The Seattle Sister Cities Association, a coalition of 20 citizen-led sister city organizations, has published a new cookbook featuring recipes, anecdotes and photos from across the globe. “The International Table: Recipes From the Seattle Sister Cities” collects over 100 dishes, all suitable for the home chef, from Cambodia, Cameroon, China, France, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Korea, Taiwan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, according to a press release.
The cookbook is only being sold in independent neighborhood bookstores, including Madison Books, 4118 E. Madison St., Seattle.
In addition to the many amateur chefs of Seattle’s sister city associations who contributed their own recipes, many professional chefs contributed to the project, including Jp McMahon, author of “The Irish Cookbook “(Phaildon Press, 2020); Marialucia Luongo, author of “Cucinaria: Lettere dalla cucina” (Cucinaria: Letters from the Kitchen; 2018 ); Letizia Mattiacci, author of “A Kitchen With A View” (RDJ, 2016) and “Festa Italiana” (Madonna del Piatto, 2020); and Narin Seng Jameson, author of “Cooking the Cambodian Way: The Intertwined Story of Cooking and Culture in Cambodia” (JSRC Printing House, 2016).
All recipes are accompanied by photography and historical description of the city of origin, . The book includes anecdotes on family and local traditions, cooking tips and tricks, and information on the expansive array of ingredients.
“With this cookbook, the association furthers its mission by sharing the food traditions of the paired cities, bringing the flavors of the globe to the tables of Seattle,” according to the press release. “Breaking bread with strangers has long been a cornerstone to building new relationships and strengthening existing ones.”
The book is the collaborative effort of all associations, coordinated by a small team of volunteers including the editorial team of Justin Allan-Spencer (Iceland), June Cutler (Indonesia), Susan Kegel (France), Patricia Lichiello (Italy) and Thyda Ros (Cambodia).
In addition to independent book retailers, “The International Table” is available at museums and cultural organizations throughout Seattle. All proceeds benefit the Seattle Sister City Association and its affiliated organizations. 254 pages, $34.99. ISBN 978-1-68396-497-1.
For more information about Seattle’s Sister Cities, go to seattle.gov/oir/sister-cities/about-seattle-sister-cities and www.seattlesistercities.org.