DOCSLIB.ORG

Hillary Wasserman, Michael Quinn, and Tyler Jacobs Conflicts, Cuisine

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Hillary Wasserman, Michael Quinn, and Tyler Jacobs Conflicts, Cuisine Hillary Wasserman, Michael Quinn, and Tyler Jacobs Conflicts, Cuisine, and Diaspora: A Case Study in Iraq Johanna Mendelson Forman, School of International Service Wasserman and Jacobs: University Honors Quinn: University Honors in International Studies Spring 2014 2 Abstract This paper explores the relationship of a country’s cuisine and its history of conflict through the lens of a Washington, D.C. area restaurant. Specifically focusing on Iraq, the paper provides historical context for the Iran-Iraq War and the First Gulf War and follows the story of local restaurateurs Laheeb and Mowafak Ashagra. Their journey from Iraq to Sweden to the United States, and their experience opening a restaurant, shows the unexpected and important role that a country’s food plays during conflict, as a connector in the Diaspora, and as a source of healing. 3 Conflicts, Cuisine, and Diaspora: A Case Study in Iraq Conflict in Iraq has been a part of Laheeb and Mowafak Ashagra’s lives for decades. Mowafak fought during the Iran-Iraq War and the family chose to leave Iraq at the start of the First Gulf War. They then watched with horror as the Second Gulf War continued to destroy the country they loved so dearly and rendered it unrecognizable. Their restaurant, Tigris Grill in Oakton, VA, shows Americans the positive side of Iraqi culture that they do not learn about in the news. The Iraqi cuisine served at the restaurant is comforting to both Iraqis and Americans alike, and brings a piece of home to the Ashagras and to the broader Iraqi community in the DC area. A History of Conflict The Iran-Iraq War was one of the longest and bloodiest conflicts of the twentieth century, lasting nearly eight years from 1980-1988, resulting in over one million deaths in both countries. The war was the thought child of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, who sought to take advantage of Iran’s weakness in the aftermath of their Islamic Revolution in 1979 to annex territory that he claimed to be part of the Arab homeland. He also had hopes to tilt the regional balance of power from Iran to Iraq and to curb the new revolutionary regime’s influence on Iraq’s Shia majority.1 Although Saddam had hoped for an easy victory over Iranian military forces that had been weakened by post- revolution purges, this was not to be the case. Despite gaining territory for the first two years of the war, by June of 1982, Iraq was on the defensive, and would remain so until 1988 when a UN-sponsored a ceasefire that saw a return to prewar borders.2 The Iran- 1 Ian Black, “Iran and Iraq remember a war that cost more than a million lives,” The Guardian, September 23, 2010. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/sep/23/iran-iraq-war-anniversary. 2 Afshin Molavi. The Soul of Iran: A Nation's Journey to Freedom, (London: WW Norton & Company, 2005): 152. 4 Iraq War has often been compared to World War I, both seeing heavy use of trench- warfare, human wave attacks through no-man’s land, and use of chemical weapons.3 Like World War I, however, it has been overshadowed by other wars. In the West especially, the Iran-Iraq War is largely forgotten in the aftermath of the Gulf War and the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. Despite this, the war continues to cast a shadow over the people of Iran and Iraq, where its brutality is not forgotten.4 Following the World War I comparison, the Iran-Iraq War became a war of attrition after June 1982, when Ayatollah Khomeini rejected a ceasefire offer by Saddam.5 As Saddam’s envisioned quick annexation became a prolonged and brutal affair, the civilian populations of both countries were strongly affected. In Iraq, the Dynamic Defense strategy was adopted in 1986, and it was announced that all civilians had to take part in the war effort. All male university students were drafted, and the universities shut down. Saddam began to strengthen his personality cult, and an increasing number of demonstrations were held in support of him.6 As early as 1982 Saddam had already begun a domestic terror campaign: he executed officers for failures in the battlefield, and cracked down on the Shia community.7 The worst internal actions taken by Saddam at this time were against the Kurds, mostly through the al-Anfal Campaign from 1986-1988. As the Iranians supported Kurdish insurgents, Saddam undertook genocidal action, killing 50,000-100,000 Kurds, including through the use of 3 Ervand Abrahamian. A History of Modern Iran, (Cambridge University Press, 2008): 171. 