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Sumayya Usmani

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sumayya Usmani is a Pakistani-born author, memoirist, food writer and writing mentor based in Scotland.[1][2]

Biography

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Usmani was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and moved to England in 2006, and to Glasgow in 2015. Her early childhood was spent on board ship as her father was a merchant navy captain. She practised law for 12 years before developing a career as a food writer, with a blog called My Tamarind Kitchen.[1][2]

Her first published book, Summers Under the Tamarind Tree: Recipes & Memories From Pakistan (2016, Frances Lincoln) was listed by The Independent in its "11 best new cookbooks 2016", described as "spellbinding" and "an unprecedentedly authentic snapshot into the culinary culture of this often overlooked country".[3] Her next book Mountain Berries and Desert Spice: Sweet Inspiration From the Hunza Valley to the Arabian Sea with photographs by Joanna Yee was published in 2017.[4] Her third book, a food memoir called Andaza for which she won the Scottish Book Trust's Next Chapter Award 2021,[5] is to be published in April 2023. As of 2023 she was studying for a master's degree in creative writing at the University of Glasgow and working on a book which she describes as "a braided narrative of folklore, food and history from an ancient city in my homeland".[6]

Selected publications

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  • Usmani, Sumayya (2016). Summers under the tamarind tree: recipes & memories from Pakistan. Frances Lincoln. ISBN 978-0-7112-3678-3.
  • Usmani, Sumayya (2017). Mountain berries & desert spice: sweet inspiration from the Hunza Valley to the Arabian Sea. London: Frances Lincoln. ISBN 978-0711238527.
  • Usmani, Sumayya (13 April 2023). Andaza: a memoir of food, flavour and freedom in the Pakistani kitchen. [S.l.]: Murdoch Books. ISBN 9781922616197.

References

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  1. ^ a b "My Glasgow: food writer Sumayya Usmani on her love affair with the city". The Independent. 7 October 2016. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  2. ^ a b Bryant, Amy (2 April 2016). "Sumayya Usmani: why the cuisine of Pakistan needs a louder voice". The Telegraph. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  3. ^ Williams, Rhian (17 October 2016). "11 best new cookbooks 2016". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  4. ^ "Books by Sumayya Usmani". Frances Lincoln. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  5. ^ "Press Release: Scottish Book Trust Announces Recipient of Next Chapter Award 2021". Scottish Book Trust. Archived from the original on 15 February 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  6. ^ "More about me". Sumayya Usmani. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
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