From Babel to Baghdad: Culture of a Cuisine in Transition

Nawal Nasrallah is an independent scholar who specializes in the history and culture of Arab food. Amongst her numerous publications are English translations of medieval Arabic cookbooks, most importantly Annals of the Caliphs’ Kitchens: Ibn Sayyar al- Warraq’s Tenth-century Baghdadi Cookbook (Brill, 2007), Treasure Trove of Benefits and Variety at the Table: A Fourteenth-century Egyptian Cookbook (Brill, 2017), and Best of Delectable Foods and Dishes by the thirteenth-century Andalusian scholar Ibn Razin al-Tujibi (Brill, 2021).

Abstract: 

The talk will explore foodways and culinary practices from ancient Mesopotamia (2nd millennium BCE), when cuisine was varied, rich and sophisticated, to medieval Baghdad during the Golden Age of the Abbasid caliphate (9th to 13th centuries). where a self-indulgent high food culture developed. I will address the gastronomic manifestations and achievements in both periods based on an examination of documents and artifacts. My focus will be on showing continuities in the recipes of the surviving cookbooks from both ancient and medieval times.