Gum Arabic : the golden tears of the acacia tree / Dorrit van Dalen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dalen, Dorrit van, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gum arabic industry--History.

Gum arabic industry.

Gum arabic--Social aspects.

Gum arabic.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (203 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Leiden : Leiden University Press, 2019.

Summary:

Gum Arabic has been seen as a symbol of the 'noble Orient' and later as a symbol of trouble. It is the hardened sap of varieties of acacia trees which grow exclusively in the Sahel, an area stretching across the African continent just south of the Sahara. From the time of the Crusades, when Europeans purchased it in Arab countries, it has played an ever-growing role in the global economy. It is now a common ingredient in foods, sodas, and cosmetics. Combining cultural history with travel writing, Dorrit van Dalen follows the fascinating history and shifting meanings assigned to gum Arabic from Shakespeare to Bin Laden and from the Industrial Revolution to a veteran of a recent coup d'état in Chad. She shows that both Western and African civilisations would not be the same without these tears of the acacia.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

I. Lustre

II. Modest gum

III. Noble gum

IV. Wealth of Nations

V. The gum wars of the eighteenth century

VI. Mystère et boule de gomme

VII. Sudan: the rollercoaster

VIII. Chad: the idea of kitir

IX. Intangible tears

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 22 Nov 2022).

ISBN:

9789400603592

9400603592

9789400603585

9400603584

OCLC:

1138574082