Special beer replicating ancient recipe brewed and presented by Bay Area Mashtronauts with support from Sitta Brew Hub
WHAT: About Culinary Adventure: An Ancient Meal
Archaeology Now, the Houston affiliate of Archaeology Institute of America, presents Culinary Adventure: An Ancient Meal, part of the Senan Shaibani Marsh Arabs project, which will take place Nov. 5 in the Mudhif recently opened on the Rice University campus. Chefs from Bite of HOPE and the Iraqi community, with advice from archaeologist Dr. Zaid Alrawi, replicate a meal from a 5,000-year-old tavern discovered at excavations in Iraq last summer. We know exactly what was eaten because of chemical analysis of pottery from the site.
This cultural event invites guests to feast like an ancient Sumerian and experience a taste of food from ancient Iraq. A special beer is being brewed by Randy Daily and the Bay Area Mashtronauts, with support from Sitta Brew Hub, featuring a recipe from a Ninkasi tablet (probably the first recipe for beer in the world). Guests will also enjoy fish, grains, a dessert, and bread made from a copy of an ancient oven.
The Mudhif is a replica of a 5,000-year-old reed structure, which served as a village’s public hall, and is constructed entirely of reeds that were shipped to Houston from the marshlands between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq and constructed using ancient methods. It is the focal point of the Senan Shaibani Marsh Arabs Project.
Bite of HOPE works to change the food environment in Houston, focusing on integrating medical and culinary resources to create healthier communities.
Culinary Adventure: An Ancient Meal is just one of the series of Archaeology Now’s cultural events scheduled during the fall, including music, food, films, poetry, family days and more, running through Dec. 5.
WHEN: Sunday, November 5, from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. Admission is $65 per person.
WHERE: Rice University Campus, located next to the Moody Center for the Arts
Entrance #8, University and Stockton streets Link to map here.
COST: Admission is $65 per person and includes the meal and Iraqi beer. The event is limited to 60 diners. Tickets can be purchased through www.archaeologynow.org/marsh-arab-project-events/culinary-adventure-an-ancient-meal or by clicking this link.
WHO: Additional support for the Senan Shaibani Marsh Arabs Project comes from the Arab American Cultural & Community Center in Houston, the Arab American Culture and Community Center, the Khudari Group, Aramco, Noble Construction, The City of Houston through the Office of Cultural Affairs and Office of International Tourism.
For information:
To learn more about Archaeology Now’s Marsh Arabs Project and the Mudhif, visit www.archaeologynow.org.
For a list of events this fall, click this link: https://www.archaeologynow.org/marsh-arab-project-events# # #
Credit: Henrich Perez
Link to Sitta Brew Hub photos here
Credit: Heather McAdoo
Link to Ninkasi tablet and food here
Credit: British Museum, copyright free and iStock photo (food)
Link to Mudhif video here
Credit: Eli Johns-Krull
About Archaeology Now
Archaeology Now is the Houston-based affiliate of a nationwide organization—the Archaeological Institute of America. We were founded in 1967 by Dominique De Menil, Philip Oliver Smith, and Walter Widrig. Today, we present an ambitious series of events for the public focused on our many stories through time. We invite the public to join us for a journey of discovery of our human story.
Archaeology Now collaborates with diverse communities to showcase the stories of humanity through the lens of archaeology. Through our programming we tell the stories of those who have come before us; we find common links to our ancestors; we acknowledge the basic dignity of all humankind, and we advance mutual understanding among both a local Houston and a global diverse community.
About Bite of HOPE
The nonprofit organization Bite of HOPE was created to improve the future of communities that struggle with obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease in Houston. By demonstrating the power that food has over health and by teaching communities how to make simple, cost-effective, and tasty meals, people can manage disease or conditions and will live healthier and happier lives.
Bite of HOPE’s mission is to build healthier communities focusing on integrating medical and culinary resources specifically in the neighborhoods that lack adequate access to healthy food.
Bite of HOPE is connected with the HOPE Clinic, which serves the uninsured, under-insured, those with limited English proficiency, and low-income patients in the Houston area.
