December 2025

Highlights from 2025.

I’ve now spent 6.5 years working on Table of Gods—a cookbook inspired by the world’s oldest recipes written on clay tablets 4,000 years ago.

This December has been busy with a lot going on. But instead of delving into the details, I’d like to review the last year—and disclose the launch of Table of Gods in 2026.

But first, a short story.

A while back I was at the playground with my son when I stumbled upon a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. He asked what everybody asks when they see me nowadays: “When’s the book coming out?” 

I told him I’m nearing the end but that the final 10% feels like climbing Sarektjåkkå with flip-flops (I’ve climbed Sarektjåkkå, and it was hard enough with hiking boots). 

Me in Sarektjåkkå, 2017. It’s one of Sweden’s toughest summits since you have to cross a glacier to reach the top.

I went on to explain to my friend that I’m developing a custom cover paper while also finishing the interior layout and preparing for logistics, tax reporting, payment systems, and other equally boring yet important tasks.

Anyway, as we spoke, a woman overheard us and joined the discussion. After speaking with her for a while, she asked, “So what’s the purpose of the book?”

I wasn’t prepared for the question and stumbled to answer when she added, “What’s driving you?”

I was annoyed I didn’t have a punchy answer. As I got home that day I couldn’t stop thinking about how I should have answered. 

Then I started questioning myself: What is the purpose of Table of Gods? What is driving me to work on it relentlessly for years without a break?

Is it because it’s fun? It’s absolutely fun. But it’s also hard. So hard I want to hit my head against the wall at least once a week (sometimes twice a week).

Do I want to get famous? If I could choose, I’d hide my face and use a fake name like Banksy does with his art. But I’ve sacrificed my privacy, which again begs the question: why?

Is it because I’m going to get rich? Well, I’ve spent almost all my savings on Table of Gods and my net worth will be close to zero (possibly below zero) when I launch the book.

Table of Gods is clearly important to me. And here’s why.

Think about what makes you who you are. 

No matter how you tackle the question, who you are today is a result of your past memories and experiences. That’s why identical twins separated at birth can have widely different personalities, views, and values.

If we agree that present you is a result of your past, what if someone erased all your memories—would you still be you?

Now think about this question from a bigger perspective. As a species, what makes us human? 

Imagine how you’d explain who we are to an alien. You could explain it biologically, for sure. But that would only scratch the surface. To get the alien to understand humans on a deeper level, you’d have to turn to our past, our history. 

Perhaps you’d start as far back as the Agricultural Revolution. But at some point you’d arrive at the cradle of civilization—where the first cities, governments, schools, and laws saw daylight. 

But if you’re not a Near Eastern historian, chances are you’d skip that part of our history as quickly as teachers do in school. Not intentionally, but because you don’t have enough knowledge to tell the alien about it.

But if our collective past is part of what makes us human, and most humans have memory gaps about ancient Mesopotamia, we have a problem.

That’s why Table of Gods is important.

There are no Hollywood movies, bestselling novels, or major video games set in ancient Sumer, Babylon, or Assyria. For various reasons, Mesopotamian history hasn’t become part of popular culture.

I want to change that. 

Because if you live on Planet Earth, you’re an inheritor of ancient Mesopotamia.

So the next time I get the chance to say what the purpose of Table of Gods is, and what’s driving me, my answer will be: to make a cultural impact. 

And I have good news. In 2025, that’s exactly what we’ve been doing. 

Let me demonstrate.

236,000,000 views

In 2025, our historical food content on social media and YouTube was viewed 236,000,000 times.

That doesn’t mean we reached 236,000,000 people. But we’ve reached tens of millions of people with content they’ve probably never encountered before. Content that has taught them something they didn’t know about our shared past.

In mid-November, we passed 100,000 subscribers on YouTube, and as of writing, that number has increased to 165,000.

Let me be clear: views in and of themselves were never a goal of mine.

But when these views are teaching people something they can’t learn elsewhere, while also showing them how to use that knowledge in their daily lives by cooking recipes to connect with their past—that’s impact!

760,000 followers

As of writing, 690,000 people follow @tableofgods on social media and YouTube. Another 70,000 people have joined the book’s waitlist at tableofgods.com. 

We’re receiving emails daily from people who have either made a recipe from Table of Gods, or just want to tell us how much they enjoy what we’re posting.

On those days when I want to hit my head against the wall, all I have to do is open my email inbox to find myself smiling again.

Nobel chef cooked our recipe

In April 2025, Fredrik Eriksson, gastronomic advisor to the Nobel banquet in Sweden, served our Assyrian Bulgurotto at his restaurant in the National Museum in Stockholm.

I researched the recipe in 2023, and after several cooking tests, my dad nailed it. 

I was certain Chef Fredriksson would change our original recipe. But he didn’t even modify it. He followed it exactly as it was written and served it to hundreds of satisfied guests.

If you want to try it, get the recipe here.

I also got the opportunity to give a short talk at the National Museum on that day. 

I told the audience about King Ashurnasirpal and his banquet in Kalhu in 864 BC, where he invited 69,574 guests for a ten-day long party.

That story never gets old.

Traveled to Italy to meet printers and mills

In November, I went to Italy to meet some of the world’s most renowned printers and paper mills. We also made our first cover tests after creating a brass mold of cuneiform signs and applying pressure to a wrapped board.

To the left: me inside one of the printing factories. To the right: our first debossing test with a brass die on standard cover paper (which didn’t work as hoped as the paper tore).

New cover design

The evolution of the Table of Gods cover has followed the evolution of the project. In the summer of 2019, when I decided to write the book, my vision for it wasn’t even 10% of what it’s become. 

The more I learned, the more I expanded the project. And the more it expanded, the more I realized Table of Gods is so much more than a cookbook. 

It’s a time machine. 

And if it works like I anticipate, it will take you back to ancient Mesopotamia through all your senses. 

The cover has to be part of that vision.

Below: our cover with cuneiform signs debossed (pressed down). The deep debossing I want to achieve has forced us to develop a custom cover paper. Standard paper simply can’t take this deep debossing without tearing.

Another photoshoot

In September we had our third photoshoot. We photographed new recipes and re-shot some older ones.

The new photos turned out even better than I expected. We hired actors, special costumes, and wrote out entire scenes before the photoshoot. 

It paid off.

Table of Gods will have over 100 pages of food photography printed on beautiful art paper.

Received praise from top Assyriologists

In early 2025, when I completed the bulk of the manuscript, I had the honor of sending parts of it to Eckart Frahm, Professor of Assyriology at Yale University and author of Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire. 

In addition to giving valuable feedback and confirming most of my research was solid, Professor Frahm said:

“You’ve managed to combine well researched historical information with your own personal take on ancient Assyria, its culture, and its culinary traditions."

Others who’ve also praised and reviewed my manuscript include professor Simo Parpola, Professor Emeritus of Assyriology at the University of Helsinki; Brad Hafford, Near Eastern Archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania Museum; and Professor Salvatore Gaspa, Professor of History of the Ancient Near East and Assyriology at the University of Padua.

The upcoming launch of Table of Gods

So, when is the book coming out? 

I feel too uncertain to give you a date. But I’m fairly confident you’ll be able to finally pre-order the book in the second half of 2026.

The first half of 2026 will be spent creating our new cover paper, completing the interior design of the book, as well as figuring out the supply chain and other things related to packaging, shipping, and selling the book.

Thank you for your continued support. From my family to yours, Happy New Year!