

Isabelle Imbert welcomes Daniel Newman, professor at Durham University, specialist of Arabic language and literature and passionate about Medieval Arabic cooking books and culinary tradition. For years, Daniel has been recreated Medieval recipes, especially from the “Garden flowers in elegant food” (Zahr al-ḥadīqa fi ‘l-aṭʿima al-anīqa), written by Shihāb al-Dīn Aḥmad Ibn Mubārak Shāh in Egypt in the first half of the 15th century. In the episode, he talks about his work as a translator, the link between food and medicine and his experimentation with Medieval cuisine.
Mentioned in the Episode and Further Links
- Follow the Art Informant on Instagram and Twitter
- Follow Daniel Newman on Instagram and on Academia
- Daniel Newman’s profile on Durham University’s website
- “Eat like a Sultan”: Daniel Newman’s website where he recreates Medieval recipes
- The Sultan’s Feast : A Fifteenth-Century Egyptian Cookbook (Bilingual Edition), Saqi Books, 2020
- The Sultan’s Sex Potions: Arab Aphrodisiacs in the Middle Ages, Saqi Books, 2014
- Ursula Sims-Williams, “Nasir Shah’s Book of Delights”, British Library blog, Nov. 2016
- Click here for more episodes of the ART Informant.
Reproductions of Artworks discussed in the Episode (click on the images to see more information)


