Topic: Cuisine

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A banquet given by the commander-in-chief Lala Mustafa Pahsa to the janissaries in Izmit, 5 April 1578 (source: Topkapi Palace Museum Library, MS H1365, fol. 34b.)

Non-fiction: ″Scents & Flavors: A Syrian Cookbook″

Muslim master chefs

This latest in historical culinary literature is guaranteed to appeal to avid collectors and adventurous chefs alike. As Marcia Lynx Qualey discovered, ″Scents & Flavors: A Syrian Cookbook″, presented side by side in English and Arabic, has much to tempt and inspire even relatively inexperienced 21st century cooksMore

International understanding through cuisine: Food for thoughtThe ″Azura″ restaurant in Jerusalem: Cooking between the extremesParis: the Jewish-Muslim butcher's shop: The art of tolerant coexistenceLibrary of Arabic Literature blog
Arabic cultural cafe Naqsh (photo: Hakim Khatib/MPC Journal)

″Naqsh″ – the Arabic cultural cafe

Amman's bridge builders

Cultural cafes like Naqsh in the centre of Amman are prime examples of innovative grassroots projects that help promote cultural dialogue between east and west. Hakim Khatib visited the Jordanian cultural cafe and spoke to its initiatorsMore

Art and Design in Jordan: A facelift for Amman's artisanal businessesThe Hakawati bookshop for children and young people in Amman: Huge appetite for exciting storiesAmjad Nasser on the role of Arab writers in Arab society: Speaking out in societies without words
Filled paprika at the ″Azura″ restaurant in West Jerusalem (photo: Daniella Cheslow)

The ″Azura″ restaurant in Jerusalem

Cooking between the extremes

In the midst of the ongoing Middle East conflict, there are many places where Jews and Palestinians have worked together peacefully for years. At the restaurant "Azura", for example. Daniella Cheslow reports from West JerusalemMore

Women's centre "Bait al Karama": Nablus is cooking again!International understanding through cuisine: Food for thoughtBook review: Khaled Diab's "Intimate Enemies: Living with Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land": Prioritising the people
Eric Maddox addressing a gathering of people taking part in a Virtual Iftar Project dinner (photo: Lora Lucero)

The Virtual Iftar Project

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"It is harder to ignore, vilify or harm those with whom we have broken bread"

The Virtual Dinner Guest Project is an international multimedia initiative that brings people across various cultures together at the dinner table. Breaking bread and barriers in one go, this platform launched the Virtual Iftar Project across Europe during the month of Ramadan, which has just ended. Roma Rajpal Weiß spoke to the project founder, Eric Maddox, about the project and about cultural tension between Muslims and non-MuslimsMore

Facebook page of the Virtual Iftar ProjectInternational understanding through cuisine: Food for thoughtRamadan in Brazil: Maintaining the traditionMuslims in the German Armed Forces: Observing Ramadan in uniformThe Islamic month of Ramadan: A test of willpower
Conflict Kitchen in Pittsburgh: promoting greater understanding through food (photo: dpa)

International understanding through cuisine

Food for thought

Can sharing meals together promote peace? At the very least, the culture of cuisine provides people with the opportunity to come closer together, overcome prejudices, and better understand various lifestyles. Laura Overmeyer on cooking as a form of cultural dialogue

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Women's centre "Bait al Karama": Nablus is cooking again!Islamic Dietary Laws in Practice: Halal for AllBeurger King Muslim: In Clichy-sous-Bois it's "Bacon Halal" instead of "Le Big Mac"
People at the Bait al Karama restaurant sit down at table in anticipation of a meal together (photo: Ulrike Schleicher)

Women's centre "Bait al Karama"

Nablus is cooking again!

Kanafeh, spices, oils and breads of the finest quality – Nablus has always been renowned for its excellent cuisine. The Bait al Karama initiative seeks to raise the profile of this cuisine and to underline the importance of food for any culture. Ulrike Schleicher visited Bait al Karama and its cookery school, the first organised by women in the West BankMore

The Bait al Karama website Interview with Zafer Yenal: On the Connection between Nationalism and Cuisine Islamic Dietary Laws in Practice: Halal for All

In brief

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Most Recent Photo Essay

Free meals are distributed to the needy in many Muslim countries during Ramadan. The giving of alms forms one of the "five pillars of Islam" – alongside the declaration of faith, daily prayers, the pilgrimage to Mecca and fasting. Followers of the faith refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk. When evening comes, many meet in mosques, on public squares or in marquees such as in this picture from Cairo, to celebrate the breaking of the fast, known as "Iftar"

From Jakarta to Cairo – Ramadan around the world

For Muslims all around the world, Ramadan begins on 27 May. The period of fasting that always takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar is one of the five pillars of Islam, intended to be a time for contemplation, mediation and moderation.