Treasure Trove of Benefits and Variety at the Table: A Fourteenth-Century Egyptian Cookbook

Nawal Nasrallah is an independent scholar, previously professor of English literature at the universities of Baghdad and Mosul. She has published books and articles on the history and culture of Arab food, including the Gourmand World Cookbook Award Winner of 2007 for best translated cookbook Annals of the Caliphs’ Kitchens (Brill, 2007), and Delights from the Garden of Eden (Equinox, 2013).

PREFACE
NOTES ON TRANSLATING THE TEXT

INTRODUCTION
PART I: THE MAKING OF KANZ AL-FAWĀʾID
1. The Text
2. The Provenance
3. Date and Sources
4. A Case of Abridged Borrowing: Kanz al-fawāʾid and Zahr al-ḥadīqa
PART II: MEDIEVAL EGYPTIAN FOOD CULTURE
5. Diet and Formation of a Cuisine
6. What was Cooking in Medieval Cairo?
7. The Culture of Food and Cooking
8. Shopping and Eating out
PART III
9. Medieval Egyptian Cooking as Reflected in Kanz al-fawāʾid
10. Eating in Good Health

INFINITE BENEFITS OF VARIETY AT THE TABLE (ENGLISH TRANSLATION)
Chapter 1: Indispensable Instructions for Cooks
Chapter 2: How to Knead Bread Dough and Bake It; and Making Varieties of Bread: Enhanced (muṭayyab), Seeded (mubazzar), Salted (mamlūḥ), and More
Chapter 3: Measures Taken When Drinking Water: muzammal, and Chilled with Ice (thalj maḍrūb)
Chapter 4: Qualities of Air-Cooled Water and What the Physicians Said About It
Chapter 5: Miscellany of Dishes
Chapter 6: Making murrī (Liquid Fermented Sauce), and Preserving Juice of Sour Unripe Grapes (māʾ al- ḥiṣrim) and Lemon Juice (māʾ al-laymūn)
Chapter 7: Eggs Cooked as Omelets and Other Dishes
Chapter 8: Vegetarian Dishes (muzawwarāt al-buqūl) for the Nourishment of the Sick
Chapter 9: All Kinds of Dishes Made with Different Varieties of Fish
Chapter 10: Making All Kinds of Sweets (ḥalwā)
Chapter 11: Digestive Stomachics (juwārishnāt), Electuaries (maʿājīn), and Drinks (ashriba) Offered Before and After the Meal
Chapter 12: Making fuqqāʿ (Foamy Beer), and Other Drinks
Chapter 13: Dried-Apricot Compote (naqūʿ al-mishmish)
Chapter 14: Making Preparations Which Relieve Nausea (adwiyat al-qaraf)
Chapter 15: Making Mustard [Condiments], Mild and Pungent-Hot
Chapter 16: Making Table Sauces (ṣulūṣāt)
Chapter 17: Dishes Made with Dairy (albān): kawāmikh (Fermented Condiments), jājaq (Drained-Yogurt Condiment), Condiments with kabar (Capers) and zaʿtar (Thyme); bīrāf (Clotted Cream); and the Like
Chapter 18: All Kinds of Pickled Turnip and Onion, Pickling Fruits and Vegetables of All Kinds, and Preserving Lemon, Damascus Citron and the Like, in Salt
Chapter 19: Making Cold Dishes (bawārid)
Chapter 20: On Aromatics (ṭīb), and Properties of Toothpicks (khilāl) Made from Willow Wood (ṣafṣāf) and Egyptian-Willow Twigs (ʿīdān al-khilāf)
Chapter 21: Varieties of Aroma-Diffusing Incense Which Fortify Spirit and Heart; Aromatizing Pills; Deodorants; and Other Preparations
Chapter 22: Top Quality Perfumed Powders (dharāʾir mulūkiyya) and Other Preparations
Chapter 23: Storing Fresh Fruits and Keeping Them to Use After Their Season

GLOSSARY
1. Beverages for Pleasure and Health
2. Breads, Grains, Pasta, Noodles, and Sweet and Savory Pastries
3. Dairy
4. Desserts, Sweeteners, and Conserves; for Pleasure and Health
5. Dishes and Prepared Foods: Main and Side Dishes, Snacks, Condiments, Pickles, Dips, and Table Sauces
6. Fats and Oils
7. Fruits and Nuts
8. Ingredients Used in Foods and Medicinal Preparations: Herbs, Spices, Aromatics, Minerals, Food Colors, and Seasoning Sauces
9. Kitchen and Cooking Implements, and Culinary Techniques and Terms
10. Meat
11. Medical Terms, Medicinal Preparations, and Personal Hygiene and Perfumes
12. Vegetables and Legumes
13. Weights and Measures

APPENDIX: A TASTE OF TIME: MODERN ADAPTATIONS OF TWENTY-TWO RECIPES FROM THE KANZ AL-FAWĀʾID

WORKS CITED
INDICES