Raja Muhammad Kamel (1 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. An important culinary and cultural study prepared by the Saudi General Presidency for Girls' Education (different to Judy Walcot's 1987 English language book of the same name). Original brown paper covered boards with green cloth spine 18x26cm, b/w titled and illustrated with official Saudi logo to the front. Printed by Ambassadors Offset Press, Riyadh. 315, (1)pp Arabic text with b/w illustrations by Nabila Nassar. Covers very good, scuffed along the edges. Interiors near fine, lightly tanned with handling marks to a couple of pages. Undated c1980s-90s. The General Presidency for Girls' Education (GPGE) was launched as an autonomous state agency in 1959/60 under Crown Prince Faisal's initiative to promote female access to formal education, and define curricula in line with the teachings of Islam and the requirements of Saudi society. It regulated female education in schools (except foreign ones), technical colleges, training institutes, and universities until 2002, when it was folded into the Ministry of Education. Home Economics and Needlework which were first introduced to the curriculum in 1955, fell under GPGE's remit as they were offered exclusively to girls. In 1978 King Faisal University became the first to offer Home Economics at degree level. Other universities followed with support from UNESCO, which in 1988 also helped GPGE plan for a Home Economics Research Centre for women's colleges. The authors were members of GPGE's Home Economics and Needlework Department, with Lulu Al-Labani identified as Head and the others as Supervisors. Investing "considerable effort", they compiled these recipes in the field, visiting villages and towns, speaking with housewives and teachers, then comparing and editing the results (p3). They offer more than a standard recipe book however, bringing in history, regional variations, the impacts of lifestyle, manners and customs, nutrition, and significant events such as Ramadan. Chapter 1 deals with tools and equipment. Chapter 2 with food science, nutrition, and creating menus with templates by region (Central, Western, Eastern, Southern, Qassim and Northern) broken down into breakfast, lunch and dinner, and for Ramadan. Chapters 3-15 arrange recipes by type (Soups, Meat, Poultry, Fish, Eggs, Vegetables, Legumes, Starch, Salads, Desserts, Breads, Preservation techniques, Hot and cold drinks), each opening with statements on history, cultural significance, nutritional importance etc. (Refs: UNESCO (1988) Saudi Arabia - Home Economics Education Project Findings and Recommendations; Amal Basaffar (2012) "Understanding the entrepreneurial potential of female Saudi Arabian family and consumer sciences students and businesswomen", Iowa State University). Nassar, Nabila (illustrator).…