From Baghdad to Kobe: Jewish Foodways Across the Indian Ocean

Qesher presents a talk tracing the journeys of Baghdadi Jewish communities across Asia, from merchant networks linking Baghdad with ports such as Bombay, Calcutta, Rangoon, Singapore, and Kobe to wider Indian Ocean routes. Using food as a guiding thread, the session explores how recipes traveled and adapted to new ingredients while preserving continuity, with kitchens emerging as spaces where tradition and change met. Moving into the mid-twentieth century and beyond, the talk examines how these culinary practices evolved as communities relocated, highlighting migration, connection, and cultural resilience.