This book is a wonderful introduction to Pan-African cooking, including the Middle Eastern-influenced cuisines of Northern Africa. It has plenty of large, full-color photos, which are especially helpful when preparing food with which you may be somewhat unfamiliar. The instructions are easy to understand, well-written and practical, and give good tips for how to substitute common ingredients if the more exotic/authentic ones are not available at your local grocery store. There are also many "mini-photos" that show you how to prepare the food step-by-step, so you can see the process. Some of my favorite recipes from this book include Spicy Kebabs, Plantains, Kofta Curry, Lamb Tagine, Joloff Rice and Yassa Chicken. I especially like the fairly large assortment of vegetarian recipes. Overall, this is a thoughtfully-written, beautifully photographed book and a welcome introduction to a unique cuisine.

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