Tastes of Home: A Sanctuary Cookbook is a multicultural community cookbook published by Mercier Press, Ireland’s oldest independent publisher, and created by Saoirse Ethnic Hands, a migrant women-led social enterprise in Cork, through its Sanctuary Catering project. The book gathers over forty family recipes and personal stories from women who have made Cork their home, representing nine countries: Afghanistan, Egypt, Ireland, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Serbia, South Africa and Ukraine.

Each chapter is devoted to one country and pairs its recipes with the story of the woman who cooks them – childhood kitchens, family celebrations, migration and the making of a new home in Ireland. Dishes include Afghan Kabuli pulao and bolani, Moroccan tagines and chebakia, Ukrainian borscht, South African chakalaka, Mexican enchiladas and Irish brown bread, alongside practical guidance on sourcing and substituting ingredients in Irish shops and markets.

Photographed by Cork food photographer Emma Jervis with recipes tested at MTU, Tastes of Home is funded by Cork City Council and Creative Ireland.

Sales support Saoirse Ethnic Hands’ training and employment pathways for migrant women and their families in Cork. It is a cookbook for home cooks who want authentic world recipes with Irish-kitchen substitutions, for readers interested in migration, sanctuary and community stories, and for anyone who believes the surest way to understand one another is to sit down and eat together.

Saoirse Ethnic Hands, Nano Nagle Place, Cork.

Tastes of Home is supported through Cork City Council by the Creative Ireland Programme @corkcitycouncil and @creativeireland