure that they are well fed and welcomed.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Although the book's bounty is lush and every dish is like a jigsaw piece in a vast feast, it was conceived during a fallow period for Tamimi. He's a self-confessed workaholic, and had what he describes in the book as a 'mini meltdown' back in 2020, after he and his partner were sequestered at their Umbria home during lockdown. Just before this, he had been running six kitchens, and was recovering from a serious heart operation. As always, he turned to cooking as a therapy, but also rediscovered foraging in Italy. 'This is something we did in Palestine, and it's a kind of ritual,' he says. "I was fortunate enough to be able to forage for things that I remember from childhood and it's a lovely connection to the land. I always think that people that have a garden and grow their own vegetables, it's such a wonderful experience and you're connected to what you eat. It's not just something you buy in the shop.' Without his hectic job – he was then working as executive chef across the Ottolenghi group – there was time to think, and reminisce, about his childhood and his grandparents' house in Hebron, and the dishes they'd make him. There is one option in particular that makes him feel nostalgic. 'I call it Palestinian egg and chips. It's really such a simple dish in the book,' he says. 'I have so many memories of being at my grandfather's house, where everybody would sit around and enjoy this. They had their own chickens, so they had fresh eggs. Potatoes were always from the boustan. So they did it in a big pan, then shared it with a little cheese and greens. Every time I eat it, it transports me back to my childhood.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As he thought about these dishes, more seeds were planted for the book, and the result is 'a tribute to the beauty of culinary exploration and the profound impact it can have on our lives'. Those who are new to Tamimi's cooking might want to start with his 'easy' recommendation of cardamom pancakes with tahini, halva and carob. For the more advanced, there's the Jerusalem sesame bread nests, or ka'ak. 'They're really nice to do with kids, because you do the dough and then add the egg. It's a fun thing. And they look really cute. I've taken them a couple of times to picnics, and people love them because they don't just look cute, but also they're quite tasty,' he says. These seed-speckled rolls are usually sold with a hard-boiled egg, and a sachet of za'atar and salt, on the streets of Jerusalem. In the book, Tamimi describes buying them as an 'experience that encapsulates the essence of tradition and local flavours'. Tamimi, who moved to London in 1997, has siblings who still live in that city. He worries about them, though he says they've almost become inured to what's happening. It seems more urgent than ever for this author to share his heritage. At this point, he hasn't been back to his late grandparents' house in Hebron and maybe never will. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I didn't want to go back, because I thought all my beautiful memories would vanish. I regret not going before, but the house is still there, though the garden isn't,' he says. He's open to talking about the situation. The audience and panel at last year's EIBF event were keen to know what his favourite recipes were, but also what it's like to be a Palestinian today. 'I've been quietly campaigning, about the importance of keeping the cuisine, culture and heritage alive, by talking about it and showcasing and sharing. I started a little bit in Jerusalem, but more so in Falastin, and now in Boustany,' he says, in reference to a couple of his co-authored books. 'I think we all connect to food, and we all love to eat and cook, and it's a wonderful way of sharing heritage. People can cook and feel connected and they also want to know more about the history of the dish. We see how absolutely horrific what's happening is at the moment in Gaza and the rest of Palestine, and it makes it even more important to talk about that and keep talking. For me, it's a mission.'
Edinburgh Reporter
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
The Edinburgh International Book Festival – small changes this year
The Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) 2025 will be held at the Edinburgh Futures Institute on Lauriston Place where the festival has now made its home. Jenny Niven Director and CEO said they are comfortable in the still relatively new space but are making a couple of changes to improve the event even more. The entrance will this year be placed on the corner of the site nearest to Middle Meadow Walk rather than opposite the back door. This will allow full use of the space at the back of the Institute where there will be tents and more catering outlets along with the Spiegeltent where all sorts of magical events take place. A new box office will be positioned outside the site on Middle Meadow Walk to open the festival up even more to everyone. The site is free to access but tickets will be needed for most events – with a range of offers including some £5 tickets. A great deal of the programme is as usual wide and varied and designed to stimulate conversation in the tents and the gardens. But there are a few new elements. There is a new strand for Young Adults (meaning 30 and under) with romantasy, sci-fi, horror, health, food and wellness all given room in the programme. There will be a new Kids Zone on Lauriston Place in a safe hub between two of the former hospital wards and there will be more than 100 events for children – with a retrospective featuring author Jacqueline Wilson who gave her name to the girls magazine Jackie all those years ago. Cressida Cowell of How to Train Your Dragon fame is sure to be a popular event. In the Spiegeltent there will be a wide variety of poetry, spoken word and music events all performed live. The popular Table Talk series which