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[[File:Hummus bi Tahini ("Chick-Pea Sesame Dip") following the recipe from Helen Corey's Food from Biblical Lands.jpg|alt=Hummus garnished with pomegranate seeds, from Helen Corey's Food from Biblical Lands (1989) cookbook|thumb|"Chick Pea Sesame Dip" (Homos bi Tahini) made according to the recipe in ''Helen Corey's Food from Biblical Lands'' cookbook (1989), p. 4. Pomegranate seeds and parsley garnish the hummus. The author cites Exodus 38:33-34, which begins, "On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns..." (English Standard Version)]]
[[File:Hummus bi Tahini ("Chick-Pea Sesame Dip") following the recipe from Helen Corey's Food from Biblical Lands.jpg|alt=Hummus garnished with pomegranate seeds, from Helen Corey's Food from Biblical Lands (1989) cookbook|thumb|"Chick Pea Sesame Dip" (Homos bi Tahini) made according to the recipe in ''Helen Corey's Food from Biblical Lands'' cookbook (1989), p. 4. Pomegranate seeds and parsley garnish the hummus. The author cites Exodus 38:33-34, which begins, "On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns..." (English Standard Version)]]
'''Helen Corey''' (born October 9, 1923)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/inauthors/view?docId=encyclopedia/VAA5365-02.xml;chunk.id=ina-v2-entry-0547;toc.depth=1;toc.id=ina-v2-entry-0547;brand=ia-books;doc.view=0;query=&text1=mary%20hagler&field1=text&hit.rank=|title=Indiana authors and their books 1917-1966|website=webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu|access-date=2019-10-30}}</ref> is a Syrian-American cookbook author, television producer, and educator. She was the first Syrian-American woman to hold elected office in [[Indiana]]. Her books, including the bestseller entitled ''The Art of Syrian Cookery'' (1962) and ''Helen Corey's'' ''Food from Biblical Lands'' (1989), popularized Levantine Arab cuisine among U.S. audiences. Corey stressed the biblical origins of Middle Eastern cuisine, embraced food as a vehicle for cross-cultural and [[Interfaith dialogue|inter-faith dialogue]], and promoted awareness of [[Eastern Christianity]] in the United States, by discussing her family's culture in the [[Antiochian Orthodox Church]].<ref name=":4">{{cite book|title=The Art of Syrian Cookery: A culinary trip to the land of Bible history, Syria and Lebanon, with traditional recipes adapted for American kitchens|last=Corey|first=Helen|publisher=Doubleday|year=1962|isbn=|location=New York City|pages=}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Helen Corey's Food from Biblical Lands: A Culinary Trip to the Land of Bible History|last=Corey|first=Helen|publisher=|year=1989|isbn=|location=Terre Haute, Indiana|pages=}}</ref> She was a pioneer in the development of [[culinary diplomacy]].
'''Helen Corey''' (born October 9, 1923)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/inauthors/view?docId=encyclopedia/VAA5365-02.xml;chunk.id=ina-v2-entry-0547;toc.depth=1;toc.id=ina-v2-entry-0547;brand=ia-books;doc.view=0;query=&text1=mary%20hagler&field1=text&hit.rank=|title=Indiana authors and their books 1917-1966|website=webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu|access-date=2019-10-30}}</ref> is a Syrian-American cookbook author, television producer, and educator. She is also the first Syrian-American woman to hold elected office in [[Indiana]]. She is known for her cookbooks ''The Art of Syrian Cookery'' (1962) and ''Helen Corey's'' ''Food from Biblical Lands'' (1989), in which she stresses the biblical origins of Middle Eastern cuisine, and discusses food as a vehicle for cross-cultural and [[Interfaith dialogue|inter-faith dialogue]], and promotes awareness of [[Eastern Christianity]] in the United States, by discussing her family's culture in the [[Antiochian Orthodox Church]].<ref name=":4">{{cite book|title=The Art of Syrian Cookery: A culinary trip to the land of Bible history, Syria and Lebanon, with traditional recipes adapted for American kitchens|last=Corey|first=Helen|publisher=Doubleday|year=1962|isbn=|location=New York City|pages=}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Helen Corey's Food from Biblical Lands: A Culinary Trip to the Land of Bible History|last=Corey|first=Helen|publisher=|year=1989|isbn=|location=Terre Haute, Indiana|pages=}}</ref> 

