Habeeb Salloum, M.S.M. (9 March 1924 – 4 December 2019) was a prominent

Arab-Canadian Arab Canadians () come from all of the countries of the Arab world. According to the 2021 Census, there were 690,000 Canadians, or 1.9%, who claimed Arab ancestry. According to the 2011 Canadian census, 2011 census there were 380,620 Canadians ...

author and

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

writer. Salloum centered his writings on Canada, travel, and the

culinary art Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking, and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or ...

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

and world history, with a specific focus on cooking and tourism.

Career

Salloum was a Canadian author who grew up in Saskatchewan, joined the RCAF during the Second World War, and then worked for the Canadian Department of National Revenue for 36 years. For the last 30 years of his life, he was a full-time author and freelance writer specializing in food, history, and travel. Besides 14 books and 20 chapters in books, he wrote at least 2,000 published articles about culture, food, travel, history and homesteading in western Canada that have appeared in such publications as the ''Toronto Star'', the ''Globe and Mail'', the ''Western Producer'', ''Contemporary Review'', ''Forever Young Information'', ''Countryside & Small Stock Journal'', ''Backwoods Home'', ''Vitality'', ''High On Adventure'', and ''Saveur''. Salloum authored and co-authored fourteen books. Before his death, he worked on revising studies of

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

contributions to the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

languages with his daughters, Muna and Leila. Habeeb wrote hundreds of articles on history, food, travel,

homesteading Homesteading is a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. It is characterized by subsistence agriculture, home preservation of food, and may also involve the small scale production of textiles, clothing, and craft work for household use or sale. H ...

in western Canada, and Arab-Canadian history. He was considered Canada's foremost expert on

Arab cuisine Arab cuisine collectively refers to the regional culinary traditions of the Arab world, consisting of the Maghreb (the west) and the Mashriq (the east). These cuisines are centuries-old and reflect the culture of trading in ingredients, spices, ...

and Syrian immigration to Canada. During his travels, he experienced the

cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, List of cooking techniques, techniques and Dish (food), dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, ...

of hundreds of different countries and wrote numerous articles about each country's food fare. Along with his writings on food, he focused many of his writings on each country's history and travel. Much of his writings focus on the cuisine, tourism, and history of the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

countries, Spanish (Latin)-speaking world, Canada, and Arabs living in Canada, specifically Arab pioneering and homesteading in western Canada. He also delved into the impact of Arab /

Muslim Spain Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...

on the advancement of world history and contributions of the Arabic language on English and Spanish vocabularies.

Personal life

Salloum was born to Jiryas Ya'qub Salloum (father) and Shams (née Saliba) (mother) in the Qaroun within

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

(after his birth this section of

became part of modern-day

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

). A few months later, he and his mother and older brother immigrated to

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

, Canada to join his father who had emigrated six months earlier. Salloum had three brothers and four sisters. Salloum was raised in Saskatchewan on his family's

homestead Homestead may refer to: *Homestead (building), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses * Nguni homestead, a cluster of houses inhabited by a single extended family, typically with a kraal ...

farm. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

(1943–1945), he served in the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

. When he finished his time with the RCAF, Salloum came back to Canada and started a new life in the city of

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. In 1950, in Toronto, he married Freda (née Abourezk, or Bourzk). In Toronto, Salloum worked for

Revenue Canada The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA; ; ) is the revenue service of the Canadian federal government, and most provincial and territorial governments. The CRA collects taxes, administers tax law and policy, and delivers benefit programs and tax credit ...

, Customs and Excise, while at the same time pursuing his interests in literature, cooking and academics. Many years later, after retiring from Revenue Canada, he was able to become a full-time freelance writer and author. Once he began his new profession, he began his widespread travels around the world. Salloum had three children, Muna, Leila, and Raji. He had four grandchildren, Laith, Mazin, Jinaan, and Shaadi, and five great-grandsons, Bilal, Tamer, Khadeen (Kaden), Kiaan, and Qais, and two great-granddaughters, Layal and Tala.

Bibliography

Most significant works

* ''The Charm Unknown: A Translation of Iliya Abu Madi's al-Talasim'', Toronto, January 1976 * ''Journeys Back to Arab Spain''. Middle East Studies Centre. Toronto. 1994 * ''From the Lands of Figs and Olives: Over 300 Delicious and Unusual Recipes from the Middle East and North Africa'' (co-author James Peters). Interlink Books: New York. 1995 * ''Classic Vegetarian Cooking From the Middle East and North Afric''a. Interlink Publishing: New York. 2000 * ''Arabic Contributions to the English Vocabulary: English words of Arabic origin: Etymology and History'' (co-author James Peters). Librarie du Liban Publishers: Beirut. 1996 * ''Arab Cooking on a Saskatchewan Homestead: Recipes and Recollections''. Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina: Regina. 2005. This book won the Cuisine Canada and the

University of Guelph The University of Guelph (abbreviated U of G) is a comprehensive Public university, public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College (1874), the MacDonald I ...

