Salty and Sweet: The Role of Chickpeas at the Festival (Mulid) of Ahmad al-Badawi in the Egyptian Delta 1850s to 1890s

Abstract

ABSTRACT Every October since the death of Moroccan born mystic Ahmad al-Badawi (c.1199), devotees travel from all over Afro-Eurasia seeking blessings from the saint during the grandmulid (fair). His body rests in the central Egyptian Delta city Tanta. When visitors arrive, the markets that surrounded his mosque and tomb greet them with the fragrance of sweets ranging from basbusa, honey, candy, sha’ar (hair) and savory treats such as nuts, seeds and chickpeas. These sweets and specifically (chickpeas) hummus have come to connote, joy and blessings from the saint and the festivities that surround the event. This article will explore the ways that devotees and pilgrims used hummus to consume the saint’s blessing (baraka) during the second half of the 19th century and argue that hummus represented a cultural aspect of the relationship between the devotees and saint and provide insight into Egyptian Delta cosmology during the 19th century.