4 Black. 5 Roger Hardy. “The Iran-Iraq War: 25 years on.” BBC News, September 22, 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4260420.stm. 6 Efraim Karsh. The Iran-Iraq War: 1980-1988, (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2002): 1-8. 7 Ibid: 12-16. 5 chemical weapons.8 Likewise, Saddam and his Baathist Party increased repression against Shia Muslims, including the massacre of 143 civilians in Dujail.9 Iran likewise saw repression and civilian suffering. There were mass executions of members of the left- wing MEK party, who were opposed to the war. The economic toll was also quite hard on Iran, and it saw a deep decline in morale from 1987-1988 as its citizens grew weary of total war, contributing to Iran’s eventual acceptance of a ceasefire in 1988.10 Ultimately, the Iran-Iraq War produced one of the largest conflicts of the post-World War II world, with great suffering on both sides, while neither saw any strategic gain. It would also open the door to even more conflict in the future. The first continuation of the conflict that began during the Iran-Iraq War was the Gulf War. Like the war before it, the Gulf War had elements of irredentism. Saddam claimed that Kuwait was part of Iraq, and had been separated only by colonial adventurism by the British.11 The more immediate cause, however, was the massive debt Iraq had incurred during the Iran-Iraq War. Iraq had a debt of $130 billion after the war, $67 billion of which had been loaned by Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, and Jordan.12 Iraq accused Kuwait of producing oil beyond quotas set by OPEC to keep oil prices low, which hurt both Iraq’s ability to pay back its debt and its economic recovery from the damage inflicted by the war.13 Amidst these disputes, Saddam made the decision to invade Kuwait in early August 1990, quickly defeating the smaller Kuwaiti forces. 8 Human Rights Watch. “Genocide in Iraq: The Anfal Campaign Against the Kurds,” July 1993. http://www.hrw.org/reports/1993/iraqanfal/. 9 James Menendez. “Seeking justice in Dujail.” BBC News, November 25, 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4350104.stm. 10 Abrahamian: 182-85. 11 Jose Stork and Ann M. Lesch. “Background to Crisis: Why War?” Middle East Report 167, 1990: 11-18. 12 John Pike. “Iraq debt: Non-Paris Club Creditors,” GlobalSecurity.org, September 30, 2004. http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/report/2004/isg-final-report/ch2_anxd_img06.jpg. 13 Stork and Lesch: 23-24. 6 Despite having supported Iraq during its war against Iran, after the invasion of Kuwait and Saddam’s subsequent verbal attacks on Saudi Arabia, the United States intervened in January 1991 with aerial bombardment. Unlike the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War was swift. Only 100 hours after the U.S. and its allies began a ground assault in late February, a ceasefire was declared.14 The true toll on Iraq of the war was not the actual conflict, which saw relatively low casualties, but the aftermath. Immediately after the ceasefire, goaded by broadcasts from CIA radio stations and Voice of America, an uprising against Saddam began in March 1991. Nearly 100,000 civilians were killed in the military’s suppression of the uprisings, and some two million people were displaced, many fleeing the country.15 The other enduring effect of the Gulf War were the sanctions against Iraq imposed by the UN Security Council with the intent to force payment of war reparations and prevent the further development of weapons of mass destruction. These sanctions placed restrictions on imports and exports, greatly restricting oil exports.16 The oil sector formed 61% of Iraq’s GNP in 1989, and the effects of restrictions on oil exports was devastating. Per capita income fell from $3,510 in 1989 to $450 in 1996. As well, Iraq was forced to introduce food rations of 1000 calories per person per day, which is only 40% of the daily requirement.17 The food situation only began to improve after 1997 when the Oil-for-Food Program was initiated, with consumption eventually reaching 2150 calories per day in 1999. However, it was still 14 Frontline. “Chronology of the Gulf War,” PBS. