In Bibi's Kitchen

Grandmothers from eight eastern African countries welcome you into their kitchens to share flavorful recipes and stories of family, love, and tradition in this transporting cookbook-meets-travelogue.

JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER . Grandmothers from eight eastern African countries welcome you into their kitchens to share flavorful recipes and stories of family, love, and tradition in this transporting cookbook-meets-travelogue.

“Their food is alive with the flavors of mangoes, cinnamon, dates, and plantains and rich with the history of the continent that had been a culinary unknown for much too long.”-Jessica B. Harris, food historian, journalist, and public speaker

IACP AWARD FINALIST . LONGLISTED FOR THE ART OF EATING PRIZE . ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR- The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Bon Appetit, NPR, San Francisco Chronicle, Food Network, Vogue, Delish, The Guardian, Smithsonian Magazine, Salon, Town & Country

In this incredible volume, Somali chef Hawa Hassan and food writer Julia Turshen present 75 recipes and stories gathered from bibis (or grandmothers) from eight African nations- South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Comoros, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, and Eritrea. Most notably, these eight countries are at the backbone of the spice trade, many of them exporters of things like pepper and vanilla. We meet women such as Ma Shara, who helps tourists“see the real Zanzibar“by teaching them how to make her famous Ajemi Bread with Carrots and Green Pepper; Ma Vicky, who now lives in suburban New York and makes Matoke (Stewed Plantains with Beans and Beef) to bring the flavor of Tanzania to her American home; and Ma Gehennet from Eritrea who shares her recipes for Kicha (Eritrean Flatbread) and Shiro (Ground Chickpea Stew).

Through Hawa’s writing-and her own personal story-the women, and the stories behind the recipes, come to life. With evocative photography shot on location by Khadija Farah, and food photography by Jennifer May, In Bibi’s Kitchen uses food to teach us all about families, war, loss, migration, refuge, and sanctuary.

Author Biography

Hawa Hassan is the founder and CEO of Basbaas Sauce, a line of condiments inspired by her country of origin, Somalia. Hawa and her brand have been featured in Forbes, the New York Times, the Observer, Grub Street, Vogue, The Cut, Eater, and more.

Julia Turshenis the bestselling author ofNow and Again;Feed the Resistance, named one of the best cookbooks of the year by Eater, andSmall Victories; named one of the best cookbooks of the year by theNew York Timesand NPR. She has written for theNew York Times, theWashington Post, theWall Street Journal, Vogue, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, and Saveur. She is the founder of Equity At The Table (EATT), an inclusive digital directory of women and non-binary individuals in food.