⚫
== Family Background ==


⚫
== Family and early life ==
Helen Corey’s parents, Maheeba (“Mabel”) and Mkhyal (“Michael”), were born in the Arne and Ein el-shara suburbs of [[Damascus]], Syria, and migrated to the United States.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hoboes.com/Mimsy/Food/art-syrian-cookery/|title=Mimsy Review: The Art of Syrian Cookery|last=Stratton|first=Jerry|date=March 3, 2016|website=Mimsy Were the Borogoves|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref> Helen Corey was born on October 9, 1923 in [[Canton, Ohio]], and lived there until she moved to [[Terre Haute, Indiana|Terre Haute]], Indiana in 1946.<ref name=":0" /> She and her family were part of a wave of Arabic immigrants who migrated to Terre Haute during the early twentieth century and who settled there due to the city’s “potential for prosperity through farming, mining and a growing manufacturing base.”<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.tribstar.com/opinion/columns/mark-bennett-when-the-world-came-to-th/article_7d28b2d9-46ef-5418-82df-4a7f09456e12.html|title=When the World Came to TH|last=Bennett|first=Mark|date=March 25, 2018|work=Tribune Star|access-date=}}</ref> As early as 1927, the town had a sufficiently substantial Syrian Christian community that its members wrote and notarized a constitution for its church, St. George Orthodox Church.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ww1.antiochian.org/node/22226|title=Featured Parish: St. George Church + Terre Haute, IN|last=Antiochan Orthodox Christian Diocese of North America|first=|date=|website=Antiochan Orthodox Christian Diocese of North America|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=November 5, 2019}}</ref> In 2018, Corey participated in a ceremony commemorating a historical marker for “Little Syria on the [[Wabash River|Wabash]]”, the site of the original twentieth-century immigrant Syrian neighborhoods of [[Terre Haute, Indiana|Terre Haute]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tribstar.com/news/local_news/little-syria-on-the-wabash/article_74e8fe7d-bc9b-517c-9c66-055ecc8b900b.html|title=Little Syria on the Wabash|last=Modesitt|first=Alex|date=April 19, 2018|website=Tribune Star|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=November 4, 2019}}</ref>
Helen Corey’s parents, Maheeba (“Mabel”) and Mkhyal (“Michael”), were born in the Arne and Ein el-shara suburbs of [[Damascus]], Syria, and migrated to the United States.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hoboes.com/Mimsy/Food/art-syrian-cookery/|title=Mimsy Review: The Art of Syrian Cookery|last=Stratton|first=Jerry|date=March 3, 2016|website=Mimsy Were the Borogoves|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref> Helen Corey was born on October 9, 1923 in [[Canton, Ohio]], and lived there until she moved to [[Terre Haute, Indiana|Terre Haute]], Indiana in 1946.<ref name=":0" /> She and her family were part of a wave of Arabic immigrants who migrated to Terre Haute during the early twentieth century and who settled there due to the city’s “potential for prosperity through farming, mining and a growing manufacturing base.”<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.tribstar.com/opinion/columns/mark-bennett-when-the-world-came-to-th/article_7d28b2d9-46ef-5418-82df-4a7f09456e12.html|title=When the World Came to TH|last=Bennett|first=Mark|date=March 25, 2018|work=Tribune Star|access-date=}}</ref> As early as 1927, the town had a sufficiently substantial Syrian Christian community that its members wrote and notarized a constitution for its church, St. George Orthodox Church.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ww1.antiochian.org/node/22226|title=Featured Parish: St. George Church + Terre Haute, IN|last=Antiochan Orthodox Christian Diocese of North America|first=|date=|website=Antiochan Orthodox Christian Diocese of North America|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=November 5, 2019}}</ref> In 2018, Corey participated in a ceremony commemorating a historical marker for “Little Syria on the [[Wabash River|Wabash]]”, the site of the original twentieth-century immigrant Syrian neighborhoods of [[Terre Haute, Indiana|Terre Haute]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tribstar.com/news/local_news/little-syria-on-the-wabash/article_74e8fe7d-bc9b-517c-9c66-055ecc8b900b.html|title=Little Syria on the Wabash|last=Modesitt|first=Alex|date=April 19, 2018|website=Tribune Star|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=November 4, 2019}}</ref>


