Why should we learn the history of local food

The History of this region – Israel… Palestine… Levant… Middle-East… – is rich with changes, diverse cultures and many culinary upheavals. The journalist and literary critic, Yuval Avivi, interviewed Dr. Uri Mayer-Chissick as he was preparing for a lecture about the history of local food, followed by a tasting meal of the ancient flavors. His text raises important questions about identity, history and food.

This is how it begins:

“Five and a half years ago, as a young doctoral student researching nutrition in the medieval Arab Muslim empire, Uri Mayer-Chissick decided to prepare a meal that would recreate the dishes served in the 13th century. Working out of his home kitchen, he put together seven colorful dishes, rich in bright spices and based on recipes he found in an ancient cookbook from Baghdad. Some examples include sprouted chickpeas roasted in lamb fat with lemon, spearmint and pistachios and stewed meat patties thrice dipped in egg yolk and served in a beef-and-orange broth. There was even a beverage made out of honey, spices and flour called “honey beer.”

In time, that unusual meal, nicknamed “Dining at the Caliph’s Table,” evolved into an eponymous lecture that included tastings….”

Click to read more:  http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/04/arabic-islamic-culinary-heritage-israel-palestinian-cuisine.html#