Claudia Roden is a renowned British food writer, historian, and cookbook author. She is best known for her groundbreaking book, A Book of Middle Eastern Food, which was published in 1968 and is considered to be one of the most influential cookbooks of all time. Roden has written numerous other books, including The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, The Food of Italy, and The Food of Spain. She has also written articles for various publications, including The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Observer. Roden was born in Cairo, Egypt, and grew up in a Jewish family. She moved to London in the 1950s and studied art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art. She has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East, Europe, and North Africa, and her books reflect her deep knowledge of the cuisines of these regions. Roden has been awarded numerous awards for her work, including the James Beard Award for Cookbook of the Year in 2000 and the Glenfiddich Food and Drink Award in 2002. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Order of the British Empire.