{"id":17363,"date":"2025-11-08T13:41:35","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T09:41:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pardaisnewsdigital.com\/?p=17363"},"modified":"2025-11-08T13:41:35","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T09:41:35","slug":"flavours-of-home-lebanese-palestinian-chef-hisham-assaad-brings-memory-to-the-table-at-sibf-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pardaisnewsdigital.com\/?p=17363","title":{"rendered":"Flavours of home: Lebanese-Palestinian chef Hisham Assaad  brings memory to the table at SIBF 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>The acclaimed chef returned to the UAE for the first time since 1997, sharing stories, spice, and soul at Sharjah International Book Fair\u2019s Cookery Corner<\/em><\/p>\n<p><i> <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-17364\" src=\"https:\/\/pardaisnewsdigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/3-Large-3-300x196.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"196\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pardaisnewsdigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/3-Large-3-300x196.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/pardaisnewsdigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/3-Large-3-768x502.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/pardaisnewsdigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/3-Large-3-150x98.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/pardaisnewsdigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/3-Large-3-450x294.jpeg 450w, https:\/\/pardaisnewsdigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/3-Large-3.jpeg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/i><\/p>\n<p>As aromas of cumin, paprika, and coriander filled the air, as Lebanese-Palestinian chef Hisham Assaad captivated audiences at the Cookery Corner of the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2025) with a session that was equal parts storytelling and culinary art.<\/p>\n<p>One of 14 international chefs leading 35 live sessions across the fair\u2019s 12-day programme, Assaad brought his characteristic warmth and wit to the stage, guiding participants through the preparation of <em>soujouk<\/em>\u2014an Armenian sausage featured in his acclaimed cookbook <em>Bayrut<\/em>. \u201cThe Armenian community in Lebanon brought their traditions to the Levant,\u201d<strong> he told the audience.<\/strong> \u201cTheir food mixed with ours\u2014Syrian, Lebanese, Palestinian\u2014creating something unique. Armenian food in the Levant doesn\u2019t resemble that in Armenia; it carries the spices of our region.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Assaad, returning to Sharjah was personal. Born in the UAE but visiting for the first time since 1997, he described his participation as a \u201chomecoming\u201d. \u201cIt feels special to return, not just to cook, but to share a piece of home through food,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>A former graphic designer, Assaad left his corporate career in 2015 to follow his passion for food and storytelling. His celebrated cookbooks <em>Bayrut<\/em> and <em>Taboon<\/em> delve into Levantine home cooking, celebrating recipes that carry the memory of generations. He also joined the performance group <em>Clown Me In<\/em>, bringing joy to refugee camps through art and laughter.<\/p>\n<p>The chef kept the audience engaged with anecdotes, humour, and practical tips\u2014from perfecting the spice blend to balancing fat content. As attendees sampled the freshly made <em>soujouk<\/em> sandwiches, one child remarked, \u201cIt\u2019s delicious\u2014but spicy!\u201d <strong>prompting Assaad\u2019s playful reply:<\/strong> \u201cThat\u2019s what yoghurt is for!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Assaad will return to the Cookery Corner on Sunday, November 9, to present a selection of traditional Palestinian desserts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The acclaimed chef returned to the UAE for the first time since 1997, sharing stories, spice, and soul at Sharjah International Book Fair\u2019s Cookery Corner As aromas of cumin, paprika, and coriander filled the air, as Lebanese-Palestinian chef Hisham Assaad captivated audiences at the Cookery Corner of the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2025)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17365,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[125,91],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sharjah","category-emirates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pardaisnewsdigital.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pardaisnewsdigital.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pardaisnewsdigital.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pardaisnewsdigital.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pardaisnewsdigital.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17363"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pardaisnewsdigital.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17363\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17366,"href":"https:\/\/pardaisnewsdigital.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17363\/revisions\/17366"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pardaisnewsdigital.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pardaisnewsdigital.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pardaisnewsdigital.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pardaisnewsdigital.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}