The Oldest Kitchen in the World: 4,000 Years of Middle Eastern Cooking

From the world's oldest recorded cuneiform recipes, some 4,000 years ago, there is a straight line to the kitchen of Smuni Turan. Her recipes have been collected by her son in this cookbook.

The Oldest Kitchen in the World describes both the oldest cuisine in the world and the culture of the Assyrians. Now scattered all over the world, they all still speak dialects of Aramaic, and more importantly: they still cook the dishes that all Middle Eastern kitchens are indebted to.

“A rare and fascinating introduction to an ancient, delicious cuisine. This cookbook is one of the best of its kind–with recipes that honor the past. Straight from the heart and kitchen of Matay's mother.”—Nigel Slater, food writer, journalist, and author of A Cook’s Book

Author Bio

Matay de Mayee was born in Hengelo as the child of one of the first Suryoye (also called Assyrians or Arameans) established in the Netherlands. In 2020, he opened De Stijlkamer Amsterdam, a high-end B&B in a historic canal house, which he also uses for culinary events or as a photo and film location. With The Oldest Kitchen in the World he makes his debut as a cookbook author.