Over a shared meal at Mayrig restaurant in Beirut, we sit down with Aline Kamakian, the restaurant's creator, to discuss and get a taste of Armenia's rich food history and the diasporic evolution of what she calls this "cuisine of contrasts". Aline shares her own family's history and lived experiences of the Armenian genocide and expulsion, and her relationship to her adopted home of Lebanon, as she paints a picture of the food she grew up eating. She explains how she's on a mission to spread...

"Devil's Brew", spiritual drink, a scholarly beverage, an evil concoction — coffee in the Arab world has gone by many names. In this episode of Matbakh, Mokhtar Alkhanshali takes us on a journey through the history of the drink that defines many of our mornings. From its etymology to the spiritual culture behind its preparation and consumption, and why it was denounced and banned at certain points, this episode will give context to history nerds and coffee-lovers alike. Mokhtar maps the...

Is Dubai a food destination? What expectations are true and untrue of its culinary scene? What's it like working in the kitchen of places like Burj Al Arab? Award-winning pastry chef Sahar Parham Al Awadhi gives us the answers on this episode of Matbakh, and shares her take on Dubai's culinary fabric – from Sudanese street vendors to Michelin-starred, fine-dining restaurants. She advises us on where and what to eat in Dubai, and shares her take on creatively recreating traditional desserts...

Al-Tujibi's book that Daniel Newman translated into “The Exile’s Cookbook” is one of only two books that survived from the 13th century al-Andalus. In this episode of Matbakh we host the food historian and scholar a second time and this time focus on some of the Andalusian recipes featured in the book, what constitutes medieval food culture, changing taste palettes, flavor patterns and use of ingredients over the centuries. We discuss his translation and study of the 13th Century...