Jasmine in Her Hair: Culture and Cuisine from Pakistan (White Jasmine Press) is a memoir by Huma Siddiqui, a Madison-based CPA who grew up in Islamabad. She wrote this collection of family stories, foodways descriptions and recipes as a heartfelt means to an end-that is, keeping the family traditions alive.

The book is inadequately edited (I’m a stickler for things like listing ingredients in the order which they are used), but it’s a beauty to behold, with photos of rural scenes, table settings and completed dishes. Most of the recipes are easy to follow, but if you’re a novice at such things as making samosa dough or deep-frying shaaker paras, consider taking one of Siddiqui’s cooking classes to watch and learn (visit whitejasmine.com for a list of classes).

What I like best about Jasmine in Her Hair is how well it illustrates that foods-and other customs-considered alien by some are dearly familiar and deeply personal to others. Siddiqui’s vignettes have a guileless, almost haunting tone, as she recalls everything from the choori wali (woman with bangles) fascinated by the contents of a refrigerator to the meaning of food and family in Pakistan.