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/gulf/cron/ 15 Human Rights Watch. “Endless Torment: Uprising in Iraq and Its Aftermath,” June, 1992. http://www.hrw.org/reports/1992/Iraq926.htm. 16 UN Security Council Resolution 687. April 8, 1991. http://www.un.org/Depts/unmovic/documents/687.pdf. 17 B. Sen. “2003 IRQ: Iraq Watching Briefs – Overview Report, July 2003,” UNICEF. http://www.unicef.org/evaldatabase/index_29697.html. 7 estimated that in 2000 families spent 75% of their income on food.18 As a result of post- war turmoil and the sanctions, UNICEF estimates that as many 500,000 unnecessary deaths of children occurred.19 A further and far more costly legacy of the sanctions is that they were used as one of the pretexts for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Where the Flavours of the World Meet: Malabar As a Culinary Hotspot
    UGC Approval No:40934 CASS-ISSN:2581-6403 Where The Flavours of The World Meet: CASS Malabar As A Culinary Hotspot Asha Mary Abraham Research Scholar, Department of English, University of Calicut, Kerala. Address for Correspondence: [email protected] ABSTRACT The pre-colonial Malabar was an all-encompassing geographical area that covered the entire south Indian coast sprawling between the Western Ghats and Arabian Sea, with its capital at Kozhikkode. When India was linguistically divided and Kerala was formed in 1956, the Malabar district was geographically divided further for easy administration. The modern day Malabar, comprises of Kozhikkode, Malappuram and few taluks of Kasarkod, Kannur, Wayanad, Palakkad and Thrissur. The Malappuram and Kozhikkod region is predominantly inhabited by Muslims, colloquially called as the Mappilas. The term 'Malabar' is said to have etymologically derived from the Malayalam word 'Malavaram', denoting the location by the side of the hill. The cuisine of Malabar, which is generally believed to be authentic, is in fact, a product of history and a blend of cuisines from all over the world. Delicacies from all over the world blended with the authentic recipes of Malabar, customizing itself to the local and seasonal availability of raw materials in the Malabar Coast. As an outcome of the age old maritime relations with the other countries, the influence of colonization, spice- hunting voyages and the demands of the western administrators, the cuisine of Malabar is an amalgam of Mughal (Persian), Arab, Portuguese,, British, Dutch and French cuisines. Biriyani, the most popular Malabar recipe is the product of the Arab influence.
    [Show full text]
  • In My Iraqi Kitchen: Recipes, History and Culture, Nawal Nasrallah
    www.iraqi -datepalms.net 2012 In my Iraqi Kitchen: Recipes, History and Culture, Nawal Nasrallah This is a blog about the Iraqi cuisine across the centuries, from Mesopotamian times, through medieval, and to the present, by Nawal Nasrallah, author of Delights from the Garden of Eden: A Cookbook and a History of the Iraqi Cuisine (2003),winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2007. A new revised edition is coming out soon (by Equinox Publishing), with more than 300 splendid food-related images of dishes, art, history, culture, and much more. A feast to the eyes, soul, mind, and body . MADGOOGA : AN IRAQI DATE CONFECTION SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012 (USA) The date palm is the national tree of Iraq, and that is for a good reason: it was there on the land of ancient Mesopotamia that this tree was first cultivated and flourished about seven thousand years ago. From there this beautiful and generous tree spread to the rest of the Middle East. It nourished and protected the poor, enriched the fine pastries of the rich, and inspired the people’s spiritual and religious rites. Every single part of the tree, fruit and all, was used. An ancient Babylonian hymn singing its praises, tells of the 360 uses of the date palm. It was that perfect! But the date is of course the most important part of the tree, and in the Islamic Arab lore, it is a privileged food. The Prophet himself recommended having seven dates a day, as this was believed to guard against poison and witchcraft all day long.
