From War to Kitchen – Former US Private Prepares Omani Bread for the Visitors of the 34th Sharjah International Book Fair

5 Dariya News

Sharjah 05-Nov-2015

From the world of weapons to the culinary world, Felicia Campbell, armed with fearlessness and determination, shared her passion for the Middle Eastern cuisine at the Sharjah International Book Fair. In a cooking demonstration yesterday, Campbell a former private in the US Army, shared a recipe to make a crispy, paper-thin bread from Oman, a recipe that she features in her book The Food of Oman: Recipes and Stories from the Gateway to Arabia. The bread made from 3 simple ingredients (flour, water and salt) is a common type of bread in the GCC, she said, explaining that in Oman and other neighbouring countries it is cut into small pieces and mixed with a stew – what the Emiratis call “Thareed.”  

In addition to recipes, her book includes personal anecdotes from the time she spent in Oman. During her demonstration in making the bread, Campbell told tales of skilful Omani women who churned out hundreds of “perfectly-round” piece of bread and a story of a man who spread the dough with the cover of an old cassette tape.Campbell, an IACP award-nominated food writer and former staff editor at the nationally acclaimed American food and travel magazine Saveur, began her adult life as a 17-year-old private in the US Army. She deployed to Iraq as a member of the initial invasion in 2003, and her experiences there transformed her perspective on the world.“I connected with Iraqis over food and it is there that I started to see the reality in a completely different way.

I fell in love with people and their hospitality,” adding that to her life is all about people and cooking is one of the ways through which creating connections is possible.She then went on and got a Master’s degree in food studies from New York University and specialized in Middle Eastern food. Her research then took her to Oman, a country that enchanted her with its rich culture so much that she continued to not only study it but to publish her book The Food Oman.  

Campbell is an avid writer and enjoys sharing her passion for Middle Eastern cuisine with the world.In addition to promoting her book, Campbell said that she has additional scope from her participation in the Sharjah International Book Fair. “I really hope that people in the GCC will be inspired to write about their food and their culture,” she said. Campbell now lives in Muscat where she works as the Features Editor of the Times of Oman. Future demonstrations during the Sharjah International Book Fair: Thursday November 5 (16:45 – 17:45) and Friday, November 6 (16:45 – 17:45).