- Title: Edible art? Jordanian chef recreates ancient statue using local food
- Date: 20th October 2019
- Summary: AMMAN, JORDAN (OCTOBER 9, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CHEF'S ASSISTANT CARVING SHAPE INTO PIECE OF JAMEED (DRIED GOAT'S MILK USED IN JORDANIAN NATIONAL DISH) AMMAN, JORDAN (OCTOBER 15, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF JORDANIAN CHEF, OMAR SARTAWI, GRATING JAMEED VARIOUS OF SARTAWI SIFTING POWDER (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) JORDANIAN CHEF, OMAR SARTAWI, SAYING: "I think of Jameed as the only item that is truly unique to Jordanians. I think it's a material that has many characteristics that are not utilising. I am a trained chef with a design background, I wanted to bring those two elements together, in order to create a product that combines food and design." SARTAWI LINING UP MATERIALS VARIOUS OF SARTAWI COMBINING JAMEED WITH VARIOUS MATERIALS SARTAWI KNEADING DOUGH AND EXPLAINING PROCEDURE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) JORDANIAN CHEF, OMAR SARTAWI, SAYING: "There's a trend now around the world to create new building products that are environmentally friendly and green, so there are a lot of trials. I thought to create one out of Jameed. I worked for six months, and used all food grade items that are edible. I came up with this workable material that you can shape or turn into blocks or a statue." SARTAWI ADDING LIQUID USING DROPPER SARTAWI KNEADING CLAY VARIOUS OF STATUE HEADS VARIOUS OF SARTAWI'S ASSISTANT PLACING JAMEED CLAY ON STRUCTURE VARIOUS OF SARTAWI AND ASSISTANT BUILDING STATUE SARTAWI'S ASSISTANT WORKING WITH CLAY SARTAWI'S ASSISTANT WORKING ON STRUCTURE SARTAWI ADDING HEAD TO STATUE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) JORDANIAN CHEF, OMAR SARTAWI, SAYING: "This is (a replica) of Ein Ghazal, these are statues found in Jordan, 15 pieces that are among the oldest statues made by humans in the world. These are now on display in the Louvre in France and the Louvre Abu Dhabi. They are the oldest statues in the world and they were found in Jordan. I felt this was a symbol of Jordan and needed to by highlighted both locally and internationally. I used Jameed because this is the only material that distinguishes us." AMMAN, JORDAN (OCTOBER 12, 2019) (REUTERS) JAMEED STATUE ON DISPLAY AT AMMAN DESIGN WEEK VARIOUS OF WOMAN AT EXHIBIT LOOKING AT STATUE VARIOUS OF STATUE
- Embargoed: 3rd November 2019 14:21
- Keywords: Jordanian chef Jordanian food Jordanian food culture Jordanian art Jordanian statues Jordanian heritage Jameed
- Location: AMMAN, JORDAN
- City: AMMAN, JORDAN
- Country: Jordan
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA001B1WH0ET
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: In a Jordanian art gallery, a white statue with two heads stands on display but it is no ordinary one, it is an art piece that people can safely bite into.
This edible creation is the work of a chef who recreated an ancient statue found in the country, using the prized local food product, Jameed.
Jameed, or dried goat's milk, is a staple in Jordanian cuisine and is used in the country's national dish, Mansaf.
Omar Sartawi noticed that Jameed was not being fully utilised for all of its qualities, so he decided to use it to create a new building material.
After six months of trials, Sartawi combined the ingredient with a variety of other biodegradable materials and came up with a product he called 'Jameed Concrete'.
Sartawi said the food product is "truly unique to Jordanians", adding that he picked it because it is the only material that truly distinguishes the people of Jordan from others.
But in addition to highlighting the local heritage, the edible concrete also serves as a reminder of the importance of developing environmentally friendly materials for construction.
While this material would be too expensive to use in building large-scale structures, Sartawi says it sends a message on the need to find alternatives to traditional building materials.
Sartawi used the Jameed concrete to recreate the neolithic Ein Ghazal statues, which are currently on display in Jordan and in the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
His version of those statues were shown during the annual Amman Design Week, which this year displayed work from more than 250 creators, designers and artisans from 13 countries.
(Production: Jehad Abu Shalbak, Bushra Shakhshir) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None