Context
Amman is a dynamic city with great potential to host innovative events that showcase the talents of Jordanians. The organizers of design week in Amman have observed that traditions are gradually being lost and that it is necessary to raise awareness among part of the population about the possibility of preserving and transforming their own food while allowing those who have knowledge of conservation and transformation processes to be highlighted and to share their knowledge and know-how.
Amman Design Week is an event co-created in 2016 by two Jordanian architects, Rana Beiruti and Abeer Seikaly. Design week is supported by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan and the European Union. This event brings together tens of thousands of visitors and local and international creators. Visitors, professionals (designers, artists, entrepreneurs...), students or the curious, can access a wide cultural offer free of charge in the form of exhibitions, conferences, workshops in particular. Design Week in Amman claims to be an immersive experience in Jordanian culture and design, supported by Queen Rania al-Abdallah. It is a moment dedicated to learning, exchanges, the creation of links and cooperation between designers and entrepreneurs, with the aim of using design as a tool to have a positive impact on the world.
The team behind this event is committed to showcasing and celebrating Jordanian culture and traditions. In addition, the fight against food waste is also part of the subject of the Mouneh edition. Indeed, the waste of food generates losses for the producer, the supplier, the cook but also for the consumers. But beyond the financial aspect, food waste also has an environmental and social cost. According to FAO estimates, a quarter of the world's food waste would be enough to solve malnutrition and famine. Thus, the 2017 edition honored these two themes, the preservation of traditions and the fight against food waste.
The project
The 2017 edition (October 6 to 14) of the design week in Amman proposed an axis around food dedicated to the art of conservation. Under the name of “Mouneh” (provision in Arabic), this program allowed visitors to immerse themselves in the history and traditions of food preservation. Featured preservation methods are: salting, pickling, sugaring and jams, drying/sun drying, fermentation and roasting.
Here are some examples of flagship products treated in different ways (pomegranate, coffee, eggplant,...) during the Mouneh edition in 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql2sJ-GOpXo&t=194s
The purpose of this program was to remind that the Middle East was a precursor space on the different conservation techniques and that this know-how continues and is transmitted from generation to generation, mainly between women, in Jordan.
Several initiatives were present during this edition to offer demonstrations, workshops and tastings to participants, in order to introduce them to the processes of salting, roasting, drying, fermentation or various transformations. Most of these techniques come from the Levant region, where historically people had to preserve their foods, extend the shelf life and minimize food waste. The main advantages are that these conservation techniques make it possible to “play with the seasons”, limit waste, increase food reserves, etc.
These techniques require different preservation processes, some being rather simple and requiring little equipment (salting, drying) and others a little more technical (roasting). However, preservation is not possible for all foods. However, the food preservation methods offered by the producers during Amman Design Week's Mouneh Week are intentionally based on easy and simple processes for everyone to train Ammanites in these techniques and to swarm gait as much as possible.
The initiatives present wished to insist on the preservation of traditions and the fight against food waste:
- The community of the village of Bayoudha, which offers products from farms that respect the principles of permaculture: tasting of ice cream and homemade organic yogurts with dates and strawberries produced by the community in northern Jordan.
- The Ne’meh project which facilitates the sale of products made by Jordanian women living in rural areas, to meet their needs and those of their community. This project is part of the UNDP program in Jordan “Women Economic Empowerment”. Pickled vegetables, fig jams, and chili-infused olive oil are some examples of processed products.
- Ayman's Tea House which collects and prepares teas, coffees and infusions.
- Khair Balady supports and participates in the development of Jordanian communities by marketing products made by these communities.
- Bin Izhiman, which sells coffee, spices, nuts.
Means
Design week in Amman is an event led by a team of about ten people specialized in food and environmental conservation, creation, communication, supported by advisers who provide support for promotion and development, trainees and students event ambassadors.
Here are the sponsors of the design week (very diverse partners, see photos below)
The little extra
Food awareness, which began with the 2017 edition, continued in 2019 with a program entitled “food meets design”. In parallel with the programming centered on design, visitors were able to discover edible sculptures and the exhibition “Food of the future, City of the future” which presented the different stages of the food system: from production to recycling. A few conferences were also offered, on topics such as the preservation of seeds.
The Food of the Future, City of the Future exhibition brought together designers and farmers from Amman to showcase new ways of looking at the future of food.
This initiative sheet was written by Romane Bouchez, LF volunteer - March 2023
Sources :
- https://ammandesignweek.com/program/mouneh-the-art-of-preservation
- https://ammandesignweek.com/
- https://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/local-producers-teach-ammanites-food-preservation-methods
- https://ammandesignweek.com/media/news/food-meets-design-adw-2019
- https://kalimatmagazine.com/Coming-together-and-taking-ownership-of-the-future-Amman-Design-Week
Last modification : 21 Jun 2023.
Amman Design Week
Amman Design Week is an event that promotes and celebrates Jordanian culture and traditions. It is a time for learning, exchange and cooperation between designers and entrepreneurs, with the aim of developing design as a tool with a positive impact.