Winner, IPPY Award Gold Medal (Cookbook - Specialty)

“The recipes in Zaatari are glorious. Passed down the generations from mother to daughter, cooking keeps the people of Zaatari camp connected to the towns and villages of the Syria they fled.” — Claudia Roden

On the Jordanian-Syrian border lies Zaatari Camp, the largest Syrian refugee camp in the world. Opened in 2012 to provide new arrivals with emergency relief, the camp quickly became a locus of Syrian culture and tradition. In this thriving community of over 80,000 people, the residents of Zaatari combine ingenuity and imagination to ensure that the glorious culinary traditions at the heart of Syrian culture continue to be observed and celebrated.

In this immersive culinary tour, Karen E. Fisher along with individual residents of the camp guide us through life at Zaatari, sharing its stories, its art, and its food. Authentically styled and stunningly photographed dishes accompany a vast array of recipes prepared by the camp’s residents for family dinners and community celebrations — and now for others to enjoy at home.

Both an introduction to Zaatari Camp and a robust cookbook, Zaatari: Culinary Traditions of the World’s Largest Syrian Refugee Camp offers an intimate encounter with Syrian food practices and traditions as they have been handed down through generations.

All royalties from sales of the book are being forwarded to Zaatari Camp.

Karen E. Fisher is a professor at the Information School, University of Washington, and an embedded field researcher with UNHCR Jordan. Originally from St. John’s, NL, she has found her second home at Zaatari Camp.

Karen E. Fisher's profile page

• Winner, IPPY Award Gold Medal (Cookbook - Specialty)

“The recipes in Zaatari are glorious. Their styles and flavours belong to Arab cooking traditions inherited from an old and glittering civilisation. What makes Zaatari extraordinary and poignant is that the food and stories come from a refugee camp in Jordan and we also get an intimate insight into the misery, culture, and joyful vitality of the camp through the voices of its inhabitants. Passed down the generations from mother to daughter, cooking keeps the people of Zaatari camp connected to the towns and villages of the Syria they fled.”

Claudia Roden, author of <i>Arabesque</i>

“Food brings people together as a way of staying connected to loved ones, home, and memories and this is certainly true in Zaatari refugee camp. The simple ritual of cooking and eating provides a greater understanding of Syrian culture in Zaatari.”

Sami Tamimi, author of <i>Falastin</i>

“The book provides a fulsome portrait of the camp, its people, their histories and cultural traditions. A rich, bright tapestry emerges. Food is the primary theme, but not the only one.”

<i>Miramichi Reader</i>

“Cooking the recipes from this book will both delight the reader-cook but also evoke a deeper conversation about the Syrian war, the world around us and the movement of food. Zaatari is for anyone who wants a focused look into the world’s largest Syrian refugee camp which emanates a sense of community, a sense of identity and a sense of understanding that food unites us all.”

<i>Atlantic Books Today</i>

“Zaatari: Culinary Traditions of the World’s Largest Syrian Refugee Camp is more than a cookbook; it’s a tribute to resilience, culture, and the unifying power of food. Fisher’s dedication to preserving and sharing these culinary traditions is both inspiring and humbling.”

<i>Canadian Cookbooks</i>

“This is a comprehensive volume that richly rewards the reader, be they cook, anthropologist, historian, geographers, art lover or just plain armchair traveller.”

<i>Culinary Historians of Canada</i> Newsletter

“What a captivating book! Zaatari represented a source of emotional attachment for me, evoking the concept of home. It is an essential read for individuals with an appreciation for food; cultural diversity; and narratives of hope, inspiration and humanity. Zaatari serves as a forceful reminder of the remarkable capacity of food to enact change and promote unity, even in situations of adversity. I recommend this book to all those seeking to acquire knowledge of our Syrian cuisine and the culture associated with it.”

Tareq Hadhad, founder and CEO of Peace by Chocolate