's Silver Canadian Culinary Book Awards in Winnipeg in 2006. * ''Arabian Nights Cookbook: From Lamb Kebabs to Baba Ghanouj - Delicious Homestyle Arabian Cooking''. Tuttle Publishing: North Clarendon, VT. 2010 * ''Bison Delights: Middle Eastern Cuisine, Western Style''. Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina: Regina. 2010 * ''Scheherazade's Feasts: Foods of the Medieval Arab World''. (co-authors Leila Salloum Elias and Muna Salloum). University of Pennsylvania Press: Philadelphia. 2013 * ''Sweet Delights from A Thousand and One Nights: The Story of Traditional Arab Sweets''. (co-authors Leila Salloum Elias and Muna Salloum). I.B. Tauris: London, UK. 2013 * ''Asian Cooking Made Simple: A Culinary Journey along the Silk Road and Beyond''. Sweet Grass Books/Far Country Press: Helena, MT. 2014 * "Arab Cooking on a Prairie Homestead: Recipes and Recollections From a Syrian Pioneer", University of Regina: Regina, 2017 * The Scent of Pomegranates and Rose water: Reviving the Beautiful Food Tradition of Syria. Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press, November, 2018. * ''From the Land of Figs and Olives: Over 300 Delicious and Unusual Recipes from the Middle East and North Africa''. New York: Interlink Publishing (Revised and Edited), forthcoming

Most recent cookbooks

* ''Scheherazade's Feasts: Foods of the Medieval Arab World''. (co-authored with Leila Salloum Elias and Muna Salloum. University of Pennsylvania Press: Philadelphia. 2013 * ''Sweet Delights from a Thousand and One Nights: The Story of Traditional Arab Sweets''. (co-authored with Leila Salloum Elias and Muna Salloum). I.B. Tauris: London, UK. 2013 * ''Asian Cooking Made Simple: A Culinary Journey along the Silk Road and Beyond''. Sweet Grass Books/Far Country Press: Helena, MT. 2014

Chapters in books include

"A Birthday Party in Kuwait", in World Communities (ed. Elisabeth Plain), Toronto: Ginn and Company, 1977, pp. 180–199. "Reception pour un nouveau-né au Koweit", in Villes et villages du monde, (ed. Elisabeth Plain), Toronto: Ginn and Company, 1979, pp. 180–199 (translation of 1977 publication "A Birthday Party in Kuwait", World Communities). "George J.Salloum Family", in Neville, The Golden Years 1900–1980, Saskatchewan: The Neville Celebrate Saskatchewan Heritage Committee, 1980. "Reminiscence of an Arab Family Homesteading in Southern Saskatchewan", Canadian Ethnic Studies, The University of Calgary, Volume XV, Number 2, 1983, pp. 130–138. Contributor to The Recipes Only Cookbook, (ed. Carroll Allen), Toronto: Lorraine Grey Publications Limited, 1989, (7 recipes), pp. 57, 62, 89, 109, 126, 153, 208. "Spanish Vegetarian Cooking Made Simple", Vegan Handbook, (eds. D. Wasserman and R. Mangels), Baltimore: The Vegetarian Resource Group, 1996, pp. 117–120. "Satisfying Vegetarian Foods from Middle Eastern Lands", Vegan Handbook, (eds. D. Wasserman and R. Mangels), Baltimore: The Vegetarian Resource Group, 1996, pp. 121–125. "The Wholesome Vegetarian Dishes of North Africa", Vegan Handbook, (eds. D. Wasserman and R. Mangels), Baltimore: The Vegetarian Resource Group, 1996, pp. 126–129. "The Syrians" in the ''Encyclopedia of Canada’s Peoples'' (P.R. Magocsi, Editor), Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999, pp. 1241–1246. "Why Travel", The Right Angle – English Skills For College Students, Anjou, Québec: Les Éditions CEC, Inc., 2000, pp. 38–42. "Medieval and Renaissance Italy: Sicily", in Regional Cuisines of Medieval Europe (ed. Melitta W. Adamson), New York: Routledge, 2002, pp. 113–123. "Moroccan Mint Tea", (ed. S.Bard, B.Nielson & J. Spear), Steeped in the World of Tea, Northampton, Massachusetts: Interlink Publishing Group, 2005, pp. 135– 137. Salloum created new dishes at his home in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and spent much of his time traveling the world and authoring articles for each visit. His publications were found in newspapers and magazines across North America, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.

Awards

*Recipient of the Governor General of Canada's Meritorious Service Medal, 2018 *Winner of the 2013 Saskatchewan Tourism Travel Media Award, awarded by Saskatchewan Tourism on 10 April 2014

References

External links

– Things Asian on Habeeb Salloum

– Dave's Travel Corner on Habeeb Salloum

– GoNOMAD Travel on Habeeb Salloum

– Amazon on Habeeb Salloum

– Essay by Habeeb Salloum

– Arab Cooking on a Saskatchewan Homestead

– All Book Store... Habeeb's books

– Land of Figs and Olives

– THE ODYSSEY OF THE ARABIC LANGUAGE AND ITS SCRIPT {{DEFAULTSORT:Salloum, Habeeb Canadian cookbook writers Canadian travel writers Writers from Saskatchewan 1924 births 2019 deaths Canadian people of West Asian descent Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II