The Arab nation states all share parallel cultures thus when considering Arab hospitality, we can say that the ‘communities of the Middle East share a common set of cultural idioms’ (Zubaida, 2000). Nevertheless, each Arab state is still different from one another, thus Arabs from each state have their own identity and cultural practices to follow. The Arab World has always been a huge part of the food environment, even before nationalism subsisted. In the Arab world, food can be used to tell the history of the Arabs, thus shows how significant its role is in the Middle East. In this essay I will explore the ways in which Middle Eastern culinary culture has evolved over centuries and the factors revolving around Arab food culture.
The nomads of Anatolia, who came from the origins of Central Asia, heavily influenced Turkish cuisine. The nomadic tribal movement caused formation of alliances, increasing competition between the groups. Thus, in the means of cooperation the tribes unified and ultimately had populated most of Eastern Turkey by the 11th century. Before Islam, the Turkish ended up settling in this region. By the 15th century, the Ottoman Empire had a large influence on the Arab food culture. Regions that were dominated by the Ottomans, such as Greece and Bulgaria, begun to eat Arab dishes such as eggplant, stuffed grape leaves and cabbage. Baklava was considered to be food for the rich, coated with expensive sugar; this special dish was made during the Ottoman and Balkan rulings.
Before the early 1960s, when the Arab oil economy was established, the Emirati culture in particular considered two main factors; the Bedouins living in the desert as well as ‘sea-oriented culture that revolved around pearling and sea trading’....
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...without human interference), blood, the meat of pigs, and animals dedicated to other than God. If one is forced (to eat these), without being malicious or deliberate, he incurs no sin. God is Forgiver, Most Merciful.’ (2:173) Thus emphasising that only halal meat should be consumed. This shows how religion has effectively shaped the culture, or even the culture has adapted by the means of the religion. Although, Algeria is a French colonised country, it is significant in wine-exporting, meaning that alcohol is very common in this Muslim country. Today, the wine market still exists and is dependent on European markets. The Qur’an The Holy Month of Ramadan is a special time of the year where Muslims all around the world are obligated to fast everyday for roughly 25 days. In this holy month, food and drink is absent until the period of time between sunrise and sunset.
Ritual fasting is obligatory during the month of Ramadan. Muslims must abstain from food and drink from dawn to dusk during this month, and are supposed to be especially mindful of other sins. The fast is meant to allow Muslims to seek nearness and to look for forgiveness from God, to express their gratitude to and dependence on him, and to atone for their past sins.
In her article, “Sweet, Sour, and Resentful,” Firoozeh Dumas directs us through on how her mom readies a feast. She gives us detailed description on how her mother cooks the food for the guests by starting out grocery shopping until the part that the food is ready to be served. She writes about how because of their Iranian traditions they have to prepare a Persian feast for their newcomer friends and family, which brought joy to everyone, but her mother. Yet, we can see that she is trying to make sense to it all, every weekend they have guests over since the Iran’s Revolution started. Vitally, traditions stay great just when they convey satisfaction to the individuals celebrating those traditions. Also, the food that we choose tends to be based upon our culture, economic and social aspects. I agree with her even though traditions within various cultures are very different, but they all are supposed to do one thing that is bring everyone closer to each other, and bring happiness. However, that’s not always the case, especially in this article.
Hourani, Albert. A History of the Arab Peoples. Cambridge, MA: Belknap of Harvard UP, 1991. Print.
For hundreds of years before European intervention, the Ottoman Empire had controlled or annexed most of the Arabic people. However; few states did exist, mostly on the Saudi Arabian peninsula, they possessed minimal forms of government and rule, existing in small tribal states. Despite the immense territorial possessions of the Ottoman Empire, it began to decline with a series of military defeats beginning in the 16th century. Most of their fleet was wiped with a loss of 210 ships and 30,000 men killed1, and the event is often cited by Historians as the ‘end of Turkish supremacy in the Mediterranean’2, and the turning point of Ottoman conquest and rule. It wasn’t until the end of the 19th century that the Ottoman Empire became the ‘sick man’ of Europe. The dynasty had long suffered from corruption, inflation, and its territorial possessions began to reject Ottoman rule. One area where this is most relevant is in the Arabic peninsula. Following nationalist trends in Europe, and especially the Ottoman Empire, Arab nationalism grew in the beginning of the 20th century. The ideology believed ‘that nations from Morocco to the Arabian Peninsula are united by their common linguistic, cultural and historical heritage.’3 The growing anti-Ottoman rule sentiment grew,
It could be argued that every nation and every ethnic group has its own soul food. But the contemporary connotation of the term "soul food" refers to the gradual blending and developing o...
The author exposes how the American and Arabs cultures met and interacted. It is clear that the Arab people did not comprehend the changes they would face. Furthermore, the Americans had to adapt but somehow still overcome religion and tradition. Consequently, the beginning of the oil era brought financial wealth but for the greater part brought painful changes to Arab societies. It is difficult to understand how oil wealth did not completely modernize the Middle East for a greater good. Instead we know about the real situation in both the novel and the real Arab culture and how oil money paired with retroactive empires, old religious beliefs and self-absorbed Western governments took over.
