About the Book
Winner of Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2021
The Arabic culinary tradition burst onto the scene in the middle of the tenth century when al-Warrāq compiled The Book of Dishes, containing over six hundred recipes. It would take another three centuries for cookery books to be produced in Christian Europe. Until then, gastronomic writing remained the sole preserve of the Arab-Muslim world with cooking manuals and recipe books being written from Baghdad, Aleppo and Egypt in the East, to Muslim Spain and North Africa in the West.
Nine complete cookery books have survived from this time, containing around four thousand recipes. The Sultan’s Feast by the Egyptian scholar Ibn Mubārak Shāh features more than 330 recipes, from bread-making and savoury stews, to roasts, sweets, pickles and condiments, as well as tips on a range of topics. Composed in the fifteenth century and available in English for the first time, this critical bilingual volume offers a unique insight into the world of medieval Arabic gastronomic writing.
About the Author
Daniel L. Newman holds the Chair of Arabic Studies at the University of Durham, UK. His publications include An Imam in Paris: Account of a Stay in France by An Egyptian Cleric (1826–1831), The Sultan’s Sex Potions: Arab Aphrodisiacs in the Middle Ages, The Sultan’s Feast: A Fifteenth-Century Egyptian Cookbook and The Exile’s Cookbook: Medieval Gastronomic Treasures from al-Andalus and North Africa. In addition to his academic work, Newman shares his passion for recreating medieval Arab dishes on his blog (www.eatlikeasultan.com) and Instagram account (@medieval_arab_cooking).
Reviews
‘Clear and jargon-free, meticulously footnoted … offers valuable insight into medieval Arabic culinary writings and cuisine.’ Ancient Egypt
'If you ever wondered what tastes and flavours characterised a medieval Middle Eastern meal, Daniel L. Newman, Chair of Arabic Studies at the University of Durham, and a specialist in the Arabic language and culture, will guide you well through Ibn Mubārak Shāh’s cookery book, in both the book’s original language, Arabic, and in its fluent, vivid translation into English.' Limor Yungman Gastronomica
Awards
Peter Mackenzie Smith Book Prize (Longlisted) → Prize Website
Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2021 (Winner) → Prize Website