As a member of St. George Orthodox Church (the Syrian Antiochian Orthodox church of Terre Haute) Helen Corey often acted as a de facto ambassador for her church.<ref name=":3" /> She also served on this church’s board of trustees.<ref name=":4" />
As a member of St. George Orthodox Church (the Syrian Antiochian Orthodox church of Terre Haute) Helen Corey often acted as a de facto ambassador for her church.<ref name=":3">{{cite web|url=https://www.tribstar.com/news/local_news/woman-s-press-club-recognizes-terre-haute-author/article_12f3ba0a-124b-54dd-b0b0-cf5f21d10a65.html|title=Woman's Press Club recognizes Terre Haute author|website=Terre Haute Tribune-Star|language=en|accessdate=6 November 2019}}</ref> She also served on this church’s board of trustees.<ref name=":4" />


Through her cookbooks, television show, and other public programs, she aimed to raise public awareness about Syrian culture and to share information on the Antiochian Orthodox Church’s feast and fast days.<ref name=":3" /> With five godchildren, Corey described herself as belonging to a close-knit family community.<ref name=":2" />
Through her cookbooks, television show, and other public programs, she aimed to raise public awareness about Syrian culture and to share information on the Antiochian Orthodox Church’s feast and fast days.<ref name=":3" /> With five godchildren, Corey describes herself as belonging to a close-knit family community.<ref name=":2" />


⚫
== Career and civic engagement ==
== The Antiochan Orthodox Church and Christian Lenten Cuisine ==
⚫
Helen Corey published ''The Art of Syrian Cookery'' in 1962. Years later, she founded a press, called CharLyn Publishing, which then published her second major cookbook, ''Helen Corey’s Food From Biblical Lands'' in 1989, followed by ''Healthy Syrian and Lebanese Cooking'' in 2004.<ref name=":3" /> Corey produced a televised show inspired by ''Food From Biblical Lands'' in 1990 and a later documentary about [[Easter]] as observed in the Syrian Antiochian Orthodox Church Easter. She occasionally hosted television shows and often interviewed international guests.<ref name=":3" /> Her 2004 book ''Healthy Syrian and Lebanese Cooking'' received first place in the [[National Federation of Press Women]], out of 1,700 books submitted.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tribstar.com/news/lifestyles/cookbook-author-receives-award/article_051be8c0-b34f-5a70-889b-dd29349c5122.html|title=Cookbook author receives award|website=Terre Haute Tribune-Star|language=en|accessdate=6 November 2019}}</ref>
⚫
In her cookbooks, Corey prominently features dishes associated with [[Lent]], when Christians in the Antiochan Orthodox Church and in many other Middle Eastern churches abstain from meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs during the forty days before [[Easter]] and in preparation for the Passion of Christ. Lenten dishes are either vegan or based on fish. Orthodox Christians follow the same guidelines on Wednesdays and Fridays, as well as smaller fasts throughout the year.


⚫
''Helen Corey’s Food From Biblical Lands'' was out of print until October 2016, when Echo Print Books and Media issued an updated version of the cookbook for the Middle Eastern Festival sponsored in Terre Haute, Indiana by St. George Social Center. Proceeds from the book sale benefited the associated St. George Orthodox Church.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tribstar.com/features/valley_life/corey-s-cookbook-returning-to-print-in-time-for-oct/article_4afc891c-a252-5be2-8fd9-9277e848641e.html|title=Corey's cookbook returning to print in time for Oct. 2 Middle Eastern Fest|website=Terre Haute Tribune-Star|language=en|accessdate=6 November 2019}}</ref>
⚫
Before Lent, Christians in different countries have had different traditions regarding pre-Lent meals. Corey’s cookbooks include many recipes centered around pre-Lent dishes in Syria, especially [[Kibbeh|''kibby'']] (beef or lamb-stuffed wheat), the national dish of Syria and Lebanon. Syrian Orthodox Christians, she reported, also partake in a “[[Maslenitsa|cheese-fare]]” the week before Lent in which they sampled many cheeses before the fast begins.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Art of Syrian Cookery|last=Corey|first=Helen|publisher=Doubleday|year=1962|isbn=|location=New York City|pages=131}}</ref> The pre-fast rituals ended with the consumption of a boiled egg. Lent also ended with the breaking of an egg, common in many Christian traditions.


