Baghdad to Bombay weaves the threads of a vital family into a rich tapestry of good food and tradition. This large family originated in Baghdad and Kirkuk, Iraq, before their migration to Burma and India between the 1880s and early 1900s. Today they remain constant in their commitment to their ancestry, new homelands and future generations, with an attitude that embraces both hard work and a healthy appetite for fun.
Visual artist and first-time author Pearl Sofaer takes the reader through the color and clamor of her native Bombay. We meet a cousin who survived a World War and others who escaped from a farhud. We take a dark journey on a freighter through the Suez Canal but also a cheery cruise on the Queen Elizabeth I. London and New York come alive, as do Jerusalem and Sydney. The fun of dance and song enliven the pages of her childhood in India and you are left with Pearl’s passion and commitment to her mother cities, Bombay and Baghdad, and the love for the friends of her childhood, her special cousins.
Baghdad to Bombay: In the Kitchens of My Cousins offers us a view into the world of the Baghdadi Jews who journeyed from Iraq to India. Pearl Sofaer, a marvelous story teller, introduces us to her extraordinary family and to the characters of her youth, describing scents, flavors and moments that make us feel as though we are reliving with her the experiences of her childhood. —Joan Nathan, author “The Jewish Holiday Cookbook”
Pearl Sofaer's lovely memoir draws you into a rich family tale simmering with the scents and sounds of Bombay, Rangoon and Baghdad: spices, fruits and flowers, the pop of cricket balls, the songs of Indian street vendors and piano-playing aunts. —Jesse Hamlin, San Francisco Chronicle
This delightful combination of personal family histsory and Iraqi-Indian recipes should please those who are looking for good food, but more than just a cookbook. —Judy Montagu, The Jerusalem Post
Visual artist and first-time author Pearl Sofaer takes the reader through the color and clamor of her native Bombay. We meet a cousin who survived a World War and others who escaped from a farhud. We take a dark journey on a freighter through the Suez Canal but also a cheery cruise on the Queen Elizabeth I. London and New York come alive, as do Jerusalem and Sydney. The fun of dance and song enliven the pages of her childhood in India and you are left with Pearl’s passion and commitment to her mother cities, Bombay and Baghdad, and the love for the friends of her childhood, her special cousins.
Baghdad to Bombay: In the Kitchens of My Cousins offers us a view into the world of the Baghdadi Jews who journeyed from Iraq to India. Pearl Sofaer, a marvelous story teller, introduces us to her extraordinary family and to the characters of her youth, describing scents, flavors and moments that make us feel as though we are reliving with her the experiences of her childhood. —Joan Nathan, author “The Jewish Holiday Cookbook”
Pearl Sofaer's lovely memoir draws you into a rich family tale simmering with the scents and sounds of Bombay, Rangoon and Baghdad: spices, fruits and flowers, the pop of cricket balls, the songs of Indian street vendors and piano-playing aunts. —Jesse Hamlin, San Francisco Chronicle
This delightful combination of personal family histsory and Iraqi-Indian recipes should please those who are looking for good food, but more than just a cookbook. —Judy Montagu, The Jerusalem Post
