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Taste Tibet

Family Recipes from the Himalayas

Published by Interlink Books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
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About The Book

Dumplings, Noodles, and Bowls for Comfort, Pleasure, and Wellbeing in the first comprehensive Tibetan cookbook

Nourishing, simple, seasonal food that heals as well as fuels:
This way of eating might be popular today, but it has been traditional in Tibet for over 8,000 years. Taste Tibet is a collection of over 80 recipes from the Tibetan Plateau, written for today’s home cook. Create comforting soups and stews, discover the secrets of hand-pulled noodles, and learn everything you need to know about making and eating momo dumplings, Tibet’s most legendary and addictive culinary export.

Alongside the recipes, award-winning food writer Julie Kleeman and Tibetan cook Yeshi Jampa, who run the Taste Tibet restaurant and food stall, interweave stories of Yeshi’s childhood in Tibet, and the shared love of food that brought them together. They reveal nomadic Himalayan food culture and practices, including mindful eating and communal cooking—a way of life that celebrates family, togetherness, and respect for food—while exploring the relationship between landscape and diet, evoking the simple, subtle, and unique flavors of Tibet.

About The Authors

Julie Kleeman is an award-winning food and travel writer and the winner of the 2019 Yan-Kit So Award for Food Writers on Asia. She has a degree in Chinese from Cambridge University and has worked as chief editor of the Oxford Chinese Dictionary in Beijing.

Yeshi Jampa grew up in the Tibetan mountains and learned to cook from his brother, who is head chef at a monastery in Mundgod, South India where he cooks for Buddhist monks. Yeshi and Julie met over a decade ago and his way to Julie’s heart was through the food he cooked for her. They live with their two children in Oxford, England, where they run the celebrated restaurant and food stall, Taste Tibet.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Interlink Books (April 5, 2022)
  • Length: 256 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781623718541

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Raves and Reviews

“One of the most exciting aspects about being in the food and cooking world for over six decades is the discovery of Taste Tibet. The book is an insight into a culture and its cuisine that is little known. It brings a once exotic destination into our lives and kitchens. A true culinary tasty delight!”

– Ken Hom, OBE, Chef, author and broadcaster

“What an extraordinary book this is! At once a love story and recipe manual and a remarkable guide to a way of cooking and living still largely, mistakenly, unknown outside Tibet."

– Sophie Grigson, author of the cookbook My Kitchen Table

“It is incredibly rare that a book arrives explaining and celebrating such a fascinating cuisine in such an engaging way. Every food lover will want this on their shelves between the great international cookbooks.”

– Tim Hayward, food writer and author of Knife

"Julie and Yeshi have put together a book that captivates you right from the beginning. The images of the country and the food alongside so many wonderful explanations engross you completely. The recipes I have tried are sublime and I cannot wait to cook literally everything in it. It's comforting, healthy, healing and incredibly full of flavour. Time for Tibet to be on a global culinary map!"

– Jouidie Kalla, author of Palestine on a Plate

“Yeshi and Julie are brilliant at explaining how traditional dishes are eaten on the Tibetan Plateau, yet their recipes are so clear and reassuring they will appeal to readers anywhere.”

– Fuchsia Dunlop, author of Land of Fish and Rice, Every Grain of Rice and The Sichuan Cookbook

“Fantastic recipes with so much love and passion put into this book! Yeshi and Julie brilliantly captured the essence of what Himalayan food, culture and tradition are all about!”

– Norman Musa

"A fascinating exploration of a cuisine steeped in mystique and wonder. The recipes do not just echo the ethos of a people, but are an ode to the most unique of landscapes. I cannot wait to bring a little taste of Tibet to my London kitchen."

– Dr. Saliha Mahmood Ahmed

“[Jampa and Kleeman] tout the cuisine of Jampa’s heritage in this fascinating assemblage of more than 80 recipes. They open with a brief exploration of the role food plays in Tibetan culture, as well as a Buddhist guide to mindful eating … This flavorful spin on old favorites yields satisfying results.”

– Publishers Weekly

“Enticing cookbook … a labor of love … Taste Tibet presents its recipes in a fascinating cultural context … [and] includes a guide to basic techniques and ingredients, along with substitutions for harder to find items. Flavorful, colorful, and inspired, Taste Tibet captures the spiritual and personal essence of a unique cuisine.”

– Foreword Reviews, Starred Review

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