Third Culture Cooking is American Cooking: Delicious everyday multicultural recipes, borrowing from our parents and their parents’ homes, melding the old with the new and the familiar with the unfamiliar to create bold flavors and new classics for the next generation of cooks.
The food that author Zaynab Issa cooks—inspired by her East African and South Asian roots, the American suburban delights she grew up eating, and her international travels—is packed with unique and flavorful riffs.
Her affectionate homages to the chain restaurants we love are reflected here: fluffy cinnamon rolls that rival Cinnabon’s, Baskin Robbins–inspired almond fudge squares, and an artichoke dip that recalls TGI Fridays’ delights that will make you want to stay in.
To complete the collection, Zaynab looked to her primary inspiration, the women who’ve fed her, and meticulously recorded her favorite traditional dishes from each of them.
Beyond the recipes, Zaynab shares her tips on establishing yourself as a confident cook—one who prepares food consciously, hosts with pride, and is never without a well-stocked pantry.
The book includes sections like "Set Yourself Up for Success," which outlines Zaynab’s essential kitchen tools and ingredients, "On Food & Feelings" to guide the reader through cooking based on their mood, and "Host with the Most" featuring suggested menus and Zaynab’s method for executing any organized dinner. Finally, look to "Eating with Your Eyes" for her philosophy on serving beautiful food.
For extravagant entertaining as well as weeknight ease, Third Culture Cooking is a love letter to American home-cooking and the many influences that make it so.
Recipes include:
- French Onion Ramen
- Samosas Two Ways
- Chocolate Cake with Chai Buttercream
- Farzana’s Biryani
- Thai-Style Crispy Salmon
- Steak Sandwich with Date Chutney
- Tandoori Tacos
- Baklava Granola
- Banana Cake with Tahini Fudge
- Chicken Kitchri
- and many more!
Praise
“It is not every day that you open a cookbook and can't find a single recipe you don't want to eat. In fact, I don't know if I ever have...until now. Zaynab's food is a lot of things–intentional, smart, storied, beautiful–and above all else, divinely delicious. She is the kind of cook that simply ‘gets it’ and this book is a very clear testament to that. In Zaynab Issa we trust.”
—Molly Baz, author of Cook this Book and More Is More
“Third Culture Cooking is my new book for instant inspiration. Each page holds either something I haven’t learned or a new take on a comfort classic. Issa is the one who (famously!!) brought green chutney into my life, and now I can say she’s given me 100 more things that I am excited to get on my table.”
—Justine Doiron, author of Justine Cooks
“It should be no surprise to me that Zaynab has created a cookbook that is at once a work of art and extremely approachable—and yet here I am, gasping in awe with every turn of a page. Delicious, drop dead gorgeous and deeply down-to-earth, this book is both the girl I want to be and the girl I want to be best friends with, just like Zaynab herself. I guess some girls really can do it all! And now, so can we.”
—Dan Pelosi, New York Times bestselling author of Let's Eat: 101 Recipes to Fill Your Heart and Home
“Zaynab Issa’s debut book captures the joy and passion she pours into her cooking. Third Culture Cooking transcends the traditional cookbook, offering not just recipes but a narrative of culinary identity and heritage. It’s a thoughtful and innovative collection that invites readers on a voyage through flavors and stories, appealing to the spirit and the palate of any curious cook.”
—Andy Baraghani, New York Times bestselling and James Beard Award winning author of The Cook You Want
"What a breathtakingly beautiful book. I love everything about it, from the intro where Zaynab describes herself as “busy, hungry, intentional, nostalgic, lazy and a little fancy” to the recipes which manage to reflect all those adjectives, and more. The book is almost too pretty to cook from, until you read the recipes and realize that you have to make everything. Now."
—Jessie Sheehan, author of Snackable Bakes and Salty, Cheesy Herby Crispy Snackable Bakes
"Zaynab has delved deep into her personal history, of interwoven continents and culinary traditions, to create recipes that are steeped in tradition yet fully modern, and immediately craveable."
—Chris Morocco, food director at Bon Appétit and Epicurious
“Zaynab beautifully weaves her multicultural heritage into Third Culture Cooking, offering a collection of recipes that reflect both her personal journey and the rich culinary traditions she embodies. Her passion for making cooking more accessible to all shines through, reminding us that food is not just nourishment, but a powerful way to connect with our roots, share stories, and build community.”
—Nasim Alikhani, author and chef-founder of Sofreh
“Zaynab is the ultimate tastemaker. Her personal style, thoughtfulness, and culinary flair appear on every page of her book. Also, the sensitivity with which she approaches her multiple cultures and influences makes for a beautiful cookbook.”
—Kerry Diamond, founder of Cherry Bombe
"In her debut cookbook, Zaynab Issa weaves together her personal history and culinary traditions with ease, intention, and impeccable style. The recipes, images, and narrative laced through the pages of Third Culture Cooking will draw you in—and pull you straight to the kitchen."
—Rebekah Peppler, author of Le SUD, À Table, and Apéritif
“Third Culture Cooking is a cookbook of reverence and revelry. For Zaynab, the flavors of the past and present are inseparable. Her recipes—stunningly portrayed, boldly unapologetic, and refreshingly modern—inspire us to reconsider what American food can and should be: personal, nostalgic, and communal.”
—Sue S. Chan, founder, Care of Chan
