The Middle East is home to some of the most storied cuisines in the world, from the refined cuisine of Aleppo to popular street foods like falafel. Yet much of its centuries-old history remains unwritten, and there are few academic studies of its contemporary food cultures. What is Middle Eastern cuisine historically, gastronomically, and culturally? How can studying food and foodways help us understand the region? What does writing culinary history entail? This symposium aims to answer these questions and more with perspectives from history, anthropology, literature, and other disciplines.
The symposium is organized by Graham Pitts and Anny Gaul, with generous support from the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies and the US Department of Education Title VI grant supporting the National Resource Center-Middle East/North Africa at Georgetown University.
Schedule:
12:30–2 pm: Food and Displacement: Cooking as Refuge, Resistance, and Memory; Featuring Anne Meneley, Adel Iskandar, and Laila El-Haddad
This panel discussion brings together scholars and documentarians to discuss the role of food in communities of displaced Syrians and Palestinians. From Vancouver to Gaza, food represents a means to earn income and disrupt stereotypes, a force of resistance against loss and oppression, and a source of comfort and hope when returning home becomes impossible.
2:15–3:45 pm: Writing Middle Eastern Cuisine: Recipes, Stories, and Politics; Featuring Tony Tahhan, Reem Kassis, and Annia Ciezadlo
Join us for a roundtable discussion on food writing, featuring perspectives from journalism, cookbook publishing, and creative writing. Panelists will share advice and stories from their experiences writing about the diverse cuisines of the Levant. A tasting will follow.
4 pm: Tasting; Featuring the founders and owners of the local restaurant Syriana, Majd Al-Ghatrif and Rasha Obaid
Freer conference room
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