    [Show full text]
  • Saddam Hussein’S Sunni Regime Systematically Represses the Shia
    Info4Migrants Iraq Profile 2 AREA 437 072 km Population 36,004 million GDP per capita $6900 CURRENCY Iraki Dinar (IQD) Languages: ARABIC and KURDISH MAIN INFORMATION “Iraq - Location Map (2013) - IRQ - UNOCHA” by OCHA. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ File:Iraq_-_Location_Map_(2013)_-_IRQ_-_UNO- CHA.svg#mediaviewer/File:Iraq_-_Location_Map_ (2013)_-_IRQ_-_UNOCHA.svg Official Name: Republic of Iraq (Al-Jumhuriya al-Iraqi-ya). Location: Iraq is located in the Middle East, in the most northern part of the Persian Gulf, North of Saudi Arabia, West of Iran, East of Syria and South of Turkey. Capital: Baghdad Flag Climate: Mainly hot arid climate, mild cool winters, dry, hot summers with no clouds; heavy snowfalls are typical for the northern mountainous regions, located east from Syria and South of Turkey. Ethnic composition: Arab 75 – 80%, Kurdish 15 - 20%; Assyrians, Turkmen and others 5% Religion: Muslim 97%, Christian and others 3%, (Christian 0.8%, Hindu <1%, Buddhist <1%, Jewish <1%) Coat of Arms “Coat of arms (emblem) of Iraq 2008” by File:Coat_of_arms_of_Iraq.svg was by User:Tonyjeff, based on national symbol, with the help of User:Omar86, User:Kaf- ka1 and User:AnonMoos; further modifications by AnonMoos. Arabic script modified by User:Militaryace. - symbol adopted in July 2nd, 1965, with updates. Based 3 on File:Coat_of_arms_(emblem)_of_Iraq_2004-2007.svg with stars removed and text enlarged.. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http:// commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coat_of_arms_(emblem)_of_Iraq_2008.svg#mediaviewer/File:Coat_of_arms_(emblem)_of_Iraq_2008.svg FACTS ABOUT IRAQ Flag The Iraqi flag consists of three horizontal look-alike stripes in red, white and black with three green pentagrams, positioned on the white field.
    [Show full text]
  • Iraqi Fried Chicken
    Enemy Kitchen Iraqi Fried Chicken After eight weekly sessions learning how to cook Iraqi food, the students at the Hudson Guild Community Center in New York City proposed they teach me something about their families’ recipes since they now knew so much about mine. Hyasheem asked, “Do Iraqis make Southern fried chicken?” I answered that no, to my knowledge there was nothing like it in Iraqi cuisine. “Well, then let’s invent it,” he said. Hyasheem led the way and we cooked the chicken according to his specifications. 2 pounds chicken wings (or parts of your choice) 2 pounds chicken legs (or parts of your choice) 3 cups flour 6 eggs 1 tablespoon salt 2 cups breadcrumbs ½ tablespoon sumac 2-3 tablespoons Iraqi bharat spice mix (cumin, dried limes, turmeric, ginger, chili, curry, cloves, cardamom, dried rose petals, allspice) 1 tablespoon Iraqi date syrup 1 bottle sesame oil Break eggs into a bowl and beat the eggs to even consistency. In a plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, spices, date syrup and breadcrumbs. Dip a piece of chicken in the egg batter and place in the plastic bag. Repeat until about six pieces of chicken are in the bag. Close bag tightly and shake vigorously, so that the mixture of flour and spices covers each piece. In a deep pan, pour enough olive oil so that it is about 1/4 of an inch deep. Place on oven burner and let heat for 2 minutes. Place the six pieces of chicken in the pan and fry, turning often, until each side is medium-brown.
    [Show full text]
  • Middle Eastern Cuisine
    MIDDLE EASTERN CUISINE The term Middle Eastern cuisine refers to the various cuisines of the Middle East. Despite their similarities, there are considerable differences in climate and culture, so that the term is not particularly useful. Commonly used ingredients include pitas, honey, sesame seeds, sumac, chickpeas, mint and parsley. The Middle Eastern cuisines include: Arab cuisine Armenian cuisine Cuisine of Azerbaijan Assyrian cuisine Cypriot cuisine Egyptian cuisine Israeli cuisine Iraqi cuisine Iranian (Persian) cuisine Lebanese cuisine Palestinian cuisine Somali cuisine Syrian cuisine Turkish cuisine Yemeni cuisine ARAB CUISINE Arab cuisine is defined as the various regional cuisines spanning the Arab World from Iraq to Morocco to Somalia to Yemen, and incorporating Levantine, Egyptian and others. It has also been influenced to a degree by the cuisines of Turkey, Pakistan, Iran, India, the Berbers and other cultures of the peoples of the region before the cultural Arabization brought by genealogical Arabians during the Arabian Muslim conquests. HISTORY Originally, the Arabs of the Arabian Peninsula relied heavily on a diet of dates, wheat, barley, rice and meat, with little variety, with a heavy emphasis on yogurt products, such as labneh (yoghurt without butterfat). As the indigenous Semitic people of the peninsula wandered, so did their tastes and favored ingredients. There is a strong emphasis on the following items in Arabian cuisine: 1. Meat: lamb and chicken are the most used, beef and camel are also used to a lesser degree, other poultry is used in some regions, and, in coastal areas, fish. Pork is not commonly eaten--for Muslim Arabs, it is both a cultural taboo as well as being prohibited under Islamic law; many Christian Arabs also avoid pork as they have never acquired a taste for it.
