Flavours of the Arab Golden Age – EP 3: Aleppo and the Silk Road

A historian and a chef go on a culinary journey through history to discover the roots of Arab cuisine and its influence on the food and flavours of today. Kotoz Ahmed, a researcher in Arabian food history, and Fadi Kattan, a renowned Palestinian chef, travel Europe in search of recipe manuscripts from the days of the old Arab dynasties and empires. In this final episode, they learn how Cairo became an influential cultural hub, as the Silk Road connected Egypt to China, Russia, India, Iraq and the Levantine merchants, controlling the spice trade during the Mamluk era. Aleppo was also an important melting pot, at the crossroads of several trade routes – one of its 13th-century books introduced the idea of food as pleasure, bringing perfumes, fragrances and medicinal oils into cookery, an innovation at the time. Kotoz finishes by cooking al Mashoka, meaning “The Adored”, using exotic ingredients from Arabia, Aleppo and spices from the Far East.