The Sudanese Kitchen | Omer Al Tijani

Discover an extensive amount of Sudanese dishes and ingredients (that you probably have never heard) shared by the author of The Sudanese Kitchen cookbook, who delves into them in nuanced detail. Sudan's culinary practices and history are extremely rich and diverse, changing from region to region in the country. This episode explores Sudanese food as a unique fusion cuisine, shaped by diverse cultural influences from the Levant, the Mediterranean, and East and West Africa. Al Tijani discusses his journey to document these recipes, highlighting the activism inherent in preserving Sudan's culinary heritage amidst political turmoil and aiming to place Sudanese food in public consciousness beyond just Sudan. He also shares insights into regional variations, the historical timeline of ingredients and influences, and the challenges and triumphs of archiving Sudan's vibrant food culture. The book is available to ship internationally and the website sudanese.kitchen is a massive resource to use freely with a recipe archive and important information that's accessible to all.

 

0:00 Documenting Sudanese Food and Its Regional Distinctions

1:07 The Genesis of "The Sudanese Kitchen" Project

2:11 Travel in Difficult Times and Changing Perspectives

2:46 The Challenges of Archiving

3:37 Five Iconic Sudanese Dishes

3:54 Why Sudanese Restaurants Are Not as Common as Ethiopian

4:28 Culinary Identity: Unity vs Fragmentation 

4:56 Sudan's Agricultural Potential

5:10 A Historical Culinary Timeline

5:31 Hopes for Sudan's Future

7:04 Similarities with Levantine Food: Ta’mia and Fuul

9:44 Sudanese Cheese: Influences from Syria and Greece

10:36 West African and Indigenous Sudanese Influences

12:32 Navigating Regional Terminology in Sudanese Cuisine

14:19 Identifying Sudanese Spices and Preparation

15:47 The Importance of Peanuts in Sudanese Food

18:34 Discovering Regional Dishes Beyond Khartoum

19:48 Geographic Influences on Sudanese Cuisine

22:04 The Journey of a Food Archivist: Travel and Oral Histories

24:43 The Start of the Project and Revolutionary Challenges

28:18 Public Reception to Documenting Sudanese Food

29:47 Mom's Feedback and Recipe Selection

31:06 The Five Strongest Dishes from Sudanese Cuisine

31:41 Dish 1: Mullah Na'emia

32:59 Dish 2: Salatat Aswad (Salatat Banzenjan)

34:02 Dish 3: Agashe (Spicy Peanut Meat Dish)

35:00 Dish 4: Hilu-Mur (Fermented Sorghum Drink)

36:14 Dish 5: Kunafa Malfouf (Rolled Kunafa with Peanuts and Dates)

37:43 Why Sudanese Restaurants Are Less Prevalent Globally

40:53 Food as a Form of Activism and Resistance

43:00 Shedding Light on the Famine in Sudan

44:48 Sudan's Potential as Africa's Breadbasket

45:47 Exploring Sudan's Culinary and Historical Timeline

50:47 Pre-Columbian Sudanese Cuisine

51:50 Nomadic Lifestyles and Portable Foods

52:38 Hopes for the Book: Highlighting Sudan's Richness and Diversity

53:30 Awareness of Sudan in the Arab World

54:47 The Importance of Self-Criticism and Addressing Blind Spots

56:19 The Sudanese Kitchen Website: A Comprehensive Resource

 

Omar Al Tijani is a food archivist from Sudan, based in London. He's the author of an unique book and website project called The Sudanese Kitchen which he's travelled across Sudan to document, mainly through oral histories. 

Connect with Omer Al Tijani 👉 https://instagram.com/sudanesekitchen

 

Hosted by Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://instagram.com/mikey_mu

 

Theme music: Peninsular, Tarek Yamani 🔊 https://spoti.fi/47I59ns

 

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FOLLOW & RATE THE MATBAKH PODCAST:
» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/matbakh/id1646402301
» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4GuszMVmvx0XM2zYLmVQK2
» Anghami: https://www.anghami.com/podcast/1035528225

THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK
Explore all episodes in this series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl48-5Y0F7sx2xoexSoeBUWJ&feature=shared

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