⚫
Helen Corey worked for many years in municipal and state government. From 1948 to 1961<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/inauthors/view?docId=encyclopedia/VAA5365-02.xml;chunk.id=ina-v2-entry-0547;toc.depth=1;toc.id=ina-v2-entry-0547;brand=ia-books;doc.view=0;query=&text1=mary%20hagler&field1=text&hit.rank=|title=Indiana authors and their books 1917-1966|website=webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu|access-date=2019-11-12}}</ref> she was secretary to the mayor of Terre Haute and Indiana’s Young Democrat National Committeewoman. In November 1964, she was elected Reporter for the Supreme and Appellate Courts – and thereby the first Syrian American elected to public office in Indiana.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tribstar.com/news/local_news/little-syria-on-the-wabash/article_74e8fe7d-bc9b-517c-9c66-055ecc8b900b.html|title='Little Syria on the Wabash'|last=Tribune-Star|first=Alex Modesitt|website=Terre Haute Tribune-Star|language=en|access-date=2019-11-10}}</ref> At one time she also served on the Indiana Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women.<ref name=":4" />
⚫
Corey’s cookbooks also include many Lenten recipes, including [[hummus]] bi-tahini (chickpeas pureed with sesame paste). Many of Corey’s Lenten foods consist of ingredients commonly used in many Syrian dishes, such as lentils, fava beans, and eggplant; what makes them appropriate for Lent, again, is that they are vegan. Additionally, many Lenten recipes use generous amounts of olive oil. All animal products are forbidden except for honey.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://syrianorthodoxchurch.org/2010/05/fasting/|title=Fasting|last=Sandy|first=Ghattas|date=2010-05-19|website=Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2019-11-12}}</ref> Corey uses honey in her “Sesame candy.”<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Art of Syrian Cookery|last=Corey|first=Helen|publisher=Doubleday|year=1962|isbn=|location=New York City|pages=157}}</ref>


⚫
Through her cookbooks, television show, and other public programs, she aimed to raise public awareness about Syrian culture and to share information on the Antiochian Orthodox Church’s feast and fast days.<ref name=":3" />
⚫
== Career and Civic Engagement ==
⚫
Helen Corey published ''The Art of Syrian Cookery'' in 1962. Years later, she founded a press, called CharLyn Publishing, which then published her second major cookbook, ''Helen Corey’s Food From Biblical Lands'' in 1989, followed by ''Healthy Syrian and Lebanese Cooking'' in 2004.<ref name=":3">{{cite web |title=Woman's Press Club recognizes Terre Haute author |url=https://www.tribstar.com/news/local_news/woman-s-press-club-recognizes-terre-haute-author/article_12f3ba0a-124b-54dd-b0b0-cf5f21d10a65.html |website=Terre Haute Tribune-Star |accessdate=6 November 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Corey produced a televised show inspired by ''Food From Biblical Lands'' in 1990 and a later documentary about [[Easter]] as observed in the Syrian Antiochian Orthodox Church Easter. She occasionally hosted television shows and often interviewed international guests.<ref name=":3" /> Her 2004 book ''Healthy Syrian and Lebanese Cooking'' received first place in the [[National Federation of Press Women]], out of 1,700 books submitted.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cookbook author receives award |url=https://www.tribstar.com/news/lifestyles/cookbook-author-receives-award/article_051be8c0-b34f-5a70-889b-dd29349c5122.html |website=Terre Haute Tribune-Star |accessdate=6 November 2019 |language=en}}</ref>


