After walking away from a career in finance, Phil Juma set out to rebuild his connection to Iraq through food. His mission is to reclaim the country’s rich cuisine and give it the respect it deserves
The tension between preserving authentic recipies and adapting them for a broader audience is so interesting here. Phil's getting pushback from Iraqis about his variations, but he's actually doing something crucial by keeping these culinary traditions alive and visibl in London. The fact that he's specifically representing Christian Iraqi heritage makes this even more important given how much that community has declined since 2003. Food becomes a form of cultural preservtion when so much else has been lost.
The tension between preserving authentic recipies and adapting them for a broader audience is so interesting here. Phil's getting pushback from Iraqis about his variations, but he's actually doing something crucial by keeping these culinary traditions alive and visibl in London. The fact that he's specifically representing Christian Iraqi heritage makes this even more important given how much that community has declined since 2003. Food becomes a form of cultural preservtion when so much else has been lost.
Thank you for reading; you're right about food as a form of cultural preservation