Publisher's description:
This is a pioneering study which analyzes the food cultures of medieval Cairenes on the basis of a large corpus of historical texts in Arabic. Individual chapters discuss what, why, and how the inhabitants of medieval Cairo ate what they did, and in which ways food shaped their everyday lives. Given the complex nature of “food” and “foodways” as areas of research, the book covers such diverse subjects as the genesis of the culinary culture of Egypt’s capital and various practices related to food and eating. This monograph also considers several relevant social, political and economic circumstances in medieval Cairo, studying food culture in its broader context.

Table of contents:
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introductory Essay: Medieval Cairo and its Inhabitants
Survey of the Sources for the Study of the Medieval Cairene Food Culture
PART I. ON FOOD
Chapter I. The Cairene Menu: Genesis
Chapter II. The Cairene Menu: Ingredients, Products, and Preparations
PART II. ON EATING
Chapter III. The Place to Eat
Chapter IV. Sharing the Table
PART III. ON BEVERAGES AND DRINKING
Chapter V. Non-Alcoholic Beverages
Chapter VI. Alcohol and Its Consumption in Medieval Cairo
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Arabic sources: texts and translations
Non-Arabic primary sources: texts and translations
Secondary literature