Iraqi-Jewish Food Culture & The Jews of Baghdad | Awafi Kitchen
This episode of Matbakh features Annabel "Nibal" and Sam Rabiyah, the sibling duo behind The Awafi Kitchen: a Boston-based pop-up culinary space dedicated to sharing Iraqi-Jewish food culture. This conversation looks at using food as a platform for holding onto culture, heritage and histories. The duo talks to us about Iraqi-Jewish recipes, the erasure of their community's history, and how they use food as an invitation for deeper conversations about cultural heritage and identity.
They describe — in tantalizing detail — the contours of Iraqi-Jewish cuisine, listing their favorite dishes and recipes, and why it's important to understand that Iraqi-Jewish food is simply Iraqi food. Finally, we dive into Iraq's agricultural landscape and the politics of cultural preservation through seeds.
The Awafi Kitchen is a Boston-based pop-up culinary space dedicated to sharing Iraqi-Jewish food and culture. Its menus are recreations of the meals that the founders grew up eating as children, and the stories they heard of food in the old country. They are cooking to preserve the lesser known pieces of Jewish and Iraqi histories. They also share some delicious recipes with their community.
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The Iraqi Seed Collective are people of Iraqi heritage and seed growers devoted to preserving Iraqi culture and the genetic legacy of crops through saving heirloom seeds.
Matbakh Podcast
A podcast series about eating, making, appreciating and learning about the food and drink of the Arab world. Chefs, restaurateurs, food historians, critics and writers share their takes on the best of what the Arab kitchen has to offer – past and present. We delve into well-loved and under-appreciated dishes, ingredients and flavors, as well as the history of the region’s food and what its future holds.
