DETROIT – Food has always played a vital role in nurturing and sustaining community. This is an important part of cultural heritage: the way food is prepared, served and shared is often communal and ritualistic. Food tells us stories – whether personal, historical or social. Food culture is an art form. The Art of Dining: Food Culture in the Islamic WorldCurrently on display at the Detroit Institute of Arts, the work transforms meals into narrative experiences, demonstrating how food not only connects people to their roots, but also to each other. The exhibition showcases nearly 230 works from 30 public and private collections around the world, spanning several centuries and ranging from cooking vessels to paintings.
Our introduction to the field initially came with a map of the Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region, which greets visitors as they enter the exhibition. Several cities are highlighted on this map: Istanbul, Cairo, Mecca, Baghdad, Isfahan and Delhi. The caption explains that these sites were important for trade, artistic production and pilgrimage. The exhibition argues that they are also culturally and historically important to Islam, and that they hold a special place in the food cultures fostered in historically Muslim-majority parts of the world.
What’s truly remarkable about this show is its broad perspective on food. The works on display highlight everything related to the craft of catering. Steel sculptures of fruits (pear, quince, melon) commemorating Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī (626), grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and third leader of the Shia sect. -80) for the martyrdom of imamis on display. The exhibition also features different types of spice dishes, pewter glazed plates with peacock feather patterns, glazed porcelain bowls, copper alloy cauldrons, flasks and drinking vessels. It draws our attention to the processes of preparation, presentation and enjoyment associated with food culture, such as hand-washing hospitality, demonstrated through kettles from Iran or Iraq around the 1200s; basins from Egypt, dating from the 1300s; There are even descriptions of dining etiquette from many Sunni historians mujadid (or “one who brings revival to religion”) Al-Ghazali (1058-1111).
The art of dining Food etiquette in this area is also explored. In a large room, a table invites us to a digitally created space suffer For the meals (layed on the floor), adapted historical dishes prepared by chef Najmieh Batmanglij are projected in the center of each plate. There’s even a cooking show with multiple TVs so you can watch different dishes being made live on the screen. The exhibition highlights cookbooks, health manuals, and glimpses of the kitchens and pantries that supported Islamic culture throughout.
The stories surrounding the food further tell the visitor’s journey. Medieval illuminated manuscripts draw attention to picnic images; descriptions of scenes called Makama (Arabic for “assembly”) would be read aloud at social gatherings; and the banquet scene in the copy Shanama Ferdowsi (The Book of Kings). Together, these works underscore the importance of hospitality in class and political power. They illustrate how culinary traditions and communal meals became important expressions of identity and social cohesion in different cultural and class contexts.
The books sit alongside musical instruments—a kamancha made from fish skin in the 1800s, a taus (Persian for “peacock”) from 19th-century India, an agarwood from the Greek Maol (Emmanuel Venios)— —reminiscent of these practices and the entertainments that existed in these cities and Islamic courts. At one point, viewers are also invited to join the table and share “how food connects you to people, places and memories” on a circular blank white page.
The exhibition concludes with Iraqi-born artist Sadik Kwaish Alfraji’s contemporary multimedia installation “The Thread of Light Between My Mother’s Fingers and Heaven.” This captivating, layered work was influenced by the artist’s memories of his mother and the bread she baked as the family gathered around the dinner table in Baghdad. The black and white sketch animation reflects on how memory and food are intertwined, creating a tapestry of shared experiences that evoke nostalgia and a deep sense of identity that transcends time and place.
Although not all items on display have a religious function, the exhibition paints a comprehensive picture of Islamic food culture. The art of dining Originally organized and presented by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. For this iteration of DIA, the curators made revisions based on feedback that called for a more multicultural perspective rather than overly homogenizing what is here called the Islamic world. This approach is evident as the exhibition acknowledges how the daily lives of different ethno-religious cultures in these regions are affected by different or different practices.
While examining food culture through the lens of cross-cultural connections adds a complexity that may be lacking in LACMA’s version, DIA’s presentation becomes stronger by recognizing the non-Islamic peoples who live in these cities and throughout the SWANA region. Although these communities—such as the Greeks, Chaldeans, and Armenians—may not have practiced Islam, their food customs were influenced by these practices. While one section of the exhibition acknowledges the shared culture of tableware in the region, looking at Chinese porcelain, Ottoman ceramics, and Italian pottery as points of connection, there are many other examples of commonalities surrounding food that may help represent the connections between these regional communities. contact.
The city of Istanbul—with its far-reaching Byzantine, Cilician Armenian, Jewish, and Parthian presence—is an example of a mix of influences that combined to shape the cultural identity of its pre-modern history. Using the term “Islamization” coined by historian Marshall Hodgson, one can allude to the importance of Islam as a cultural force influencing non-Muslims in the region, while also acknowledging their presence and contribution to the development of the socio-political and economic universe there. . Doing so also strengthens the exhibition’s already solid foundation by illustrating Islamic civilization as an integral part of world history and Islam’s influence on it – particularly through the exquisite way in which it highlights the history of food culture as part of this narrative. A unifying element.
The Art of Dining: Food Culture in the Islamic World The exhibition continues at the Detroit Institute of Arts (5200 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI) until January 5, 2025. The exhibition is organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