    [Show full text]
  • Sweets from the Middle East (Part 1)
    VOLUMEVOLUME XVI, XXIV, NUMBER NUMBER 4 4 FALL FALL 2000 2008 Quarterly Publication of the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor Sweets from the Middle East (Part 1) This decoratively carved wooden mold is used in making ma'moul, kleicha, and other famous Arab pastries, including the dill cookies shown here. Photo courtesy of Nawal Nasrallah from her book Delights from the Garden of Eden: A Cookbook and a History of the Iraqi Cuisine. Turn to page 4 inside for Prof. Nasrallah’s article about kleicha. REPAST VOLUME XXIV, NUMBER 4 FALL 2008 Editor’s Note on Baklava Second Helpings Allowed! Charles Perry, who wrote the article “Damascus Cuisine” in our last issue, was the editor of a book Medieval Arab Cookery (Prospect Books, 2001) that sheds further light on the origins of baklava, the Turkish sweet discussed by Sheilah Kaufman in this issue. A dish described in a 13th-Century Baghdad cookery Sweets from the manuscript appears to be an early version of baklava, consisting of thin sheets of bread rolled around a marzipan-like filling of almond, sugar, and rosewater (pp. 84-5). The name given to this Middle East, Part 2 sweet was lauzinaj, from an Aramaic root for “almond”. Perry argues (p. 210) that this word gave birth to our term lozenge, the diamond shape in which later versions of baklava were often Scheduled for our Winter 2009 issue— sliced, even up to today. Interestingly, in modern Turkish the word baklava itself is used to refer to this geometrical shape. • Joan Peterson, “Halvah in Ottoman Turkey” Further information about the Baklava Procession mentioned • Tim Mackintosh-Smith, “A Note on the by Sheilah can be found in an article by Syed Tanvir Wasti, Evolution of Hindustani Sweetmeats” “The Ottoman Ceremony of the Royal Purse”, Middle Eastern Studies 41:2 (March 2005), pp.
    [Show full text]
  • 5. RICE DISHES Repicesbyrachel.Com
    repicesbyrachel.com 5. RICE DISHES Unlike the many sauce and stew recipes set forth in the previous sections, the following are dishes having rice as their base. They do not produce sauce and, other than the first recipe below, may be eaten with no accompaniment. The first recipe here is itself the accompaniment: plain white rice meant to be eaten, not by itself, but together with sauce dishes. A central feature of Iraqi rice cooking is the production of hkaka – a layer of crisp rice produced by slow cooking. This is similar to the Persian tadig, but whereas tadig is thick crisp rice served with no loose rice, the Iraqis would serve hkaka to- gether with the loose rice that produced it. In order to make good hkaka, it is re- quired that the chef use a high quality pot with thick walls that conducts heat well. A thin, poor pot will yield burned rice rather than nice, brown hkaka. Before the invention of non-stick coatings, such as Teflon, hkaka would stick to the inside surface of the pot and had to be scraped out of it. In Iraq, there was a special metal spatula, called a kifkir, invented for this purpose. The rice would then be served as a mound, sprinkled with pieces of hkaka, on a large serving dish. The invention of non-stick coating now allows for presentation of the beau- tiful hkaka cake: A cake-like shell of crisped rice, containing loose rice under- neath. Because Iraqi cuisine is meant to be brought to the table in serving dishes, as opposed to being served plated, each dinner guest has the added sat- isfaction of watching the server break into the hkaka cake with a spoon and scoop the light, fluffy rice underneath onto his plate, together with the hkaka.
