It’s 2023…

I’m currently researching, developing and writing a book of 4,000 year old Ancient Hebrew recipes, presented through the lens of activism. It’s about Ancient Hebrew wisdom at its heart, presented via seven ingredients that are indigenous to the Levant, and laden with ancient symbolism that holds incredible significance for contemporary times.

It will be announced later this year, following 3 years of development, including extensive travels throughout the region, with quality time in the Jordan desert with the Bedouin, time on Mount Gerizim with Samaritans, as well as visiting with Palestinian farmers, cooks and food experts throughout Palestine, and Jewish farmers, cooks, and culinary archeologists in Israel.

Ancient Hebrew Recipes & Ancient Hebrew Wisdom.

Plant-based Recipes for Resistance from a Far-Flung Tribe.

Local, organic, plant-rich food, without refined sugar, and peppered with medicinal herbs such as olive leaf to help regulate blood sugar, and hyssop thyme for neural health.

Commonly-found ingredients that regular folks can find in their local market. Real food for families on a budget, because everyone’s health is equally important - while also introducing a few nutrient-dense and mineral-rich, seasonal, ingredients from the Middle East, which I plan to export with the help of my friends at Burlap & Barrell - fairly traded, of course! 

So that’s what I’m up to now - a BIG vision, based on 30+ years of my own writing / growing / cooking career, and 4,000+ years of my ancient lineage. 

Not shying away from the complexities of the region in modern times, in fact, diving right into this conversation, as a solidarity activist working with my Palestinian colleagues in this Land. All shall be revealed in the book when it’s served, piping hot…

My initial interest in food originated from being a member of the activist community in London in the 1990s, focused on organic food specifically, and a recognized leading voice of my generation, advocating for organics on BBC radio and TV regularly. Chemical pesticides sprayed on fields impacting human health and the ecosystem, how workers rights are intrinsically connected with stuff like this, and over-processed foods. The history of multinational food corporations in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. 

Culinary decolonization.

The politics of Sugar. Corn. Cows. How the American colonial project was fueled by these commodities. How Coca Cola and chocolate and a nice cup of tea intersect with deeply uncomfortable histories.

How food intersects everything that’s either fair and just in the world, or the opposite - from the human rights of people growing food, to the values of corporations that pollute the earth with pesticides. I was inspired by more compassionate and sustainable ways of eating, including permaculture, local urban gardens, hydroponics, roof gardens. Cooking from scratch and using ingredients from local farmers.

Later, I became interested in stuff like taste, health and the pleasures of food - there’s so much more to food than simply taste! - but without the pleasures of eating, the politics started to taste sour, so I was motivated to learn to sweeten flavors to illuminate the more challenging facts, and keep everyone’s attention with deliciousness!

And that brings us to now… to 2023.

The Activist Cookbook.