It’s Commander Claudia of the Middle Eastern kitchen

She was probably the first to write about Jewish food from the Middle East in English.The Cairo-Born daughter of Syrian Jews, Claudia Roden has at last  been given due recognition for her important impact on the culinary world. Newschain reports:

Claudia Roden has been named Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s New Year Honours List in recognition of her services to Literature.

The author – who is credited with bringing Middle Eastern food into the mainstream thanks to her 1968 classic ‘A Book of Middle Eastern Food’ and more than 20 titles that followed – said she is “very surprised but thrilled, honoured and happy with [the] news” of the honour.

Born in Cairo to Syrian-Jewish parents, Roden, 85, moved with her family to London (where she is still based today) in the 1950s and has spent her career crisscrossing the globe in search of inspiration for her books.

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