    [Show full text]
  • Culinary Historians of New York• JC Forkner, the Smyrna
    • CULINARY HISTORIANS OF NEW YORK • Volume 21, No. 2 Spring 2008 J.C. Forkner, the Smyrna Fig, and His Fig Gardens By Georgeanne Brennan Photo courtesy Pop .C. FORKNER was a visionary developer in the early part of the L J aval 20th century who created a yeo- E man farmer’s paradise out of twelve ducational thousand acres of scrubby, hardpan, F country in Central California be- oundation. tween the young town of Fresno and the Sierra Foothills. Experienced in developing similar land elsewhere in the United States, he came West, looking for opportunity and dis- covered it. He could buy thousands of acres of parched land, subdivide them into 40 to 100 acre parcels, bring in water from the Sierras and J.C. Forkner, second from left, and one of his many fig trees, 1917. market the parcels as the American dream of the era—that of owning a only spindly weeds and tumbleweed small farm. And to make his offer could grow. In 1910 Forkner took more enticing, he added another an option on 6,000 acres of the land, IN THIS ISSUE component, a farming company and spent the next year researching that would plant figs, cultivate, and the land and its potential. Through From the Chair ...................... 2 market them for the owners. His drilling he discovered that trapped project manifested the curious mix of beneath the hardpan, which varied Amelia Scholar’s Grant .......... 3 capitalism, boosterism, and genuine from several inches to several feet in enthusiasm for community that dis- thickness, was rich, loamy soil.
    [Show full text]
  • Arab and Persian Influences
    ARAB AND PERSIAN INFLUENCES As a child in Sri Lanka I was always fascinated by the cars that passed on the street whose back seat passengers were curtained off from public gaze. I learned early that these were most likely to be cars belonging to a Moor family, the curtains there to provide privacy for women of the family. Moor meant a Sri Lankan Muslim. I don’t know how I knew it, but I understood that they were spice merchants and also owned jewellery businesses in the Pettah. In later years, my father told me that many of the butchers in the Central Market were Muslims, as Islam had no prohibitions on the killing of animals for meat (the pig excepted), whereas Buddhists and Hindus did. At that time I didn’t stop to wonder about the origins of this community, but the story of the relationships between the Arab peoples, Persians and Sri Lanka is fundamental to the story of the spice trade and the development also of Sri Lankan foodways. Trade in the Arabian Sea Trade between Sri Lanka and the Arab and Persian kingdoms (modern Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia) was clearly well-established by the time the Sassanian Empire formalised diplomatic relations with the court at Anuradhapura in the 5th century CE and Persian merchants established a community there. But the relationship was of much longer standing and had developed from two sources. The first was the export from Sri Lanka of spices and gems, the latter emphasised in an Arab name for the country Jairtu-ul Yāqūt or the Island of Rubies.i Ninth and tenth century Muslim writers mention
    [Show full text]
  • Repicesbyrachel.Com 4. OTHER CLASSICS
    repicesbyrachel.com 4. OTHER CLASSICS 1. Mhasha (Array of stuffed vegetable skins) Every Arab country considers stuffed grape leaves to be part of its cuisine, as do the Turks and the Greeks (“Dolma” and “Dolmades”). The dish probably has its origins in the Ottoman culinary tradition, which explains its ubiquity in the Middle East. The Iraqi version, as with so many other dishes, is substantially more complex. First of all, the Iraqi dish involves stuffing many different kinds of vegetable skins, and not only grape leaves. Secondly, the filling itself is both complicated and delicate, making for a won- derful dish in both taste and presentation. Hashwa (Filling): 1 ¾ cups long grain, white basmati rice, washed and soaked for 30 minutes 1 lbs. medium-lean meat, cut into very small cubes 1 very large lemon 4 cloves garlic, finely diced ½ bunch mint leaves, washed and coarsely chopped Finely diced beet cores (see below) OR 1-2 heaping teaspoons tomato paste ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper ¼ cayenne 1 tablespoon corn oil Vegetable Skins: 2 large onions 10 silq leaves (“silq” is the Arabic word for the leaves known as chard, Swiss chard, or silverbeet) 10 grape leaves (Note: If silq is not available, use a total of 20 grape leaves) 3 medium size beets 2 fresh red pimento (“gamba”) peppers 1 large, firm tomato 1 kusa (zucchini or white squash), peeled Ingredients for cooking: Juice from 1 large lemon ½ cup red wine, sweetened with silan or sugar 1 heaping teaspoon tomato paste 2-3 tablespoons oil A few dashes salt Initial preparation: Peel and wash beets.
