Part IV: Eating the Nubian Way

In a Nubian Village that lies in the Aswan area, one very kind Nubian family welcomed us to spend a day with them to learn all about their history and their culture. I was very much interested in learning about the different kinds of food that the Nubian people eat and how they prepare their meals. At Mona’s house, her kitchen is divided into two parts; the first section has a sink, a fridge and a large table with many containers, while the second section has a stove and a few small kerosene-cookers as well as containers of spices, flour, oil and so forth. Part of me was somewhat surprised to find that households had quite a number of electronic devices, such as fridges, electric stoves and blenders. I asked Mona if her neighbours had similar kitchen electronic devices and she told me that indeed, most of them do, and those that don’t can easily go to their neighbours and store their food there. In this hot climate, food needs to be stored in the fridge to preserve its freshness. Mona told me that typically, she prepares three meals a day; breakfast, lunch and dinner; and usually all involve cooking. Because it is currently Ramadan, Mona only prepares one meal a day for the ‘break fast’ dinner, which takes place at 5:45 p.m.

At around 3 p.m., I joined the women in the kitchen to help prepare the dinner. In this village, fresh juices are very common and play an integral role in their diets. Mona showed me how to prepare some mango juice. The mangoes are pealed and cut into small pieces and placed in the blender. She then added some water and some sugar; all blended together to produce some of the best Mango juice I ever had. Mona told me that the dinner she is preparing today is very typical in their culture; it is all based around bread and the different stews that one eats the bread with. There are different kinds of bread that the Nubian people prepare; one of which I saw. It is a round shaped loaf of bread, brown in colour that is made to remain fresh for three days. If there are some loafs that are not eaten after the three days, they store this bread in a big container. It does, however, become harder in texture the longer it is stored. Mona gave me a taste of the stored bread and it was very crispy yet tasty at the same time. When she serves this harder bread, she soaks it in warm water for about five minutes and then places it on a cloth. After a few minutes, it is ready to be served and is often eaten with different kinds of stews, some made with vegetables and others are made with different kinds of meats, such as lamb, beef, rabbit, turkey and chicken, to name just a few.

Mona prepared a number of dishes for dinner; not like what we usually have in Canada where we would have salads and pasta with sauce. There were at least five different dishes as we sat down to eat. The chicken was first boiled in water, spices, salt and lemon. Once it was half way cooked, the chicken was removed and fried in oil until it was crispy. The soup from the chicken was then mixed with some boiled peas and potatoes and it was served as soup for dinner. Mona also made some, which was mixed with many small and sweet pieces of spaghetti. The Nubians, like the Egyptians, enjoy and love their salads, which usually consist of chunks of tomatoes, cucumbers and lots of greens. There were also two kinds of stews; one was made with vegetables, mainly okra and tomatoes, while the other was a blended spinach sauce. On the mat on the floor in the courtyard, the women placed a huge tray filled with the five plates containing different kinds of food and the big bowl of soup. There was also a plate with a loaf of bread that was cut in pieces. When eating, one takes the bread and dips it in the different sauces. This big tray was prepared for the men to eat in the courtyard while the women prepared their own tray that they ate from in the kitchen. I was welcomed to eat with the men as I was a guest. In this culture, people usually do not eat on a dining table as they do in Canada. The big tray was placed in the middle and we all ate from the same plates and soup bowl together instead of putting the food on our individual plates, as they do in many parts of the world including Canada. This kind of eating style is a direct result of the way in which their society is built, i.e. the closeness in the families and communities.

When we were preparing the food in the kitchen, I realized that there are so many differences between the food preparations in this village and in many Canadian families. Over here, it is mainly the women who are in the kitchen; not one or two, usually all the women of the family are involved in the cooking process. Mona’s mother was pealing the potatoes, while Mona’s sister, Fatima, was mixing some flour and Mona herself was preparing the mango juice. Even Fatima’s little daughter, Ranna, was walking around the kitchen, keeping her family company. It is obvious that from a very young age, these young girls acquire their responsibilities in the kitchen. The men are usually not involved in the cooking process; they provide the money and may be involved in helping to transport the food from the market to the house but it is rare that you would find a man cooking in this environment. When I was in the kitchen, I could feel that the women really enjoyed what they were doing; they cooked while joking with each other and smiling. In this kind of culture, having the responsibilities of feeding the family is what makes a woman a strong woman, I believe. This is the one field they undoubtedly excel in the most because it is their main responsibility. Since they usually do not work out of the home, cooking is their main responsibility in the house, along with caring for the children and family. It goes without saying that it gives them satisfaction to see their fathers, husbands, brothers and children, enjoy the food and grow stronger and bigger as a result of their cooking.

Links

-ARCHEOLOGY

Subject Area: HSP 3M, HSB 4M, HHS 4M, HIF, HFN 10/20
Unit: Nubian people


Multimedia

-Video of Khairoon in the kitchen talking about food preparations (bread making)

-Video of Khairoon and the family eating

-Pictures:

·  NubianFood1: The Bread in the Kitchen

·  NubianFood2: Khairoon with the tray of food

·  NubianFood3: People eating from the same tray