began last year will return with more chefs and food writers to the fore – but also events involving eating – a supper with Rosie Kellett, Have Lunch with Spaniard José Pizarro, Brazilian cuisine with Ixta Belfrage and Palestinian food writer Sami Tamimi. And if none of that grabs you, there will be a fermenting workshop… Paul French will be in Edinburgh to talk about his book on Wallis Simpson who had an 'amazingly riotous' couple of years in China in the 1920s. The programme will be online here for you to peruse before tickets go on sale- and copies will be available at many outlets in the city from 10 June. We will bring you more details when we get our hands on an actual copy rather than the pdf. © 2024 Martin McAdam Repair The theme this year is Repair with a list of international writers and performers that we have come to expect at the book festival with 700 events from 9 to 24 August. This idea will encourage audiences to explore the many things in the world which feel broken and how they might be fixed. There will be a wide range of active opportunities to rebalance and 'restore a sense of calm in the face of a world in chaos' through listening to talks and being encouraged to read the works of some of the many authors. Jenny Niven said: 'At a time when important conversations can feel impossible to have without igniting conflict and anger, we want the Edinburgh International Book Festival to provide a safe place for challenging but considered discussions. This year our programme features over 600 writers and artists from 35 countries who have a wide range of perspectives on topics of personal, social and global importance. We invite you to come and learn something new, feed your curiosity and to broaden your horizons.' She continued: 'We're hoping that we can present new writers and thinkers who are offering solutions and new ideas and great analysis that moves the conversation forward. And Repair is a very expansive idea. It's really fun when you talk to creative people about this idea, because everybody comes at it from all these different angles. So we're repairing in lots of ways. 'We're starting off with our Repair Gala, which is on Saturday the 10th, our opening day, and we've commissioned five different writers to think about the idea of Repair from whatever perspective they want. It's an amazing lineup, and as you can see, we're going for the really international sweep.' The organisers hope to provide a memorable and engaging experience for everyone and the focus will be on making the festival accessible, inclusive, and relevant to a diverse audience. The festival claims that literacy is decreasing in the UK and the Communities programme will stream more than 100 events to libraries in 12 Scottish local authority areas this year as one way of expanding the festival's reach. Big Names Irvine Welsh, Val McDermid, Nicola Sturgeon, Diane Abbott, Maggie O'Farrell, R F Kuang, Asako Yuzuki, Ash Sarkar, actor Brian Cox, Ruth Jones, Adam Buxton, Viggo Mortensen and Vanessa Redgrave are all in the programme. Joe Boyd credited with producing Dylan and who 'electrified' him at the Newport Folk Festival will tell some tales of the people he has worked with. Local names Music from Edinburgh's own Hamish Hawk will reinterpret the work of Ivor Cutler. Devi Sridhar from the University of Edinburgh who became such a well-known voice during the pandemic will talk about Health for All and explain the key to a longer, healthier life based on her book How Not To Die (Too Soon). Rock the Boat is the monthly stand up night from Push the Boat Out Festival and Loud Poets, the nationwide programme bringing together younger poets competing in poetry slams are also listed. Credit Thomas Heatherwick The Front List and tickets The Festival Front List has been on sale for some time with all events taking place at the nearby McEwan Hall in a collaboration with Underbelly. Tickets for those events have sold well and now the main events will go on sale to members of the public on 21 June. If you become a Friend of the Festival then there are advance booking privileges and a Festival coffee gathering as well as a Christmas event. Details here. There are specially priced tickets for the Under 30s and other events priced at £5 for those on low-income benefits. FUNDING The question of funding the book festival still looms large even a year after the EIBF ended their 20 year partnership with Bailie Gifford which funded much of the programme and particularly the schools events. In 2024 Ms Niven said that the goal of the board and management was to deliver an event which was safe and successful for audiences, authors and staff. Some authors had threatened to withdraw if the relationship with the Edinburgh based investment fund did not end. Despite the fact that Bailie Gifford explained their investment in large companies such as Amazon, NVIDIA and Meta, fossil fuels or The Occupied Palestinian Territories had been misrepresented. Nick Thomas, partner, Baillie Gifford, said in May 2024: 'Our collaboration with the Edinburgh International Book Festival, spanning decades, was rooted in our shared interest in making Edinburgh a thriving and culturally vibrant place to live and work. In recent years we have been proud to support the Schools' and Children's programmes, providing free books and creating opportunities for young readers to meet authors. 'The activists' anonymous campaign of coercion and misinformation has put intolerable pressure on authors and the festival community. We step back with the hope that the festival will thrive this year and into the future. We hold the activists squarely responsible for the inhibiting effect their action will have on funding for the arts in this country. This year the festival is dependent on many different sources including the sponsorship from the People's Postcode Lottery which has an HQ in Charlotte Square. Tickets go on sale to the general public on 21 June. © 2024 Martin McAdam Like this: Like Related
