A food tour of Yemeni restaurants is coming to Liverpool this July.
The event, which is part of the Liverpool Arab Arts Festival, is to celebrate the release of a new photobook titled Bittersweet – A Story of Food and Yemen.
Produced by the UN World Food Programme, and featuring work from photographer Sayed Asif Mahmud, Bittersweet – A Story of Food and Yemen is a captivating photographic exploration of Yemen’s rich culinary and cultural heritage.
The Yemini food tour will take place at 12pm and 2pm on Saturday 20th July. The two tours will include visits to a number of Yemini restaurants in the vibrant Lodge Lane areas.
People will have the chance to sample traditional dishes and enjoy hot drinks. The tours are priced at £10 per person, with donations going to local Yemini charities.
The event will start at Liverpool Arabic Centre, where Najib Al-Hakimi, Taher Qassim, and Anne Thwaite will host a talk and link Yemini restaurant owners with tour attendees.
You can sign up to either of the two tours here.
Local bookshop News from Nowhere will additionally be celebrating Bittersweet – A Story of Food and Yemen by creating a window display and selling copies of the book.
Founded in 1998, Liverpool Arab Arts Festival is the UK’s longest-running annual Arab arts and culture festival.
Bittersweet – A Story of Food and Yemen is produced by the UN World Food Programme, and co-published by Fall Line Press, Medina Publishing, Éditions Caurette, and Masa.
Sayad Asif Muhmud, a documentary filmmaker from Bangladesh, has been working with the United Nations World Food programme since 2019, and additionally helped co-design the book.
Muhmud’s photographs are accompanied by text from Marta Colburn and Jessica Olney, whose expertly researched writing gives real insight into topics ranging from how Yemini fishermen navigate the sea to maximise their catch, to why honey is intrinsic to Yemen’s national and spiritual identity.
An accessible and thorough exploration, Bittersweet touches on factors including agriculture, trade, and identity, against the backdrop of Yemen’s unique landscapes and architecture.
Tim Mackintosh-Smith, Arabist, historian, translator and travel writer, said:
“This book is about the tastes and smells, ingredients and dishes, culinary geographies and histories (past, present, future) of the country.
“You can say a lot about a place by talking about its food.”
A portion of proceeds from the sales of the book will be donated to the UN World Food Programme through Share The Meal.
For more information about Liverpool Arab Arts Festival please visit the website.
For more information about Bittersweet – A Story of Food and Yemen please visit the website.
