“BILHANA”
WHOLE FOOD RECIPES FROM EGYPT, LEBANON, AND MOROCCO by Aya Aboshady “BILHANA” is a non-traditional modern Middle Eastern cookbook produced by three talented professionals who are aiming to celebrate local seasonal ingredients in the Middle East and bring a bunch of healthy and delicious homecooked recipes that are creative, classic, and easily achievable at home with the usage of 100% clean and organic food. The authors are Shewekar El-Gharably - originally an established interior designer, currently a certified holistic health coach, and a culinary nutrition expert based in Cairo, Egypt. And Yasmine El-Gharably - a self-taught home cook with a business and strategy background. She’s also founded and is a partner in CairoCooking.com, a recipe sharing platform aiming to inspire home cooks across the Middle East. Both sisters share the same passion of a healthier and happier lifestyle which is exactly what they’re trying to promote with their new book. The photographer is Yehia El-Alaily, an Egyptian/ British commercial photographer based in Cairo, Egypt. His portfolio covers a wide range of trends,
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such as food, interiors, people, nature, architecture. His commercial and editorial work has been published by the Food Print, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, the Four Seasons Hotels, Hilton Worldwide, and more! We had the opportunity to chat with the three people behind this amazing book and get an inside look on what went on behind the scenes, how the idea of the book was born as well as the production of the creative content. 1. What’s the main idea behind “BILHANA”? It’s always been the perception that Middle Eastern food is fattening and high in calories and with this book we wanted to prove the opposite. We’ve incorporated more greens and veggies into the recipes, went back to the origin of using healthy ghee and olive oil, and highlighted the process in each recipe to benefit the most from the fresh ingredients. We also included recipes to satisfy vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, keto and paleo followers.
