Reddit mentions of A Taste of Thyme: Culinary Cultures of the Middle East

The Taste of Conquest by Michael Krondl looks appealing, but i haven't yet read it.

Stirring the Pot: A History of African Cuisine is adjacent to the regions you are interested in and could have some good information.

A Taste of Thyme is more of an academic writing style, but it has different chapters that examine a facet of Middle Eastern food life that would have good information for you.

660 Curries isn't a history book, but Iyer goes into great detail discussing spices, and if I'm not mistaken, history and background of particular curries. It's my go-to reference for Indian cooking as well.

No Taco's?

Cultural appropriation

The taco predates the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico. See the writings of the Spanish conquistador, Bernal Díaz del Castillo who documents the first taco meal eaten by Europeans, a feast Hernán Cortés arranged. https://web.archive.org/web/20080502160526/http://www.iccjournal.biz/StudentScholars/Undergraduate/history_of_mexican_cuisine.htm


The word Taco as currently used to describe the well known food derives from the word for a "plug" used by Mexican silver miners.

This is when explosive charges are formed into a plug consisting of a paper wrapper and gunpowder filling. Certain Taco's have a similar effect on me.

Indian tacos, or Navajo tacos, are made using fry bread instead of tortillas

No Hummus

Cultural Appropriation

Hummus comes from Egyptian, Levantine, Syrian, Israeli, and both Turkish & Greek Cypriot cultures. The basic concept of the dish predates by many centuries the cultural development of Arab culture.

As we generally know it in the USA, the Hummus recipe reliably dates back to the Abbasid Caliphate.

In 2010 the world record for a dish of Hummus was secured by the village of al-Fanar, near Beirut, about 23,000 pounds.

If you want more, read https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Thyme-Culinary-Cultures-Middle/dp/1860646034