Kitab al-Wusla ila l-Habib
- Year
- ms
- Era
- Undated
- Origin
- Syria · Middle East
- Language
- Arabic
- Category
- Middle East
Kitab al-Wusla ila l-Habib, compiled by the Aleppine scholar and statesman Ibn al-Adim in the thirteenth century, is among the most substantial culinary manuscripts of the medieval Arab world. Surveying hundreds of recipes for meats, fish, breads, preserves, sweets, beverages and perfumed preparations, the work documents the refined cuisine of Ayyubid Syria and remains an essential source for the gastronomy of the eastern Mediterranean.
Cooking from this book
Muhallabiyya
Signature dishA silken milk pudding perfumed with rosewater and crowned with pounded nuts, muhallabiyya stands as one of the most evocative sweets gathered in this thirteenth century Aleppan compendium. Ibn al-Adim, a statesman and historian of his city, assembled the Wusla as a courtly guide to refined eating, and its many versions of this creamy dessert capture the Ayyubid table at its most elegant, where sugar, dairy and floral essences signalled both hospitality and status.
An editorial note on a dish associated with this book, written for The Coquinist. It is not a reproduction of the book's recipe.
