Gursha

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.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. ELISA UNG is an award-winning writer, book collaborator, and editor. She was the restaurant critic and dining columnist for northjersey.com and the Bergen Record in New Jersey, and a staff writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer.