New Books in Middle Eastern Studies Anny Gaul, "Nile Nightshade: An Egyptian Culinary History of the Tomato" (U California Press, 2025)
Dec 4, 2025
Anny Gaul, an assistant professor and cultural historian, dives into the fascinating journey of the tomato in Egypt in her new book. She discusses how this once foreign fruit became a cornerstone of national identity and everyday cooking, connecting diverse communities across Egypt. Gaul also highlights women's pivotal roles in shaping culinary culture through cookbooks and oral histories, and explores the impact of modern irrigation on tomato farming. She intriguingly contrasts tomato dominance with traditional practices, revealing a rich tapestry of food history.
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Tomato As A Lens On Power
- Focusing a food history on one ingredient reveals links between cuisine, politics, and labor.
- Anny Gaul shows the tomato connects culinary culture to irrigation, displacement, and political economy.
Multiple Routes Of Arrival
- Tomatoes likely arrived in Egypt during the Ottoman period via multiple routes, not a single path.
- Gaul argues diffusion came from both Mediterranean and Indian Ocean circuits, underscoring Egypt's global connections.
Irrigation Made Tomatoes Ubiquitous
- The tomato rose from being a little-documented crop to Egypt's dominant vegetable across the 19th–20th centuries.
- Expanded irrigation and Mediterranean demand turned tomatoes into a year-round staple by mid-20th century.