    [Show full text]
  • Songs of Grief, Joy, and Tragedy Among Iraqi Jews
    EXILED NOSTALGIA AND MUSICAL REMEMBRANCE: SONGS OF GRIEF, JOY, AND TRAGEDY AMONG IRAQI JEWS BY LILIANA CARRIZO DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Musicology in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2018 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Professor Donna A. Buchanan, Chair Professor Gabriel Solis Associate Professor Christina Bashford Professor Kenneth M. Cuno ABSTRACT This dissertation examines a practice of private song-making, one whose existence is often denied, among a small number of amateur Iraqi Jewish singers in Israel. These individuals are among those who abruptly emigrated from Iraq to Israel in the mid twentieth century, and share formative experiences of cultural displacement and trauma. Their songs are in a mixture of colloquial Iraqi dialects of Arabic, set to Arab melodic modes, and employ poetic and musical strategies of obfuscation. I examine how, within intimate, domestic spheres, Iraqi Jews continually negotiate their personal experiences of trauma, grief, joy, and cultural exile through musical and culinary practices associated with their pasts. Engaging with recent advances in trauma theory, I investigate how these individuals utilize poetic and musical strategies to harness the unstable affect associated with trauma, allowing for its bodily embrace. I argue that, through their similar synaesthetic capability, musical and culinary practices converge to allow for powerful, multi-sensorial evocations of past experiences, places, and emotions that are crucial to singers’ self-conceptions in the present day. Though these private songs are rarely practiced by younger generations of Iraqi Jews, they remain an under-the-radar means through which first- and second-generation Iraqi immigrants participate in affective processes of remembering, self-making, and survival.
    [Show full text]
  • Thesis Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
    SURESHKUMAR MUTHUKUMARAN AN ECOLOGY OF TRADE: TROPICAL ASIAN CULTIVARS IN THE ANCIENT MIDDLE EAST AND THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN SURESHKUMAR MUTHUKUMARAN Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of History, University College London 2016 SUPERVISORS: K. RADNER D. FULLER 1 SURESHKUMAR MUTHUKUMARAN DECLARATION I, Sureshkumar Muthukumaran, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. __________________________________________________________ 2 SURESHKUMAR MUTHUKUMARAN ABSTRACT This thesis offers an ecological reading of long distance trade in the ancient world by investigating the anthropogenic movement of tropical Asian crops from South Asia to the Middle East and the Mediterranean. The crops under consideration include rice, cotton, citrus species, cucumbers, luffas, melons, lotus, taro and sissoo. ἦhἷΝ ‘ὈὄὁpiἵaliὅaὈiὁὀ’Ν ὁἸΝ εiἶἶlἷΝ EaὅὈἷὄὀΝ aὀἶΝ εἷἶiὈἷὄὄaὀἷaὀΝ aἹὄiἵὉlὈὉre was a sluggish process but one that had a significant impact on the agricultural landscapes, production patterns, dietary habits and cultural identities of peoples across the Middle East and the Mediterranean by the end of the 1st millennium BCE. This process substantially predates the so-called tropical crop-ἶὄivἷὀΝ ‘χἹὄiἵὉlὈὉὄalΝ ἤἷvὁlὉὈiὁὀ’Ν ὁἸΝ ὈhἷΝ ἷaὄlyΝ ἙὅlamiἵΝ pἷὄiὁἶΝ pὁὅiὈἷἶΝ ἴyΝ ὈhἷΝ hiὅὈὁὄiaὀΝ χὀἶὄἷwΝ WaὈὅὁὀΝ (1974-1983). The existing literature has, in fact, largely failed to appreciate the lengthy time-scale of this phenomenon whose origins lie in the Late Bronze Age. In order to contextualise the spread of tropical Asian crops to the Middle East and beyond, the history of crop movements is prefaced by a survey of long distance connectivity across maritime (Indian Ocean) and overland (Iranian plateau) routes from its prehistoric beginnings to the end of the 1st millennium BCE.
    [Show full text]