A Taste of Thyme: Culinary Cultures of the Middle East

Presents the pivotal role of food culture in the Islamic world. This pioneering book considers the culinary cultures of the Middle East in a variety of contexts. Written by scholars from different disciplines - history, sociology, geography, anthropology and literature - it covers a wide geographical area, from Central Asia to Morocco.

Autorentext
Richard Tapper is Professor of Anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Sami Zubaida is a Reader in Sociology at Birkbeck College, University of London.

Klappentext

A Taste of Thyme presents the pivotal role of food culture in the Islamic world. From the plains of Central Asia to the Spice Bazaar of Istanbul and the rocky heights of the Atlas Mountains, food plays a crucial part in every aspect of life in the Islamic world. This absorbing work presents the role of food culture as an emblem throughout the Middle East and will appeal to all those with a passion for food and cooking. The book is written by respected scholars from varied disciplines - history, sociology, geography, anthropology and literature - and covers a wide range of geographical areas from Central Asia to Morocco.

Inhalt
Foreword by Claudia Roden Preface Note on Transliteration Notes on Contributors Introduction - Richard Tapper and Sami Zubaida 1 Food production in the Middle East - Tony Allen 2 National, communal and global dimensions in Middle Eastern food cultures - Sami Zubaida Part I: Cuisines, Dishes, Ingredients 3 From the Caucasus to the Roof of the World: a culinary adventure - Bert Fragner 4 Social reality and Culinary Fiction: the perspective of cookbooks from Iran and Central Asia - Bert Fragner 5 The Meyhane or McDonald's? Changes in eating habits and the evolution of fast food in Istanbul - Holly Chase 6 The Taste for Layered Bread among the Nomadic Turks and the Central Asian Origins of Baklava- Charles Perry 7 Rice in the culinary cultures of the Middle East - Sami Zubaida 8 Al-kishk: the past and the present of a complex culinary practice - Francoise Aubaile-Sallenave Part II: Food and the Social Order 9 The Revival of Traditional Cooking in Modern Arabic Cookbooks - Peter Heine 10 Jewish Food in the Middle East - Claudia Roden 11 Food and Gender in a Yemeni Community - Ianthe Maclagan 12 You Are What You Cook: cuisine and class in Mecca - Mai Yamani 13 Eating Habits and Cultural Boundaries in Northern Iran - Christian Bromberger Part III The Language of Food 14 Beyond Taste: the complements of colour and smell in the mediaeval Arab culinary tradition - Manuela Marin 15 Blood, Wine and Water: social and symbolic aspects of drinks and drinking in the Islamic Middle East - Richard Tapper 16 Of Leaven foods: Ramadan in Morocco - Abdelhai Diouri 17 Food as a Semiotic Code in Arabic Literature - Sabry Hafez Bibliography Index