A Taste From Home is a narrative cookbook sharing the stories and recipes of refugees in Malaysia and their efforts both literally and metaphorically to nourish their families in their new home.
Its 55 recipes and 17 stories span 11 countries from Africa to the Middle East as the book weaves tales of courage and perseverance, with each featured refugee sharing their most cherished recipes and in the process their identity, customs and diversity.
As primary caregivers, women literally not only provide nourishment but also spiritual and emotional support to their families. Food is a central means of nourishment and an aspect of life that women often manage.
As these refugee families resettle and adapt to a strange new environment, food is one of the primary mainstays back to their homelands. This book’s readers will soon come to realise that food is also a means of assimilation.
Though many of these recipes have been passed down from generation to generation in countries like Afghanistan, Myanmar and Somalia, they are new to most Malaysians.
A Taste From Home will expose you to new culinary traditions, teach you skills and techniques you can use in your own cooking, and offer a unique collection of recipes you can’t find anywhere else.
The recipes are featured in an easy-to-follow step-by-step fashion and all the ingredients are available at wet markets and supermarkets with a rare trip to the specialty grocery store.
This cookbook, replete with detailed personal stories, gorgeous photographs, professionally laid out and with every recipe tested several times showcases these refugees’ culinary skills, affirming their relevance in their new homes and offering them the opportunity to share their knowledge from a position of expertise.
Haris Coussidis is a Greek who used to live in Malaysia but now resides in India. She is a freelance photographer and trained chef, with stints in humanitarian organisations since 2002.
Her inspiration for this cookbook was simple: “I wanted to look for a more creative way to put a human face on the refugee issue. There’s too much emphasis on the misery. I’d like to shine the spotlight on the positive for once.”
She is thrilled to celebrate and document the culinary expertise of so many refugee women, with the help of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
A Taste From Home: Recipes And Stories From Refugees Living In Malaysia is available for RM60 at UNHCR, and is also on sale at selected bookstores. To purchase a copy, contact UNHCR at 03-2118 4986.
All proceeds from sales of the cookbook will go towards welfare and medical emergency assistance for refugees in Malaysia.
In addition to the cookbook, the Picha Project is a social enterprise based in Malaysia that aims to empower the refugee community through a food delivery and catering business.
Every day thousands of traditional meals are cooked in the homes of refugee families and delivered to hundreds of customers to cater for their events.