A best-selling book for 2025. (Creit: Photo taken from social media.)
Outside our borders, fans of the Mediterranean diet — considered unbeatable for good health and vitality — are countless. Under the title "Tahini Baby," a new cookbook has just been released that celebrates a beloved local ingredient now soaring in popularity.
"Tahini Baby," is a playful twist on the sweet and endearing American phrase Honey Baby, expressing an irresistible attraction to this predominantly vegetarian staple. The book's author, co-written with Rachel Holtzman, is American Eden Grinshpan, who has created around a hundred original recipes that go far beyond the now-universal hommos bi tahini (tahini hummus.) She explains that she wanted to pay vibrant homage “to the rich and bold flavors of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean kitchens and especially to that delicious touch of sesame cream.”
Across 320 pages, she offers a table of 100 playful and delicious recipes featuring the famous tahini, covering all three meals of the day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, not forgetting snacks. Her primary aim is to devise “simple and indulgent” dishes, treating this ingredient in an incredibly inventive and unexpected way.
Eggplant escalope drizzled with 'tahini' and 'zaatar,' and tahini fudge
Among the array of suggested dishes, some appear more unusual and especially creative: eggplant escalope drizzled with garlicky tahini and topped with zaatar, braised leeks and chickpeas in lemony tahini or roasted cauliflower with harissa (a Moroccan spice) and preserved lemon, finished with a drizzle of tahini.
As for dessert, forget the classic debs bi tahini (pomegranate molasses and tahini) : Grinshpan’s sweet tahini flavor makes unexpected appearances, like in the strawberry-rhubarb-rose-tahini crumble, the sage, honey and tahini parfait, the tahini fudge, and the Aleppo butter cake, which is kneaded with it.
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The author describes her Mediterranean cuisine as lively and versatile. She specifies: “This part of the world represents a way of life that sums up the eating habits I love, with all the fresh bread, dips, crisp salads, and seasonal vegetables.
It’s a feast at home, with layers of flavors enhancing these everyday dishes.” Before arriving at this variety, inspired by Middle Eastern flavors, the author had just started with garlicky tahini. From there, an unexpected wave of gastronomic creativity began, sparked by a region and culture once distant to her, now her greatest inspiration. In addition to recipes, her book gives ample space to all the spices and ingredients she magically uses.
Much more than a simple list of recipes
It took a year to create "Tahini Baby." To best soak in a friendly, homey atmosphere, she brought her whole team into her family home in Toronto: her food stylist, props master, photographer, and the book’s producer.
As she recounts on her website, for her, “a cookbook is much more than just writing recipes and printing them. "Tahini Baby" wouldn't have been possible without a team of exceptionally talented creatives.” In the same spirit, she published “Eating Out Loud: Bold Middle Eastern Flavors for All Day, Every Day” in 2020, a title that speaks volumes about her approach to food enjoyment.
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Relishing meals with your hands
With a tone dusted with humor, Grinshpan unveils the secrets of this delicious, healthy food—meant to be eaten joyfully, just as it is. It’s an invitation for those who love “generous and wild” flavors, whether on the plate or at the table. Eating Out Loud is the perfect guide for an unforgettable meal with family and friends, where you savor “those bold Middle Eastern dishes, dipping by hand right into the platter. Letting yourself indulge in the feast!”
Grinshpan is a chef, culinary personality, current host of Top Chef Canada, and author. After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in London, she set out in search of exceptional flavors around the world, cooking in restaurants and exploring Europe, India, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. She conceptualized, produced, and hosted Eden Eats, her first culinary travel show for Cooking Channel. After launching her TV career, she hosted and judged numerous television shows, including Log On and Eat with Eden Grinshpan and Chopped Canada. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Ido, and their daughter, Ayv.
Instagram: edeneats
