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-- This title will ship on or after April 01, 2025 --
A triumphant celebration of Ethiopian Jewish cuisine; more than one hundred recipes, stories, and traditions from the intersection of the African and Jewish diasporas
In Gursha, which loosely translates as “the act of feeding one another,” chef and restaurateur Beejhy Barhany shares the food and culture of Beta Israel or Ethiopian Jews.
Born in Ethiopia, Barhany fled to Sudan before making her way to Israel and, eventually, Harlem. In Gursha, she tells that story through food, bringing together more than a hundred personal recipes, from traditional dishes (Doro Wot, Shakshuka, Legamat [Sudanese doughnuts]) to those of her own creation (Berbere Fried Fish, Injera Fish Taco, Queen of Sheba Chocolate Cardamom Cake). Alongside the recipes, readers will also find essays on Beta Israel culture and traditions, profiles of the author’s friends and family members that illuminate the Ethiopian Jewish community, and more.
While smaller in number and not as widely known as many other groups of Jews, the Beta Israel boast one of the world’s great culinary cultures, and Gursha is the first major cookbook to share it with home cooks everywhere.
BIO
Beejhy Barhany is the founding owner and executive chef of Tsion Cafe, an Ethiopian and Israeli restaurant in Harlem’s historic Sugar Hill neighborhood. She was born in Ethiopia, raised mostly in Israel, and moved to New York in 2001. In 2003, she founded BINA Cultural Foundation, a cultural organization dedicated to the empowerment of the Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jewish) community within the United States. She is a frequent cooking teacher and speaker at Jewish cultural events in the New York area. She lives with her husband and two children in Harlem.
REVIEWS
“I couldn’t be more excited to celebrate Beejhy’s recipes, which offer such a delicious and meaningful glimpse into the Diaspora. Having been lucky enough to experience many of these dishes firsthand at her table, I can’t wait to bring these flavors into my own kitchen!” -- Jake Cohen, New York Times bestselling author of Jew-ish and I Could Nosh
“I’ve been inspired by Beehjy’s cooking for years. I could not be more thrilled that now she is sharing her unique take on Ethiopian Jewish cuisine with the world.” -- Leah Koenig, author of The Jewish Cookbook
“Beejhy’s story is one for the ages. In this gorgeous and richly layered cookbook, her story is told with heart, fierceness, and pride. Delicious recipes are interwoven with gorgeous photography and intimate stories that deepen our understanding and respect for the Ethiopian Jewish experience. Reading this beautiful book taught me volumes about hospitality, deepened my understanding of this important piece of our history—and made me want to start cooking immediately.” -- Adeena Sussman, author of Shabbat and Sababa
“In its evocative pages, Gursha reminds us that no community is a monolith, including those of us in the Jewish Diaspora. Beejhy Barhany’s first book speaks not just to the power of storytelling, but also of who gets to tell their own stories.” -- Julia Turshen, New York Times bestselling cookbook author
[H] Knopf Publishing Group / April 01, 2025
1.25 lbs 304 pages