Food in the Middle East: History, Culture, and Identity

Who invented Baklava? Was it the Greeks, Turks, Armenians, or maybe the Lebanese? In this course, we will examine the rich culinary history of the Middle East from the time of major Islamic Empires, such as the Abbasids and Ottomans, until the modern period. Through a close study of primary and secondary sources, including cookbooks and memoirs, we will explore the social, religious, literary, and economic place of food in the region. We will also investigate how, in the modern period, Middle Eastern peoples from different ethnic, geographic, and religious backgrounds have used food to express their distinct cultural, national, and gendered identities. 3 hrs. lect./disc.