A Seat at the Table

Exploring culinary traditions from the emergence of Islam to the present day, A Seat at the Table: Food and Feasting in the Islamic World highlights key historical developments, contemporary challenges and the impact of trade on food. Distinct from previous publications on the topic, the primer expands its lens beyond elitist contexts, considering dining as a living practice that unites disparate Islamic cultures and communities.
A Seat at the Table compiles concise, well researched essays on wide-ranging topics―from the significance of bread making and glazed ceramic dining sets to the implications of agricultural innovations and dining etiquette on courtly culture. Following the essays is an exhibition album that displays and explicates the function of over 100 objects sourced from the collection of the Museum of Islamic Art and other Qatar-based institutions such as the Qatar National Library.