The thirteenth-century Syrian cookbook Scents and Flavors comes out in paperback this month with a new foreword by Claudia Roden, author of A Book of Middle Eastern Food. 

To mark the occasion, translator and culinary expert Charles Perry has recorded a video to show us how to make one of the book’s recipes for carrots, called simply “A Dish of Carrots.” Check out the video and written recipe below, and stay tuned for another recipe video to be released soon!

If you try this recipe or any of the recipes from Scents and Flavors, we’d love to hear about it on Twitter and Facebook.

 

A Dish of Carrots (Jazar)

This festive recipe calls for a bit of rue, an herb with a plum-like aroma and a proverbially bitter flavor, which medieval cooks often added as an accent. It can easily be omitted. The browned onions add a sweet note to play off the vinegar dressing.

Ingredients:

1 pound carrots

1 onion

oil

½ cup minced parsley

¼ cup minced mint leaves

1 teaspoon minced fresh rue

1 tablespoon whole coriander seed

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground clove

1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

1/3 cup vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

Instructions:

Cut the carrots into disks and boil them just until done. Drain and put in a mixing bowl.

Slice the onion, separate into rings and fry until brown, stirring constantly, about 20 minutes.

Mix the carrots with the parsley, mint, rue, coriander, cinnamon, clove and pepper. Stir the vinegar and honey together and toss the carrots with it. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the browned onion.