Al Jazeera Documentary “Meals of the Ancestors” in Arabic

The documentary “Meals of the Ancestors” (Mawāʾid al-ajdād) in six parts broadcasted by Al Jazeera Documentary Channel sheds light on historical Arabic cuisine based on manuscripts. It was directed by Husām Sarḥān and produced by Elmozafar Kotoz Abdelhafiz (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven), a former member of the research program MIDA (“Mediating Islam in the Digital Age”), in which the Gotha Research Library was participating and which has meanwhile been concluded. Besides manuscripts preserved at the Gotha Research Library, the documentary also focuses on works at Oodi Central Library in Helsinki and Berlin State Library. While preparations for the shoot were being made, an important work on Syrian cuisine – more specifically, Aleppo’s cuisine – was discovered at the Gotha Research Library: the “Book of the Path to the Heart of the Beloved through the Description of Flavors and Scents” (Kitāb al-Wuṣla ilā l-ḥabīb fī waṣf al-ṭayyibāt wa-l-ṭīb, Ms. orient. A 1346). The documentary shows how important Arabic manuscript culture is also for the preservation of immaterial cultural heritage. By the way: Recipes selected from the manuscripts which are presented are cooked step by step for the viewers.