== Cooking ==
⚫
''Helen Corey’s Food From Biblical Lands'' was out of print until October 2016, when Echo Print Books and Media issued an updated version of the cookbook for the Middle Eastern Festival sponsored in Terre Haute, Indiana by St. George Social Center. Proceeds from the book sale benefited the associated St. George Orthodox Church.<ref>{{cite web |title=Corey's cookbook returning to print in time for Oct. 2 Middle Eastern Fest |url=https://www.tribstar.com/features/valley_life/corey-s-cookbook-returning-to-print-in-time-for-oct/article_4afc891c-a252-5be2-8fd9-9277e848641e.html |website=Terre Haute Tribune-Star |accessdate=6 November 2019 |language=en}}</ref>


=== Religion ===
⚫
Helen Corey worked for many years in municipal and state government. From 1948 to 1961<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/inauthors/view?docId=encyclopedia/VAA5365-02.xml;chunk.id=ina-v2-entry-0547;toc.depth=1;toc.id=ina-v2-entry-0547;brand=ia-books;doc.view=0;query=&text1=mary%20hagler&field1=text&hit.rank=|title=Indiana authors and their books 1917-1966|website=webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu|access-date=2019-11-12}}</ref> she was secretary to the mayor of Terre Haute and Indiana’s Young Democrat National Committeewoman. In November 1964, she was elected Reporter for the Supreme and Appellate Courts – and thereby the first Syrian American elected to public office in Indiana.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tribstar.com/news/local_news/little-syria-on-the-wabash/article_74e8fe7d-bc9b-517c-9c66-055ecc8b900b.html|title='Little Syria on the Wabash'|last=Tribune-Star|first=Alex Modesitt|website=Terre Haute Tribune-Star|language=en|access-date=2019-11-10}}</ref> At one time she also served on the Indiana Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women.<ref name=":4" />
⚫
In her cookbooks, Corey prominently features dishes associated with [[Lent]], when Christians in the Antiochan Orthodox Church and in many other Middle Eastern churches abstain from meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs during the forty days before [[Easter]] and in preparation for the Passion of Christ. Lenten dishes are either vegan or based on fish. Orthodox Christians follow the same guidelines on Wednesdays and Fridays, as well as smaller fasts throughout the year.


⚫
Before Lent, Christians in different countries have had different traditions regarding pre-Lent meals. Corey’s cookbooks include many recipes centered around pre-Lent dishes in Syria, especially [[Kibbeh|''kibby'']] (beef or lamb-stuffed wheat), the national dish of Syria and Lebanon. Syrian Orthodox Christians, she reported, also partake in a “[[Maslenitsa|cheese-fare]]” the week before Lent in which they sampled many cheeses before the fast begins.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Art of Syrian Cookery|last=Corey|first=Helen|publisher=Doubleday|year=1962|isbn=|location=New York City|pages=131}}</ref> The pre-fast rituals ended with the consumption of a boiled egg. Lent also ended with the breaking of an egg, common in many Christian traditions.
⚫
Through her cookbooks, television show, and other public programs, she aimed to raise public awareness about Syrian culture and to share information on the Antiochian Orthodox Church’s feast and fast days.<ref name=":3" /> With five godchildren, Corey described herself as belonging to a close-knit family community.<ref name=":2" />

== Culinary Diplomacy ==
⚫
[[Culinary diplomacy|Culinary Diplomacy]] is the practice of promoting cultural links between people in different countries or communities through sharing foods and drinks - respective culinary repertoires – whether through published recipes, via film, or in restaurants or home kitchens, in ways that facilitate dialogue and mutual understanding. The 1960s and 1970s saw the emergence of Middle Eastern cookbooks tailored for a general American audience. The historian Jennifer Dueck argues that the American mainstream appreciated these books as evidence as evidenced by their multiple editions and major publishers (17). Dueck finds that these cookbooks are “invaluable sources for drawing out authors’ agency in creating these imagined geographies, especially in relation to histories of environment, food commodity chains, and ethnic area studies in the American context” (17).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dueck |first1=Jennifer |title=Foreign Kitchens, Foreign Lands: Middle Eastern Foodsheds for American Consumers |journal=Global Food History |date=28 September 2019 |volume=5 |issue=3 |page=144-161}}</ref>

