The second-largest religion by population after Christianity, Islam covers a vast geographic area, ranging from Spain to north Africa and the Middle East, through central and south-east Asia, Indonesia and beyond. The various culinary traditions that exist in this broad geography are equally sizable, making for a truly bounteous range of food – as well as accompanying servingware, art, cookware, cookbooks and much more. Approaching the Islamic artistic tradition by way of its culinary culture, the new exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), The Art of Dining: Food Culture in the Islamic World, collects more than 250 works of art and artefacts to give audiences a taste of this remarkable history.
According to the show’s curator Katherine Kasdorf, gourmet culture in the Islamic world goes back to the 9th century in Baghdad, with everyday recipe books arriving around that time and a proliferation of art and items related to cooking and eating. Islamic culinary culture was closely linked to the religion’s artistic tradition, making the two of them deeply entwined. “I’m hopeful that people will be interested in the food angle, so the exhibit will attract those who might not otherwise be drawn to an exhibition of Islamic art,” Kasdorf said. “Hopefully they’ll develop a new appreciation for art from these regions.”
