“I was immediately enchanted by the tiny [Ibiza] airport. Everything was so quaint. There were fields of red earth with Don Quixote windmills, old stonewalls with magenta bougainvillea blossoms cascading over them. The scent of pine and orange blossoms filled the air—an intoxicating combination. The sky was a brilliant blue and the air exactly the right temperature—warm with a hint of sea breeze.” – From Siren’s Feast
From Phoenix to Tangier, Beirut to London, Nancy Mehagian takes readers on a wild ride through the tumultuous but exhilarating 60’s and 70’s in her culinary memoir Siren’s Feast.
Of Armenian descent and possessing an excellent memory, Nancy compellingly shares her travels through exotic locations, chronicling sexcapades (including a relationship with famous musician Taj Mahal), colorful friendships, spiritual experiences, and drug use. However, the “star” of Siren’s Feast is food.
From the 40+ mouthwatering recipes to stories from the vegetarian restaurant The Double Duck, pathetic prison fare to the healthful garden she started while still confined, Nancy weaves her love for cooking and sharing food among stories ranging from poignant to shocking, hilarious to mesmerizing.
Here are but a few of the luscious ethnic recipes you’ll find in Siren’s Feast:
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Baba Ghanouj
Baba Ghanouj•Muhammara
Muhammara•Gazpacho Andalusian
Gazpacho Andalusian•Tortilla Espanola
Tortilla Espanola•B’Steeya
B’Steeya•Carrot and Beet Salad
Carrot and Beet Salad•Moroccan Mint Tea
Moroccan Mint Tea•Kataif
Kataif•Tabbouli
Tabbouli•Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie•Fresh Peach and Hazelnut Tart
Fresh Peach and Hazelnut Tart•Cilantro-Mint Chutney
Cilantro-Mint Chutney•Yalanchi Sarma
Yalanchi Sarma•Cheese Beorag
Cheese Beorag•Paklava Rosettes
Paklava RosettesWith 341 glossy pages, this sumptuously bound book with black and white photos is a work of art in itself.
Siren’s Feast is the first and only culinary memoir I’ve read thus far (but I’ve heard it called Eat, Pray, Love “on steroids”), and I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed it! (Only surprised because this genre is unfamiliar reading for me.) Utterly absorbing and entertaining, I literally could NOT put this book down!
If you’ve been hankering to try a book from the rather new genre of “culinary memoir”, Siren’s Feast would make an excellent introduction! (It’s made me want to read Eat, Pray, Love as a matter of fact.) The book is well written and well organized—truly a delight in both presentation and content.
Highly recommended!
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