Claudia Roden was born and brought up in Cairo. She finished her education in Paris and later studied art in London. She now lives in London. Roden writes about food with a special interest in the social and historical back-ground of cooking. Her books include The Book of Jewish Food, which won eight international awards, as well as The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, Arabesque, Coffee: A Connoisseur's Companion, The Food of Italy: Region by Region, Everything Tastes Better Outdoors, and Mediterranean Cookery. In 1989 she won Italy's two most prestigious food prizes, the Premio Orio Vergani and the Premio Maria Luigia, Duchessa di Parma. She has also won six Glenfiddich awards.