Food & Culture in the Middle East

Who invented Baklava? Was it the Greeks, Turks, Armenians, or maybe the Arabs? In this course, we will examine the rich culinary history of the Middle East from antiquity to the present. We will explore how people in the region—of different ethnic, geographic, and religious heritages—have used food to express their cultural identities. Our course will focus on Muslim and non-Muslim communities, as well as Arab, Turkish, Persian, and Greek culinary traditions. We will also explore the recent resurgence of Middle Eastern cuisine in American popular culture.