Collection: COOKBOOK PANTRY: IN BIBI'S KITCHEN

Hawa Hassan’s In Bibi’s Kitchen is a beautiful introduction to the cuisines of eight East African countries through the stories and recipes of eight African grandmothers, or Bibis. 

The book is divided into chapters by country starting with Eritrea, and traveling down the coast along the Indian ocean through Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Madagascar, and Comoros. There are some essential ingredients that Hawa lists at the beginning of her book but each section has some additional ingredients—a look at regional agricultural products and cultural customs introduced at the beginning of each chapter.

The recipes heavily rely on garlic, ginger, tomatoes, fruit, limes, lemons, and greens, so despite featuring cuisines that are not frequently featured in mainstream food media or cookbooks, nearly all of the ingredients can be found at local grocery stores (or in our shop), so don't be intimidated to get cooking!  (Signed copies available in the shop.)

– Review by Erin Hadi (@cookbooking_now), a Hardcover Cook contributor