Today, I will be talking about a group of people who are known as the “Arabs’ purist representatives” (in cite). People who love to live near the desert and are not interested with the modern city life. They are more into the simple and peaceful lifestyle and way of living. There are around 4 million people, spread among Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq, Morocco, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. Today, my speech is about the very interesting and unique Bedouin tribes. What is interesting about the Bedouins is that despite the changes and advances that happen around the world, they are still attached to the traditions they were raised on, without changing a thing. Although they have a lack of education,
The Arab world consists of twenty-two countries encompassing all of North Africa and much of the Middle East. The Arab people number over 360 million and while they share a common language, there is a surprising degree of diversity among them, whether in terms of nationality, culture, religion, economics, or politics. (McCaffrey, 3) Most inhabitants of the Ar...
At first, the title of the book grabbed my attention. I thought that I am going to read a book in which I can find different baklava recipes coming from the Middle East. Ironically, there was only one recipe that the author called Poetic Baklava. So where are the baklava recipes, I asked myself? If there is only one recipe for baklava what is this book about? However, after reading the book, the answer was revealed to me, and I started to fit everything together. Surprisingly, the title of the book and its content makes sense. The language of Baklava is an enjoyable book to read. One can read it repeatedly for the stories, the memories, the recipes, and obviously for the baklava. In fact, it is a story of the writer's life peppered with recipes that Bud and other family members have shared with her over the years, written in a unique way full with flavors. The book is also packed with Middle Eastern cooking methods and recipes. Though most of the recipes in the book are Middle Eastern, yet it contains some instructions in how to prepare other types of food. For example, in page 86 we can find a recipe from Italy that she called Mrs. Manarelli’s Civilized Panna Cotta. The dishes coming from her American culture are given relaxing names such as Comforting Grilled Velveeta Sandwiches, and The Tenderest Angel Food Cake, while the dishes coming from her Jordan culture are carrying nostalgic names such as Nostalgic Chicken Livers, and "Forget Me Not" Sambusik Cookies. That reflects the multicultural background of the writer, and her search for her identity.
“Let food be thy medicine”, a relevant and timeless quote from Hippocrates almost two thousand years ago. Culture, is the entire way of life, of a group of people and acts as a lens, through which one views the world and is passed from one generation to the next. Food culture refers to the practices, attitudes, and beliefs as well as the networks and institutions surrounding the production, distribution, and consumption of food. With the evolution of food culture, from drive-ins, microwavable/canned meals, and fast food, Americans are eating worse and worse every day. Near the beginning of the twentieth century Americans consume around 120 pounds of meat annually, by 2007 that figure went up to no less than 222 pounds. American consumption
American culture is changing dramatically. In some areas it’s a good thing, but in other areas, like our food culture, it can have negative affects. It is almost as if our eating habits are devolving, from a moral and traditional point of view. The great America, the land of the free and brave. The land of great things and being successful, “living the good life.” These attributes highlight some irony, especially in our food culture. Is the American food culture successful? Does it coincide with “good living”? What about fast and processed foods? These industries are flourishing today, making record sales all over the globe. People keep going back for more, time after time. Why? The answer is interestingly simple. Time, or in other words, efficiency. As people are so caught up in their jobs, schooling, sports, or whatever it may be, the fast/processed food industries are rapidly taking over the American food culture, giving people the choice of hot
Moroccan’s are known to have hearty appetites, and it is very appropriate in this culture to leave a table feeling fully and even overly satisfied. According to Helou (1999), this state of being is also known as “shaban”. This country is known for including spices, herbs, wheat, and specific poultry in a large majority of their dishes. These ingredients are unique to their geography and even Islamic influences. Morocco’s neighboring countries, Algeria and Tunisia, have similar cuisine styles, but each are also unique to their geography in specific ways. Both Algerian and Tunisian dishes are rich in spice and can be considered the hottest cuisine of the region. According to Walden (1998), a common theme amongst all three countries include: “slow-simmered tagines; charcoal-grilled lamb, chicken, fish and vegetables; and rich, sweet pastries” (p.
The movie “The Hundred Foot Journey” is a great representation of different cultures interacting as well as the different food habits. The movie is based on an Indian family who moves to Italy and wants to open an Indian restaurant across street from a famous Italian restaurant in the small town. The Kadam family wants to bring the Indian cuisine to a new culture and share some of their values. They have trouble expanding their culinary delights to the public because Marquerite the sous-chef doesn’t want any competition. Throughout the movie, secrets on certain dishes are shared and tricks to improve the certain style of food is greatly appreciated by both restaurant chefs.
In “The Arab World” (1966), Edward T.Hall the American anthropologist explains the difference in behavior between Westerners and Arabs and the miscommunication between the two great cultures; he says that “Americans in the Middle East are immediately struck by two conflicting sensations. In public they are compressed and overwhelmed by smells, crowding, and high noise levels; in Arab homes Americans are apt to rattle around, feeling exposed and somewhat inadequate because of too much space”(Hall, 1966, p.94). Hall used ethos, logos, and pathos to describe clearly the behavior in public between the two cultures, and how Arabs are being pushy and rude, then he described the concept of the privacy and Arab personal distances, he also mentioned how Arabs talk to each other and how they feel about enclosed places, finally he talked about boundaries . Although Hall does not seem to persuade the reader to a certain point of view, it appears that he unintentionally made some of the Arabs beliefs and actions seem impractical and in some cases he was quite exaggerating. Moreover; I disagree w...
- Food: The History of Taste, Paul Freedman, Chapter Six: New Worlds, New Tastes, (pgs. 197-232), and Chapter Seven: The Birth of the Modern Consumer Age, (pgs. 263-300), and Chapter Nine: Dining Out (pgs. 301-332)