Sunday, June 2, 2013

Babylonia and Beyond:

History of Iraqi Cuisine 

Interview on the Heritage Radio Network.org: A Taste of the Past - Episode 136 

First Aired - 05/23/2013 12:00 PM

Eat Bread Enkido, the glory of life,
Drink wine Enkido, the custom of the land.
(from Epic of Gilgamesh)

Iraqi tannour bread, of Sumerian origin 
In celebration of the release of the new edition of my book Delights from the Garden of Eden, I sat with the culinary historian Linda Pelaccio in the NY Studio and chatted with her about the history of the Iraqi cuisine.


Order information available at www.iraqicookbook.com


From the Heritage Radio website:

This week on A Taste of the Past, Linda and Nawal delve into the history of Iraqi cuisine and the Sumerians. Learn about some of the world's oldest recipes written on cuneiform tablets.

The Babylonian cuneiform tablet with stew recipes (1700 BC). Courtesy of Yale Babylonian Collection

Learn about the importance of stews in the Iraqi diet! How did traditional, medieval-influenced Iraqi recipes change with the discovery of the New World? Tune into this episode to learn more about cooking techniques for masgouf! Find out how Nawal blends ancient, medieval, and modern recipes in her book!

The Babylonian cuneiform tablet with recipes for bird pies (1700 BC). Courtesy of Yale Babylonian Collection

Babylonian Flavors:

Watch British Museum chefs cooking ancient Babylonian recipes to create some authentic Mesopotamian dishes: