Hanna Saliba's restaurant Saliba in Hamburg, which serves Syrian cuisine, is renowned far beyond the city's borders for its magical culinary experiences. Some of the restaurant's guests -Hans Hansen from Hamburg, the Munich designer Pierre Mendell, and the publisher of this volume - developed the concept for this book together with Saliba as an expression of their enthusiasm for Arab cuisine, particularly for the diversity and sophistication of its incomparable hors d'oeuvres called Mazza. Arabic calligraphy complements the feast for the eyes and makes the book much more than a collection of recipes for amateur cooks and professional chefs.