Table Tales

Book excerpt: For all food and travel lovers, this unique cookbook is the first to present Abu Dhabi as a culinary crossroads—where the global goes local—and to highlight the people making it happen. In recent decades, Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, has experienced a steady influx of people from around the world, all bringing their culinary influences. From Syria to Spain, India to Italy, Afghanistan to the Americas, an enticing array of aromas, flavors, and textures has blended with the local foodways to create a vibrant urban food culture of reinvention and collaboration, at home and on the streets. In this book, Hanan Sayed Worrell gives us an unprecedented tour of these fascinating culinary treasures. As a long-time resident of Abu Dhabi, the author takes us where few visitors can go: into the homes and lives of locals and expatriates. Through a collection of touching individual stories, delicious recipes, and vibrant photographs, we experience life in this rapidly evolving city. Table Tales: The Global Nomad Cuisine of Abu Dhabi is inspired by the many meals hosted at the Worrell’s dinner table for guests from around the world. As a careful and affectionate observer of the city for over a quarter century, Worrell guides the reader on a culinary pilgrimage by way of its streets, homes, and flavors.