Binding Identity: Chilean Palestinian Cookbooks and the Formation of a Diasporic Cuisine

Foodways have long been at the heart of the long-distance and long-term cultural connection that the Palestinian diaspora in Chile has maintained with the Palestinian homeland and Palestinian identity. Recent years have seen the publication of several new Chilean Palestinian cookbooks that have translated embodied knowledge from diasporic home kitchens into globally accessible written recipes. In this article, we ask why have these cookbooks emerged in this particular historical moment, and what are the cultural implications of these cookbooks for the Chilean Palestinian diaspora? In our response, we draw on ethnographic observation within the Chilean Palestinian foodscape, analysis of several recently published Chilean Palestinian cookbooks, and interviews with cookbook authors. We argue that these cookbooks have emerged now due to three interrelated factors: author interest in documenting and retaining family histories, a market of young consumers looking to engage with Arab food culture, and increased global attention toward ongoing Israeli military violence in Palestine. Furthermore, we argue that unlike cookbooks that center on national cuisines, these diasporic cookbooks stake out a unique position by focusing on the transitory nature of cuisine and the intersection of tradition and innovation in creating and sharing recipes. In the process, these cookbook authors bind Chilean Palestinian identity and inscribe the formation of a distinctly diasporic cuisine.