Alghastronom Gourmet Encyclopedia
Aleppo Gourmets
Dictionary of food and drinks on demand

Published by “Addar al Arabia Nashiron” with “the Syrian Academy of Gastronomy”. This book was written by the Syrian writer born in Aleppo, Samir Tahhan and his brother Marwan.

"Alghastronom" is a word meaning the person who has a good, distinctive, delicate, and fine taste. He is the one who realizes the benefits of assorted kinds of food and drinks. He feels and detects beauty in the acts of eating, drinking, clothing, housing; and of singing in particular, and of the beauty of nature and the opposite sex, in general. He is finally the one who distinguishes between the tastes with an extreme meticulousness.
In his Introduction to the book, the writer considers that "Alghastronom" is a dictionary which contains all the information that reached him about the culture of drinks and food: verbs, nouns, tools, recipes, food, drinks; included are the proverbs, maxims, and habits he had heard of as relevant to the culture of food and drinks. The dictionary has been arranged alphabetically. It is noteworthy to mention that "Alghastronom" is a book not essentially written to teach beginners how to cook, but is rather written to address people who have primary thoughts about the science of nutrition and cooking and its art. It also includes stories and tidbits of anecdotal stories about the culture of food and drinks in (Calendar of Aleppo) away from the beliefs and myths about the different kinds of food and drinks.
According to the author, the purpose of the dictionary "Alghastronom" is to compile the culture of food and drinks in Aleppo in particular, and in Syria in general; and also in the countries which he visited. Moreover, the writer aims at proving that the common understanding between civilizations can be easily established, in matters of food and drinks; while the difference between civilizations continues when it comes to principles and beliefs.