Habeeb Salloum, M.S.M. (9 March 1924 – 4 December 2019) was a prominent Arab-Canadian author and freelance writer. Salloum centered his writings on Canada, travel, and the culinary arts,

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

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 Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

contributions to the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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 Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

languages with his daughters, Muna and Leila. Habeeb wrote hundreds of articles on history, food, travel, homesteading in western Canada, and Arab-Canadian history. He was considered Canada's foremost expert on

Arab cuisine Arab cuisine ( ar, المطبخ العربي) is the cuisine of the Arabs, defined as the various regional cuisines spanning the Arab world, from the Maghreb to the Fertile Crescent and the Arabian Peninsula. These cuisines are centuries old an ...

and Syrian immigration to Canada. During his travels, he experienced the cuisine 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 north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

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 DIN 31635, translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label=Berber languages, Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, ...

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 (after his birth this section of Syria became part of modern-day

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

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

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

, 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 (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses * Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres *Homestead principle, a legal concept t ...

farm. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

(1943–1945), he served in the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) 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 environm ...

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

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. 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 , mottoeng = "to learn the reasons of realities" , established = May 8, 1964 ()As constituents: OAC: (1874) Macdonald Institute: (1903) OVC: (1922) , type = Public university , chancellor ...

'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 ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

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 Arab descent Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II