Habeeb Salloum

Muna Salloum

Leila Salloum Elias

Which dessert is named after the heroic third-century Queen Zenobia of Palmyra? Which luscious rice pudding shares its name with the eighth-century Abbasid Caliph al-Ma'mun? How does one make the perfect Baqlawah? Blending cookery with culture and recipes with history, this is the fascinating and delectable story of traditional Arab sweets. The authors here take us on a culinary journey across Iraq, Syria, Egypt and al-Andalus, presenting readers with clear and easy-to-recreate recipes from across the medieval Arab world. Filling the tables of caliphs and noblemen, these sumptuous desserts of saffron and rose water conjure the opulence and grandeur of the medieval Islamic world. Bringing together tenth- to fourteenth-century Arabic texts, the authors retrace the history of these sweet dishes, reviving the original recipes and following their development and influence over the centuries into non-Arabic speaking lands. Honey, dates, figs and pomegranates are just a few ingredients featured in this exquisite selection of mouth-watering desserts which have been modernised for cooks to try at home, all woven together with medieval poems and stories. From delicious pastries, filled with pistachios and fragrant syrups, to luscious puddings, biscuits, and pies, it is the ideal addition to any kitchen. A unique insight into Middle Eastern culinary history, this book is a must-have for anyone with a sweet tooth.

The Story of Traditional Arab Sweets

Sweet Delights from a Thousand and One Nights

The author of the thirteenth-century Arabic cookbook Kitāb al-?abīkh proposed that food was among the foremost pleasures in life. Scheherazade's Feasts invites adventurous cooks to test this hypothesis. From the seventh to the thirteenth centuries, the influence and power of the medieval Islamic world stretched from the Middle East to the Iberian Peninsula, and this Golden Age gave rise to great innovation in gastronomy no less than in science, philosophy, and literature. The medieval Arab culinary empire was vast and varied: with trade and conquest came luxury, abundance, new ingredients, and new ideas. The emergence of a luxurious cuisine in this period inspired an extensive body of literature: poets penned lyrics to the beauty of asparagus or the aroma of crushed almonds; nobles documented the dining customs obliged by etiquette and opulence; manuals prescribed meal plans to deepen the pleasure of eating and curtail digestive distress. Drawn from this wealth of medieval Arabic writing, Scheherazade's Feasts presents more than a hundred recipes for the beverages, foods, and sweets of a sophisticated and cosmopolitan empire. The recipes are translated from medieval sources and adapted for the modern cook, with replacements suggested for rare ingredients such as the first buds of the date tree or fat rendered from the tail of a sheep. With the guidance of prolific cookbook writer Habeeb Salloum and his daughters, historians Leila and Muna, these recipes are easy to follow and deliciously appealing. The dishes are framed with verse inspired by them, culinary tips, or tales of the caliphs and kings whose courts demanded their royal preparation. To contextualize these selections, a richly researched introduction details the foodscape of the medieval Islamic world.

Foods of the Medieval Arab World

Scheherazade's Feasts

In this storybook-cookbook the authors translate some of the 1001 Arabian Nights stories Scheherazade recounted for Shahryar and adapt ancient recipes for the traditional sweet treats mentioned in them. This vibrant, lovely book brings modern cooks delicacies from one of the world’s magnificent civilizations. The classic tales of romance and passion in The 1001 Arabian Nights still ignite imaginations centuries after they were written. Within them we learn of the vibrant life of Baghdad, Damascus, and Cairo in the 9th century—and of its many appetites. Food in these stories is currency, temptation, sustenance, and more. In this treasure trove are Aladdin and his magic lamp, outrageous accounts of philandering spouses who get their comeuppance, wealthy merchants, poor beggars, and beautiful women who bring out the best and worst in their men. And with the accompanying recipes you’ll enjoy creating succulent, exquisite morsels to delight those lucky enough to taste them. The Sweets of Araby is a wondrous literary and culinary gem that will take its place among your favorite books and cookbooks. Let it inspire you to create delicacies that will dazzle, excite, and seduce your family and friends.

The Sweets of Araby: Enchanting recipes from the Tales of the 1001 Arabian Nights

The traditions of Syrian cooking go back hundreds of years, and is notable for its sensory components, in which aroma and texture are as important as taste and nutrition. Over the centuries, the unique dishes of Greater Syria (bilaad al-shaam) were preserved by those who cooked them. For cooks in imperial households, family homes, or on simple peasant farms, recipes were handed down from generation to generation. Despite centuries of occupation, unrest, economic hardships, and political strife, the people of Greater Syria continued to cook their burghul, lentil, chickpeas, kishk, and yogurt dishes as if life around them never changed. Syrian-born Habeeb Salloum and his daughters Leila Salloum Elias and Muna Salloum have researched and explored the far reaches of Syrian cuisine for many years (and in Habeeb’s case, decades). Their resulting cookbook, Pomegranate and Rose Water, provides a succinct window into the dining tables of eighteenth and nineteenth-century Syria, featuring many delectable, heart-healthy recipes that have never before been published in English. The book also provides a poignant window into Syrian culture and everyday life then and now—bound together by ageless and truly beautiful food traditions. Includes 144 recipes; full-color throughout.

Muna Salloum

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