THE S. MARK TAPER FOUNDATION
IMPRINT IN JEWISH STUDIES
BY THIS ENDOWMENT
THE S. MARK TAPER FOUNDATION SUPPORTS
THE APPRECIATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE RICHNESS AND DIVERSITY OF JEWISH LIFE AND CULTURE
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Jewish Studies Endowment Fund of the University of California Press Foundation, which was established by a major gift from the S. Mark Taper Foundation.
The publisher also gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Humanities Endowment Fund of the University of California Press Foundation.
Cumin, Camels, and Caravans
CALIFORNIA STUDIES IN FOOD AND CULTURE
Darra Goldstein, Editor
Cumin, Camels,
and Caravans
A Spice Odyssey
Gary Paul Nabhan
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley•Los Angeles•London
University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu.
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2014 by Gary Paul Nabhan
Compositor: BookMatters, Berkeley
Indexer: Thérèse Shere
Cartographer: Paul Mirocha
Printer and binder: Maple Press
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Nabhan, Gary Paul.
Cumin, camels, and caravans : a spice odyssey / Gary Paul Nabhan.
pagescm. — (California studies in food and culture ; 45)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-520-26720-6 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-520-95695-7 (e-book)
1. Spice trade.2. Spice trade—History.I. Title.II. Series: California studies in food and culture ; 45.
HD9210.A2N332014
382’.456645—dc23
2013032714
Manufactured in the United States of America
22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48–1992 (R 2002) (Permanence of Paper).
To three mentors who showed me how the Old World and New World are deeply connected culturally: Agnese Haury, Juan Estevan Arellano, and Michael Bonine
Contents
List of Recipes
List of Spice Boxes
List of Illustrations
Introduction: The Origin of “Species”
1.Aromas Emanating from the Driest of Places
2.Caravans Leaving Arabia Felix
3.Uncovering Hidden Outposts in the Desert
4.Omanis Rocking the Cradle of Civilization
5.Mecca and the Migrations of Muslim and Jewish Traders
6.Merging the Spice Routes with the Silk Roads
7.The Flourishing of Cross-Cultural Collaboration in Iberia
8.The Crumbling of Convivencia and the Rise of Transnational Guilds
9.Building Bridges between Continents and Cultures
10.Navigating the Maritime Silk Roads from China to Africa
11.Vasco da Gama Mastering the Game of Globalization
12.Crossing the Drawbridge over the Eastern Ocean
Epilogue: Culinary Imperialism and Its Alternatives
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
Recipes
The recipes in this book open a window onto the people and communities who made and still make these foods. Even the varied names of the dishes give some sense of the paths they have taken over the centuries. The recipes also record the cultural diffusion of spices as they pass from one place to another: a chicken mole that fuses elements of the Persian, Arabic, and Moorish kitchens; tharīd, a bread-and-broth soup from the Arabian Peninsula that gave rise to açorda soup in Portugal, gazpacho in Spain, and perhaps even sopa de tortilla in Mexico; and mansaf, one of the oldest recipes in the world, a Mesopotamian stew seasoned with a mix of cumin, turmeric, and cassia cinnamon, which is still being made today.
Harira • Carne de Cordero en la Olla: Lamb and Garbanzo Bean Stew
Marak Minj: Green Lentil Curry with Frankincense, Ginger, and Omani Spices
Dates Kneaded with Locusts and Spices
Nabātiyyāt: Nabataean Chicken, Pasta, and Garbanzo Bean Stew
Maqlay Samak: Fried Fish on a Bed of Coconut Rice
Tharīd • Gazpacho al-Andalus: Soup with Unleavened Bread
Oshi Plov: Persian-Tajik Rice Pilaf with Quince
Berenjena con Acelguilla: Sephardic Eggplant with Swiss Chard
Sibāgh: Abbasid and Andalusian Dipping Sauce
Zalābiya
