Winning cookbook shows Israel ‘through different eyes’

MICHAEL BELLING

PHOTOGRAPH SUPPLIED

Pictured: Nina Degutiene, wife of a Lithuanian diplomat, proudly displays the certificate for her international award-winning cookbook, “A Taste of Israel”, first published in South Africa.

Nida Degutiene’s “A Taste of Israel”, published by Random House South Africa, took the prize in the Jewish cuisine category of the Gourmand International cookbook awards in Yantai, China, on May 29.

The book was a surprise winner in this prestigious three-day international competition, sometimes referred to as the Oscar awards for cooking. Authors from 209 countries participated, with more than 3 000 works submitted. Writers from 103 countries made it to the finals in China.

Degutiene’s husband, Darius Degutis, was in 2009 appointed to a five-year term as Lithiuanian ambassador to Israel. This was Degutiene’s first encounter with Israeli food.

She was largely unaware of Israeli or Jewish life before her arrival in the country, but travelled a lot, learning whatever she could about the country and its inhabitants.

“When you live in Israel it’s plain to see that food holds a special place in Jewish life,” Degutiene wrote in the introduction to the cookbook.

“From early morning until dawn the next day, Israelis are always noshing on something and enjoying one another’s company, and on any given holiday the festive table groans under the weight of a multitude of dishes and goodies.

“This book is a way of seeing Israel, a place so unknown to many, through different eyes,” she said.

Subtitled “From classic Litvak to modern Israel”, Degutiene – who is not Jewish – covers a huge variety of Israeli food, from the Ashkenazi cholent, kugel, tzimmes and latkes to the Libyan shakshuka, Moroccan chraime, Iraqi sabich and Lebanese fatoush.

The book was first written and published in Lithuanian and then later translated into English and sold first in South Africa in 2015 and then in the United States.

Degutiene matches her dishes to the various Jewish holidays and even offers a basic guide to keeping kosher.

“It might look a little bit strange that I’m Lithuanian, writing about Israeli food and Jewish food, being in China and representing South Africa,” she said while accepting her award.

“This book actually is a result of my five years of my life in Israel.”

She thanked both Lithuania and South Africa and added her gratitude to Israel as well.

“I would like to thank Israel because this is a country that is very easy to fall in love with.”

The runners-up in the Jewish Cuisine category were the Hebrew-language “Jewish Wedding Cookbook” by Nomi Abeliovish and Ofer Vardi and “Jewish Festival Food” by Marlena Spieler.