In that sense, Helen Corey actively participated in culinary diplomacy. In her best-seller the ''Art of Syrian cookery'', she introduced her readers to Lebanese and Syrian recipes adapted for American kitchens, while explaining the regional or religious significance of the various dishes. Corey especially emphasizes the biblical dimensions of Levantine cuisine. By offering a “culinary trip to the Land of the Bible”,<ref name=":1" /> her cookbooks, and later her television programs, tried to promote American public understanding of Middle Eastern culture.


⚫
Corey’s cookbooks also include many Lenten recipes, including [[hummus]] bi-tahini (chickpeas pureed with sesame paste). Many of Corey’s Lenten foods consist of ingredients commonly used in many Syrian dishes, such as lentils, fava beans, and eggplant.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Art of Syrian Cookery|last=Corey|first=Helen|publisher=Doubleday|year=1962|isbn=|location=New York City|pages=157}}</ref>
She always had particular abilities to bring American and people of foreign lands together, especially since her parents organized “breaking bread” parties to welcome visitors.<ref name=":4" />


== Cookbooks and Recipes ==
=== Culinary diplomacy ===
⚫
Corey's cookbooks have been described as participating in [[culinary diplomacy]], the practice of promoting cultural links between people in different countries or communities through sharing foods and drinks - respective culinary repertoires – whether through published recipes, via film, or in restaurants or home kitchens, in ways that facilitate dialogue and mutual understanding. Historian Jennifer Dueck has noted that cookbooks like Corey's were appreciated by the American mainstream as evidenced by their multiple editions and major publishers.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dueck |first1=Jennifer |title=Foreign Kitchens, Foreign Lands: Middle Eastern Foodsheds for American Consumers |journal=Global Food History |date=28 September 2019 |volume=5 |issue=3 |page=144-161}}</ref>
''The Art of Syrian Cookery'' by Helen Corey was published in 1962 by [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]], and became a longtime best seller.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goodreads.com/work/best_book/1079214-the-art-of-syrian-cookery-a-culinary-trip-to-the-land-of-bible-history-|title=The Art of Syrian Cookery|website=www.goodreads.com|access-date=2019-11-12}}</ref> The cookbook focused on home cooking: Syrian and Lebanese dishes passed down through families. Indeed, Corey accredits her mother, Maheeba (“Mabel”) Corey,who grew up outside Damascus, as the inspiration for this book.


== Bibliography ==
Corey began her book with a description of Middle Eastern customs, celebrations, and holidays rooted in food while providing historical context for the origins of the cuisine. She included a chapter about typical Arabic dishes for the Middle Eastern reader with recipes for flaming apples, stuffed grape leaves, and sesame pastries.<ref name=":4" /> Consequently, Corey focused her attention on making the book accessible to a wide ranging audience, adapting recipes for the average American reader as well. One of the ways in which Corey seems to do this is through definitions of the different integral spices and herbs included in her recipes.<ref name=":4" /> Explaining herbs and spices that were likely foreign to the average mid-to-late twentieth-century American reader allowed her recipe books to overcome cultural boundaries.


* ''The Art of Syrian Cookery'' (1962, [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]])<ref name=":4" />
Corey offered a wide range of recipes with varying levels of difficulty and Middle Eastern flair. Some of her recipes seem more intentionally adapted for the American kitchen,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.echopointbooks.com/food-cooking/helen-coreys-food-from-biblical-lands-a-culinary-trip-to-the-land-of-bible-history|title=Helen Corey’s Food From Biblical Lands: A Culinary Trip to the Land of Bible History|website=Echo Point Books & Media, LLC.|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-12}}</ref> such as “Roz Eb Haleeb,” a Syrian Rice Custard.<ref name=":4" /> The translation is quite literal: rice in milk. The recipe is one of the most accessible to a wide range of audiences from Corey’s book, creating a Syrian twist on [[rice pudding]] that takes less than thirty minutes to create.
* ''Healthy Syrian and Lebanese Cooking: A Culinary Trip To The Land Of Bible History-Syria and Lebanon'' (2004, CharLyn Publishing House)
* ''Helen Corey’s Food From Biblical Lands: A Culinary Trip to the Land of Bible History'' (2016, Echo Point Books & Media)
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Revision as of 22:24, 4 December 2019

