At this time of year, people across the UK are getting ready to enjoy a range of festive treats, so we at the NGL thought, what better occasion to also celebrate the cuisine belonging to the areas of the world covered in our collections. Within this delectable selection is included not only a range of cookbooks – from The Korean Kitchen to three medieval Arabic cookbooks, translated by Nawal Nasrallah (whose other fascinating, food-related books can be found on SOLO) – but also books that explore the cultural significance of food to various cultures.

For example, in Earthly Delights: Economies and Cultures of Food in Ottoman and Danubian Europe, the authors provide essays on a range of topics, from hospitality to the spice trade, while the book Korean Court Banquet discusses all the requirements for a Chŏson imperial feast, including not only dishes but also outfits and musical accompaniments.

If you are interested in the religious significance of food in particular, you can look to Korean Temples & Food, which includes some details of the diets of Korean Buddhist monks and nuns, both historically and in the present day. There are also recipes so that you can try recreating some of these dishes at home, and this book explains how they contain ‘foodstuffs carefully chosen to help the eater reduce the “Three Poisons” of greed, ignorance, and hatred’. This means that they are, among other things, free from animal products as well as garlic, chives, leeks, onions and asafoetida, as it is believed that these vegetables disrupt the mind.

Similarly, food and drink to be avoided (most notably alcohol) are a key theme in the fifth sura of the Qu’ran, which is the subject of The Banquet by Michael Cuypers. This is, however, not this sura’s only subject (other topics covered notably include instructions for washing and prohibitions on murder) and, part of Cuypers aim in his book is to find an interpretive framework that demonstrates the harmony between the different subjects addressed, as well as between this sura and the rest of the Qu’ran.

The Memorial Feast for Kökötöy-khan, an excerpt from the Epic of Manas,provides a literary example of the significance of food – specifically to the Kyrgyz people of Central Asia. Food items are named repeatedly throughout the text, conveying layers of associated meaning, from abundance to poverty to hospitality. Key among them is kumis or airag, an ancient fermented beverage, traditionally made from mare’s milk, which is still made and consumed by peoples across the region today.

Finally, to finish with something sweet, also included in the display is Taleen Voskuni’s culinary love story Lavash at First Sight in which two Armenian-American women bond over Armenian cuisine. You might remember this tale of belonging, identity, and finding oneself, from the Queer Armenian Library display earlier this year. The blog post accompanying that display can still be found here, and the books can also still be found on our shelves.

It’s not possible to talk about all the books in the display here, nor indeed, all the many fantastic books about food around the world contained in the Bodleian Libraries, but we hope that you’ve enjoyed this look at the NGL’s culinary collections, and maybe even found some inspiration. If you’d like to share any gastronomical discoveries from these books, we’d love to see photos and comments – but, unfortunately, food and drink still aren’t allowed in the NGL, so you’ll just have to eat them all yourself at home while we’re very jealous!

Bibliography

Barbu, V. and Jianu, A. (eds.), Earthly Delights: Economies and Cultures of Food in Ottoman and Danubian Europe, c. 1500-1900, Leiden, Brill, 2018.

Chung, T. and Samuels D., The Korean Table: From Barbecue to Bibimbap: 100 Easy-to-Prepare Recipes, North Clarendon VT., Tuttle Pub., 2008.

Cooperson, M., Perry, C., and Toorawa, S. M. (eds.), Scents and Flavors: A Syrian Cookbook, New York, New York University Press, 2017.

Cuypers, M., The Banquet: A Reading of the Fifth Sura of the Qurʼan, Miami, Convivium, 2009.

Dmitriev, K., Hauser, J., and Urfahʹlī, B. (eds.), Insatiable Appetite: Food as Cultural Signifier in the Middle East and Beyond, Leiden, Brill, 2020.

Elias, L. S., Salloum, H, and Salloum, M., Scheherazade’s Feasts: Foods of the Medieval Arab World, Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013.

Gelder, G. J. H. V., Of Dishes and Discourse: Classical Arabic Literary Representations of Food, Richmond, Curzon, 2000.

Han, K., Pak, K., and Yŏnse, T., An Analysis of Food Consumption in the Republic of Korea, 1964-67: With Projected Trends, 1968-71, Seoul, Yonsei University, 1969.

Han’guk Kukche Kyoryu Chaedan, Traditional Food: A Taste of Korean Life, Seoul, Seoul Selection, 2010.

Hansik Chaedan, The Korean Kitchen: 75 Healthy, Delicious and Easy Recipes, Hollym International Corp., Elizabeth NJ, 2014.

Hatto, A. T., The Memorial Feast for Kökötöy-khan (Kökötöydün ašı): A Kirghiz Epic Poem, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1977.

Jegal, Y. S., and Lee, H. J., Let’s Try Korean Cooking: The Simple and Easy Way, Seoul, Hanchic, 2010.

Kim, Chong-su, Korean Court Banquet, Kyŏnggi-do P’aju-si, Kŭl Hangari, 2013.

Kim, S., Kimchi: Traditional Korean Food, Seoul, Ehwa Womans University Press, 2010.

Lee, J., Korean Temples & Food, Seoul, YeinArt Co., 2002.

Nasrallah, N., Treasure Trove of Benefits and Variety at the Table: A Fourteenth-century Egyptian Cookbook, Leiden, Brill, 2018.

Nasrallah, N., Best of Delectable Foods and Dishes from al-Andalus and al-Maghrib, Leiden, Brill, 2021.

Nasrallah, N., Smorgasbords of Andalusi and Maghribi Dishes and Their Salutary Benefits: English Translation of the Thirteenth-century Cookbook Anwa’ al-saydala fi alwan al-atima With Introduction and Glossary, Leiden, Brill, 2025.

Prakash, O., Food and Drinks in Ancient India, From Earliest Times to c. 1200 A.D., Delhi, Munshi Ram Manohar Lal, 1961.

Voskuni, T. Lavash at First Sight, London, Pan Books, 2024.