Bittersweet

SAYED ASIF MAHMUD is a documentary photographer, curator, and educator from Bangladesh. A graduate of Pathshala, South Asian Media Institute, Asif is currently working as a communications officer at the United Nations World Food Programme in Yemen. His work has been exhibited at Chobimela VI, Dhaka Art Summit and Bengal Art Lounge in Bangladesh, Bedales Gallery in the UK, the Noorderlicht Festival of Photography in the Netherlands, and FICA in India. His social documentary, Tobacco Tale, a five-year deep dive into the tobacco industry in Bangladesh, was awarded second prize in Non-Traditional Photojournalism Award by NPPA (2013) and Honourable Mention in the 5th Edition of Anthropographia Award 2013. In 2015, the British Journal of Photography acknowledged Asif as one of the 25 Best New Photographers of the World. MARTA COLBURN has over 35 years of experience in the Middle East leading organisations, supporting humanitarian relief and development efforts and promoting various aspects of Yemeni culture, including 18 years working on Yemen. She has worked as a consultant and employee for a range of UN agencies, international non-governmental organizations and for local organizations in Yemen. In the region she has worked in Yemen, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, as well as in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Kyrgyzstan and Somalia. Marta has a MSc and BA degree in Political Science from Portland State University and has a strong background in research and evidence-based knowledge products, gender, organisational accountability and transparency, youth activism, rural economic development, cultural heritage preservation, civil society strengthening and water resource management. She has published widely on a variety of topics focusing on Yemen. JESSICA OLNEY has 18 years of experience as a consultant, researcher, educator, and author working to address human rights, conflict, and humanitarian affairs, primarily in South and Southeast Asia. She has led research for national and international organisations, governments, UN agencies, and civil society organisations. Jessica is especially passionate about collaborating with youth affected by conflict to amplify their voices through community-driven research and advocacy. She is currently based in Oakland, California.

Bread and Salta
Foreword by Tim Mackintosh-Smith
9 | 11

A Timeless Heritage
16 | 19

Diversity Across the Lands and Seas
20 | 21

Inside the Yemeni Kitchen
22 | 24

Exploring Unique Regions
27 | 47

Red Sea
28

The Gulf of Arden
30

Western Escarpment
32

Sana’a and the surrounding Highland
34

The Northern Highlands
37

The Southern Highlands
39

The Eastern Slopes and Southeast Coast
41

The Desert and Desert Fringe
44

Soqotra Island and Archipelago
46


Food Chapters
49 | 271

Bread
68

Fish
90

Fruits and Vegetables | Spices and Herbs
126 | 136

Meat and Protein
144

Dairy
162

Honey
188

Salt
200

Qat
218

Coffee
236

Afterword by Richard F. Ragan
275

The Future of Food
277 | 279

Glossary of Yemeni Food
280 | 283