Hummus garnished with pomegranate seeds, from Helen Corey's Food from Biblical Lands (1989) cookbook
"Chick Pea Sesame Dip" (Homos bi Tahini) made according to the recipe in Helen Corey's Food from Biblical Lands cookbook (1989), p. 4. Pomegranate seeds and parsley garnish the hummus. The author cites Exodus 38:33-34, which begins, "On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns..." (English Standard Version)

Helen Corey (born October 9, 1923)[1] is a Syrian-American cookbook author, television producer, and educator. She is also the first Syrian-American woman to hold elected office in Indiana. She is known for her cookbooks The Art of Syrian Cookery (1962) and Helen Corey's Food from Biblical Lands (1989), in which she stresses the biblical origins of Middle Eastern cuisine, and discusses food as a vehicle for cross-cultural and inter-faith dialogue, and promotes awareness of Eastern Christianity in the United States, by discussing her family's culture in the Antiochian Orthodox Church.[2][3] 

Family and early life

Helen Corey’s parents, Maheeba (“Mabel”) and Mkhyal (“Michael”), were born in the Arne and Ein el-shara suburbs of Damascus, Syria, and migrated to the United States.[3][4] Helen Corey was born on October 9, 1923 in Canton, Ohio, and lived there until she moved to Terre Haute, Indiana in 1946.[1] She and her family were part of a wave of Arabic immigrants who migrated to Terre Haute during the early twentieth century and who settled there due to the city’s “potential for prosperity through farming, mining and a growing manufacturing base.”[5] As early as 1927, the town had a sufficiently substantial Syrian Christian community that its members wrote and notarized a constitution for its church, St. George Orthodox Church.[6] In 2018, Corey participated in a ceremony commemorating a historical marker for “Little Syria on the Wabash”, the site of the original twentieth-century immigrant Syrian neighborhoods of Terre Haute.[7]

As a member of St. George Orthodox Church (the Syrian Antiochian Orthodox church of Terre Haute) Helen Corey often acted as a de facto ambassador for her church.[8] She also served on this church’s board of trustees.[2]

Through her cookbooks, television show, and other public programs, she aimed to raise public awareness about Syrian culture and to share information on the Antiochian Orthodox Church’s feast and fast days.[8] With five godchildren, Corey describes herself as belonging to a close-knit family community.[5]

Career and civic engagement

Helen Corey published The Art of Syrian Cookery in 1962. Years later, she founded a press, called CharLyn Publishing, which then published her second major cookbook, Helen Corey’s Food From Biblical Lands in 1989, followed by Healthy Syrian and Lebanese Cooking in 2004.[8] Corey produced a televised show inspired by Food From Biblical Lands in 1990 and a later documentary about Easter as observed in the Syrian Antiochian Orthodox Church Easter. She occasionally hosted television shows and often interviewed international guests.[8] Her 2004 book Healthy Syrian and Lebanese Cooking received first place in the National Federation of Press Women, out of 1,700 books submitted.[9]

Helen Corey’s Food From Biblical Lands was out of print until October 2016, when Echo Print Books and Media issued an updated version of the cookbook for the Middle Eastern Festival sponsored in Terre Haute, Indiana by St. George Social Center. Proceeds from the book sale benefited the associated St. George Orthodox Church.[10]

Helen Corey worked for many years in municipal and state government. From 1948 to 1961[11] she was secretary to the mayor of Terre Haute and Indiana’s Young Democrat National Committeewoman. In November 1964, she was elected Reporter for the Supreme and Appellate Courts – and thereby the first Syrian American elected to public office in Indiana.[12] At one time she also served on the Indiana Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women.[2]

Through her cookbooks, television show, and other public programs, she aimed to raise public awareness about Syrian culture and to share information on the Antiochian Orthodox Church’s feast and fast days.[8]

Cooking

Religion

In her cookbooks, Corey prominently features dishes associated with Lent, when Christians in the Antiochan Orthodox Church and in many other Middle Eastern churches abstain from meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs during the forty days before Easter and in preparation for the Passion of Christ. Lenten dishes are either vegan or based on fish. Orthodox Christians follow the same guidelines on Wednesdays and Fridays, as well as smaller fasts throughout the year.

