Commensality and Cultural Heritage: Bringing the Foodways of the Middle East and Its Diasporas to the Table

Food holds an important position in people’s everyday lives and in the social values of individuals and groups, shaping identities along religious, ethnic, linguistic, and national lines and according to variables including gender, class, and place (including identification with particular towns or terroirs) In the Middle East and among Middle Eastern diasporic communities, culinary culture is and has been a source of deep pride, while reflecting ethical values that people place on sharing food with guests or with others in need. Regarding foodways as part of their cultural heritage, peoples of Middle Eastern origin aware of illustrious culinary traditions that go back not only centuries, but millennia, starting with ancient innovations in agriculture that benefitted human societies at large.
This book explores the themes of “commensality,” (being at the same table) in an interdisciplinary lens, with literal and metaphorical implications for respecting differences among those who share a meal. At the same time, considers the study of cultural heritage among Muslims, Christians, and Jews in the Middle East and in associated diasporas through foodways, meaning customs regarding the preparation and consumption of food. At a time when the field of food studies is flourishing, this book argues for the centrality and import of the Middle East and its diasporas within this scholarly domain, while setting agendas for future research.