Veganistan: A Vegan Tour of the Middle East & Beyond

Focused on Central Asian, Iranian, Turkish, Arabic, and East African cooking, Butcher (proprietor, with her Persian husband, of the deli Persepolis in London; The New Middle Eastern Vegetarian) gathers the flavors of these areas into a vegan ode to their cuisines. The book is organized first by type of food and then by method of cooking with recipes ranging from mezze, salads, hot and cold appetizers, soups, snacks, breads, rice, and grains before branching out with dishes made in a stew pot, in an oven, or on an open flame (mostly a stovetop). Desserts, drinks, and dishes made via preserving round out the offerings. At the end, Butcher details her experiments with seitan, tempeh, aquafaba, and more. A bibliography of further reading, including poetry, is included. Butcher’s personality shines through in chapter heads, notes, asides, and even recipe serving sizes (“serves 1 hungry shopkeeper for lunch”). Not every dish gets a full photograph, but the book is full of stunners by photographer Sugiura, such as a split-open kumquat on vibrant orangey marbled paper. Try Butcher’s vegan version of Dizzee as an illustration of her approach and flavors.