Before Lent, Christians in different countries have had different traditions regarding pre-Lent meals. Corey’s cookbooks include many recipes centered around pre-Lent dishes in Syria, especially kibby (beef or lamb-stuffed wheat), the national dish of Syria and Lebanon. Syrian Orthodox Christians, she reported, also partake in a “cheese-fare” the week before Lent in which they sampled many cheeses before the fast begins.[13] The pre-fast rituals ended with the consumption of a boiled egg. Lent also ended with the breaking of an egg, common in many Christian traditions.

Corey’s cookbooks also include many Lenten recipes, including hummus bi-tahini (chickpeas pureed with sesame paste). Many of Corey’s Lenten foods consist of ingredients commonly used in many Syrian dishes, such as lentils, fava beans, and eggplant.[14]

Culinary diplomacy

Corey's cookbooks have been described as participating in culinary diplomacy, the practice of promoting cultural links between people in different countries or communities through sharing foods and drinks - respective culinary repertoires – whether through published recipes, via film, or in restaurants or home kitchens, in ways that facilitate dialogue and mutual understanding. Historian Jennifer Dueck has noted that cookbooks like Corey's were appreciated by the American mainstream as evidenced by their multiple editions and major publishers.[15]

Bibliography

  • The Art of Syrian Cookery (1962, Doubleday)[2]
  • Healthy Syrian and Lebanese Cooking: A Culinary Trip To The Land Of Bible History-Syria and Lebanon (2004, CharLyn Publishing House)
  • Helen Corey’s Food From Biblical Lands: A Culinary Trip to the Land of Bible History (2016, Echo Point Books & Media)


References

  1. ^ a b "Indiana authors and their books 1917-1966". webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  2. ^ a b c d Corey, Helen (1962). The Art of Syrian Cookery: A culinary trip to the land of Bible history, Syria and Lebanon, with traditional recipes adapted for American kitchens. New York City: Doubleday.
  3. ^ a b Corey, Helen (1989). Helen Corey's Food from Biblical Lands: A Culinary Trip to the Land of Bible History. Terre Haute, Indiana.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ Stratton, Jerry (March 3, 2016). "Mimsy Review: The Art of Syrian Cookery". Mimsy Were the Borogoves.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ a b Bennett, Mark (March 25, 2018). "When the World Came to TH". Tribune Star.
  6. ^ Antiochan Orthodox Christian Diocese of North America. "Featured Parish: St. George Church + Terre Haute, IN". Antiochan Orthodox Christian Diocese of North America. Retrieved November 5, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Modesitt, Alex (April 19, 2018). "Little Syria on the Wabash". Tribune Star. Retrieved November 4, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ a b c d e "Woman's Press Club recognizes Terre Haute author". Terre Haute Tribune-Star. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  9. ^ "Cookbook author receives award". Terre Haute Tribune-Star. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  10. ^ "Corey's cookbook returning to print in time for Oct. 2 Middle Eastern Fest". Terre Haute Tribune-Star. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  11. ^ "Indiana authors and their books 1917-1966". webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
  12. ^ Tribune-Star, Alex Modesitt. "'Little Syria on the Wabash'". Terre Haute Tribune-Star. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
  13. ^ Corey, Helen (1962). The Art of Syrian Cookery. New York City: Doubleday. p. 131.
  14. ^ Corey, Helen (1962). The Art of Syrian Cookery. New York City: Doubleday. p. 157.
  15. ^ Dueck, Jennifer (28 September 2019). "Foreign Kitchens, Foreign Lands: Middle Eastern Foodsheds for American Consumers". Global Food History. 5 (3): 144-161.
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