Bethlehem

A LOS ANGELES TIMES BEST COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR  
WINNER OF THE GUILD OF FOOD WRITERS COOKBOOK AWARD 2025 
 
Bethlehem  is a celebration of Palestinian food and culture from one of the world’s most dynamic chefs and a portrait of one of the most storied cities in the world.    

Franco-Palestinian chef Fadi Kattan celebrates the hidden parts of Bethlehem, his home, conjuring the colors and smells of its market and spice shops and introducing readers to the local farmers and artisans with whom he works to find the perfect ingredients and shares his love of culinary experimentation. His loving profiles of these people are accompanied by recipes, some passed down, some from his restaurants in Bethlehem and London. Learn to stuff grape leaves with Nabulsi cheese, slow roast lamb seasoned with fenugreek and cardamom, roll labaneh in nigella seeds, and make Mouhalabieh, a milky pudding scented with mastic and pistachios. Bright and bold flavors and the stories of their origins await readers in Bethlehem.   

• Over 70 seasonally inspired Palestinian recipes  

• Profiles of Palestinian Food Artisans and Farmers 

• Essays on life in Bethlehem 

• On-Location Photography by Elias Halabi 

Amidst chaos and strife, these stories, recipes, and the legacy of this ancient city, Bethlehem, endure.