Artist Michael Rakowitz celebrates the humble date in sweet and sticky cookbook
Iraqi-American artist Michael Rakowitz (b.1973) is fond of dates – the sweet sticky type, and the gathering friends together for dinner type. It seemed natural to bring these two pleasures together in a cookbook – A House With A Date Palm Will Never Starve – that is filled with recipes by friends that all include date syrup as an ingredient.
In his work, Rakowitz has used the date as a vessel for exploring politics, culture, migration, trade, and his own family history. From reopening his family’s import/export business in Iraq and tracing the journey of a batch of dates from Iraq to the US, to opening up of a date shop for the Iraqi diaspora in New York, and building a sculpture out of 10,000 tins of date syrup in Trafalgar Square – it’s safe to say dates are one of his mediums.
Rakowitz has been leaving a sweet and sticky trail across London. His Fourth Plinth commission The invisible enemy should not exist currently resides in one of the most visible places of the city, his Whitechapel Gallery show has recently opened, and his work is included in the V&A’s latest show on food and art.
Now, the recipe book is a way for people to taste his work. He sees it as a way to bring date syrup into kitchens and create a wider appreciation for the versatile sugar substitute: ‘A wider appreciation for date syrup that will, inshallah, help replant those disappeared date palms in Iraq. Here’s to a sweeter future,’ he says.
Rakowitz’s date export project showed how the Iraqi date industry has suffered at the hands of US politics. Moving beyond art and into social activism like much of his work, the recipe book contributes to Rakowitz’s interest in creating awareness of this.
The date is a symbol of happiness and warmth in Iraq – it’s the first taste for a newborn, placed in the mouth to bring good things. The title of the book A House With A Date Palm Will Never Starve is a Mesopotamian proverb on how all the date palms elements – the dates, the shade, the leaves and the wood – all combine to make a happy home.
The versatility of the gluten-free, vegan superfood can be seen across the cookbook in traditional Iraqi and new recipes, from marinades and pickles, to cocktails and chutneys. Rakowitz invited Iraqi chefs, such as his mother Yvonne Rakowitz, Linda Dangoor and Philip Juma, alongside international chefs Claudia Roden, Yotam Ottolenghi, Nuno Mendes and Giorgio Locatelli to contribute. Their recipes combine with sketches by Rakowitz, food styling by Olia Hercules and photography by Joe Woodhouse. Read alongside Rakowitz’s work, the tome is a culinary adventure through politics, culture and trade, as well as being filled with tasty recipes.
INFORMATION
A House With a Date Palm Will Never Starve: Cooking With Date Syrup, published by Art / Books, £19.95
artbookspublishing.co.uk
‘Michael Rakowitz’, Whitechapel Gallery, until 25 August 2019
A supper club featuring recipes from the book will be held at the Whitechapel Gallery on 26 July
whitechapelgallery.org
‘FOOD: Bigger than the Plate’, V&A Museum, until 20 October 2019
vam.ac.uk
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Harriet Thorpe is a writer, journalist and editor covering architecture, design and culture, with particular interest in sustainability, 20th-century architecture and community. After studying History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Journalism at City University in London, she developed her interest in architecture working at Wallpaper* magazine and today contributes to Wallpaper*, The World of Interiors and Icon magazine, amongst other titles. She is author of The Sustainable City (2022, Hoxton Mini Press), a book about sustainable architecture in London, and the Modern Cambridge Map (2023, Blue Crow Media), a map of 20th-century architecture in Cambridge, the city where she grew up.
-
DAB 1α electric motorbike is the first product from French manufacturer DAB Motors
The DAB 1α is an all-electric motorbike born out of industrial design, gaming culture and aviation technology, and now available to order
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
The 2024 Ivor Novello nominations for songwriting have been revealed
77 British and Irish songwriters and composers make up this year's nominees, announced tonight at London's Groucho Club
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Why Bollinger’s La Grande Année 2015 champagne is worth celebrating
Champagne Bollinger unveils La Grande Année 2015 and La Grande Année Rosé 2015, two outstanding cuvées from an exceptional year in wine-making
By Melina Keays Published
-
René Redzepi, Mette Søberg and Junichi Takahashi on Noma’s new cookbook
Lifting the lid on Noma’s secrets, a new cookbook celebrates the pioneering restaurant’s season menus, and offers a deep dive behind the scenes
By Jeni Porter Last updated
-
60-Second Cocktails book shakes up summer happy hour at home
This 60-Second Cocktails book brings summer happy hour into your home with easy but sophisticated cocktail recipes and tips to guide even novice shakers
By Martha Elliott Last updated
-
Celebrate Lunar New Year with tiger claw buns and coin-shaped dumplings
London restaurant Bao is celebrating Lunar New Year with festive treats, plus seasonal gifts from its online store, and the chance to win a year’s supply of bao buns
By Mary Cleary Last updated
-
New cookbook transforms horror movies into terrifying food art
Horror Caviar, the first cookbook from A24, features recipes inspired by horror movies, from creatives including Laila Gohar and Chloe Wise, alongside essays by Carmen Maria Machado, Stephanie LaCava, and more
By Mary Cleary Last updated
-
Edible flowers: the how, the what and the why
A new book from Monacelli, Edible Flowers: How, Why, and When We Eat Flowers, uncovers a fascinating history
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Match point: learn how to properly pair food and wine
Learn a thing or two about fine cooking and wine selection with this new book from the London Club
By Melina Keays Last updated
-
Vincent Darré reimagines the Cointreau bottle
Cointreau celebrates 170 years of the Art of The Mix with a limited edition bottle designed by Vincent Darré
By Emi Eleode Last updated
-
Fragile Self’s multi-platform debut album is a fervent fusion of sound and vision
The designer behind David Bowie's album covers has released a multimedia album exploring the history of psychology and the definition of ‘normality'
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Last updated