Category Archives: Food

What John H. Speke, Explorer, Can tell Us about Gum Arabic, 2 of 3

Posted on 12/07/2015 by dianabuja

As the African explorers Livingston and Burton, the explorer Speke detailed the important uses of gum acacias in local life and in national and international markets.  The potential of gums for colonial powers [read colonial U.K.] reflects the market interests that could … Continue reading →

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Posted in Agroforestry, Botany, Colonialism, Ethnography, Food, Richard Burton, Sudan | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Mungo Park, an 18th Century Ethnologist Explores West Africa

Posted on 22/04/2015 by dianabuja

Mungo Park is the first explorer/writer of the 18th century who attempted to interpret local people and places from a local point of view   He was influenced by principles and practices of the Enlightenment. picture source – http://www.vialibri.net In this entry we … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-West, Agriculture, Arab traders, Colonial, Cuisine, Ethnography, Food, Mungo Park | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Coptic Easter and A Feast in Rural Egypt – Recipes Included

Posted on 02/04/2015 by dianabuja

With Easter upon us, I’m sharing my blog about the holiday in Upper [southern] Egypt: During the years that I spent a good deal of my time working and living in Upper [southern] Egypt while conducting  doctoral research, I was … Continue reading →

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Posted in Coptic, Crop harvests, Cuisine, Easter, Egypt, Egypt-Ancient, Egypt-Recent, Feasts, Food, Nile Valley | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Easter Season in Egypt, 1834: ‘Smelling the Breeze’, Making Kishk, Eating Colored Eggs & Salted Fish

Posted on 02/04/2015 by dianabuja

Manners and Customs of The Modern Egyptians, by E. Lane, is a two-volume set filled with lore about Egypt during the author’s time (1834). And although it makes for fascinating reading, the book is now largely ‘put down’ by post-colonial theorists … Continue reading →

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Posted in Colonial, Colonialism, Cuisine, Egypt, Food, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Sacred Huts and Magical Aspects of Food

Posted on 01/04/2015 by dianabuja

Robert Nassau, as David Livingstone before him, was a missionary, explorer, and recorder of people, geography and customs in the areas through which he traveled and lived.  Also, as Livingstone, he was a product of the colonial era of the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-General, Cuisine, Food, Indigenous crops & medicinal plants, Magic, Missionaries, Recipes, Robert Nassau | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Baking Holy Bread in the Coptic Monasteries of the Eastern Desert of Egypt [qurban; ‘urban]

Posted on 27/02/2015 by dianabuja

,, Bread was the central element of cuisine and daily nourishment in Ancient Egypt, from the very poorest through the nobility. Today, bread is commonly known as ‘aysh in Egypt, meaning ‘life’ in Arabic.  In the Old Kingdom, so-called rectangular slab stelae regularly picture … Continue reading →

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Posted in Bread, Coptic, Cuisine, Egypt-Ancient, Egypt-Recent, Food, Qurbana, St. Anthony, St. Paul | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Magicality of Cuisine 4: A Special Dish for a Woman Cultivator, 19th Century Liberia, West Africa

Posted on 13/02/2015 by dianabuja

As with other ‘magical dishes’ in this series, it is the context and activities associated with the dish that render it effective – not merely the specified ingredients: Pre-modern cuisine in many parts of the world can be more fully understood … Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa-West, Agriculture, Cuisine, European colonizers, Food, Indigenous crops & medicinal plants, Organic Gardenig, Robert Nassau | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments