Many states celebrate Arab American heritage by dedicating a month to honor Arab Americans. Because of the negative images in the media, it would seem that most people just don’t like Arab Americans. But across the country, cities, schools, and libraries offer events that highlight the contributions that Arabs and Arab Americans have made to the world and to the United States. Arab Americans often hold festivals, or Mahrajans, which are like fairs and include fun activities and ethnic food. Celebrating the true story of Arab Americans helps to overcome hurtful discrimination and bias. The United States is a country made up of many different peoples who are all American. Libraries have featured really special programs—maybe because some of the world’s first books were written in the Middle East!
Did you know that countless English words are borrowed from other languages? These are called loan words, and many of them come from Arabic. Even many Spanish, French, and Latin words started as Arabic words, making them a double or triple loan to English. Can you imagine studying math without a “zero”? Speaking of math, “algebra” is an Arabic word, too! Trick-or-treating wouldn’t be the same without “candy,” and sleeping wouldn’t be as comfortable without a “mattress,” both from Arabic. Here are just a few English words and inventions on loan from Arabic.
alidade: a surveying instrument
almanac: al-man
x, the climate
amber: anbar, yellow
apricot: al-birquq
artichoke: al-xursh
f, the land thorn
caliber: qâlib, mould
carafe: gharrfa, decanter
caramel: kurat al milh, ball of sweet salt
caraway: karwiya
coffee: qahwa
cotton: qutun
crimson: qirmazi (possibly from the insect qirmiz, used to make red dye)
date: daqal, date palm
gazelle: ghazal
genie: Jinn
giraffe: zarfa
henna: hinna
jar: jarrah, large earthen vase
jasmine: yas(a)min
lemon: laymun, all citrus fruit
lilac: lilak
lute: al-Qd, oud, ancestor of the guitar
monsoon: mawsim, season
muslin: from Mosul, Iraq, where cotton fabric was first made
orange: naranj
safari: safar, journey
safflower: as far, yellow
sash: shsh, wrap of muslin
satin: zaytn
scarlet: siqillat, fine cloth
sequin: sikka, coin
sherbet or syrup: sharb, a drink
soda: suwwda, a species of plant
spinach: isfanakh
sugar: sukkar
tahini: tahn, flour, derived from the Arabic verb for grind
tambourine: tambur
Across the United States are towns with names from Arabic words or named after Middle Eastern people, cities, or countries. Places mentioned in the Bible are all in the region, and many US towns were given Biblical names. Elkader, Iowa, was founded in 1846 by Timothy Davis. He admired the international hero Emir Abd Elkader from Algeria, who rose up against French colonialism in his country in 1830. Today, Elkader is a sister city with Mascara, Algeria, birthplace of Emir Elkader. Here are just a few of the many towns with Arabic names. You can keep an eye out for Arabic-inspired architecture, which is very common in the Americas.
Aladdin, Wyoming
Alexandria, Virginia
Bagdad, California
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Cairo, Illinois
Twelve states have a
Damascus: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Maine, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia
Egypt, Pennsylvania
Jordan, Pennsylvania
Lebanon, South Dakota (and many other states)
Mecca, California
Medina, Ohio (previously called Mecca)
Memphis, Tennessee
Nebo, North Carolina
New Jerusalem, Pennsylvania
Palestine, Texas
Syria, Virginia
Tripoli, Iowa
Meal sharing is a major part of Arabic cultures. Many suburban families take lengthy car trips into cities just so they can buy the freshest and most authentic ingredients. Some grandmothers may still rule the kitchen, which is often considered the center of the home, just as it was generations ago. But Chef Saad made it into the kitchen and grew up around his sitti (grandmother), who made stuffed grape leaves and other tasty fare. Like her grandson, she was also famous for her cooking and was even featured in the Chicago Tribune food section.
Jeffrey thinks he could probably recognize the smell of cardamom before he could walk! The Food Network star, born in 1967, grew up in the Chicago, Illinois, suburb of Hinsdale. Not only did he study culinary arts in college, he also interned with some of the world’s most famous chefs. Besides hosting United Tastes of America, Jeffery is also the spokesperson for the “Incredible Edible Egg.” He believes in “cooking locally and eating globally,” which means using food grown close to home, as it will be cheaper and fresher. As a dad, he likes to prepare Sitti’s famous Puffy Pancakes with his kids.
When Jeffrey was growing up, he used to go to his grandparents’ lake house in Wisconsin, called the House of Seven Gables. He remembers it as a special time, as all the cousins would gather from around the country and sleep in one big room in the gables. At night, they all fell asleep to laughter, and in the morning, the children woke up to the smell of the puffy pancake his grandmother made in her ancient cast iron pan. Jeffrey says that the smell of sweet butter and caramelized sugar still makes him think of Sitti!
Adult supervision required
Oven
½ cup butter
Cast iron frying pan
Mixing bowl
2 eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup milk
½ cup flour Spoon
Maple syrup, jelly, honey, or other syrup
Makes four servings
Find out if your town or library recognizes Arab American Heritage Month. If so, you can join in by sharing some of the activities in this book. If not, maybe you can get some friends together and start a celebration. You can cook up some of the recipes and play games featured in this book. Make some displays showing Arab American people and their contributions and, of course, dance the dabkeh while keeping the beat on the riq and derbekke.
Arabic calligraphy is Arabic writing that has taken on an artistic quality. Arabic is the language of the Qur’an, the Muslim holy book. Because Muslims feel it is disrespectful to create art that represents humans or living things, they began to use calligraphy to decorate places of worship and homes and to beautify the pages of the Qur’an. Calligraphers spend many years perfecting their art and working under the supervision of masters of the craft. There are four main types of calligraphy, each with its own features.
Try your hand at this centuries-old art form using the English alphabet.
Roll of plain shelf paper
Scissors
1 carpenter pencil (or another really big pencil)
1 regular pencil
Masking tape
Markers
Magazines
Photographs from the Internet
Glue
Choice of decorations
