Nawal Nasrallah explores the intersections of culture, cuisine, and identity in the marketplaces of the Middle East, illustrating the global connections that underpin the sights, sounds, and smells of these hubs of humanity.

Guest Bios

Nawal Nasrallah

Nawal Nasrallah is an independent scholar previously professor of English literature at the universities of Baghdad and Mosul. She has published books and articles on the history and culture of the Middle-Eastern/Arab food, including Delights from the Garden of Eden: A Cookbook and History of the Iraqi Cuisine (Equinox Publishing), Dates: A Global History (Edible Series, Reaktion Books), and two English translations of medieval Arabic cookbooks: Annals of the Caliphs’ Kitchens and Treasure Trove of Benefits and Variety at the Table, both published by Brill.

Daniel Osborn

Daniel Osborn is a Program Director at Primary Source.

Free Resources and Featured Books

Learn more about Nawal Nasrallah’s work as a food historian and chef:

Episode Acknowledgements

Special thanks to the Qatar Foundation International, which provided the seed funding and support to develop and launch this podcast and to produce this episode.

Thanks to Nawal Nasrallah for generously sharing her expertise in this episode.

Image Credits

Photo of spice display provided by Daniel Osborn.
Photo of Nawal Nasrallah provided by Nawal Nasrallah.

Featured Music

“Kim Arar,” by Wind of Anatolia, from the album Live at the 2014 Golden Festival, used with permission from Wind of Anatolia. The track has been excerpted and mixed with narrative.

“Arizona Moon,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Cholate, used under Creative Commons License Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been overlaid with narrative.

“Borough,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Molerider, used under Creative Commons License Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been overlaid with narrative.

“Trailrunner,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Zander, used under Creative Commons License Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been remixed and overlaid with narrative.

“Vernouillet,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album The Sweet Hots, used under Creative Commons License Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been remixed and overlaid with narrative.

“When in the West,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Landsman Duets, used under Creative Commons License Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been overlaid with narrative.

“Great, Great Lengths,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album The Balloonist, used under Creative Commons License Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been overlaid with narrative.

“Delamine,” by Blue Dot Sessions, from the album Bitters, used under Creative Commons License Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). The track has been overlaid with narrative.