*   Biography of Habeeb Salloum

            Habeeb Salloum, of Syrian descent, lived his youth in Saskatchewan, western Canada, then after serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1943-45, he moved to Toronto.  For 36 years he worked for Revenue Canada from 1949 to 1985 while, at the same time, pursuing his literary and scholastic interests.  After retirement, he became a full-time freelancer.

            Mr. Salloum has traveled extensively to most parts of the world and has written comprehensively about the countries through which he traveled and about their cuisines.  His special interests are: Canadian and international tourism; the cuisines of the Mediterranean countries and Latin-speaking worlds; the fauna of the Arabian Peninsula; the history of the Arabs in Canada especially Arab pioneering/homesteading in western Canada; the impact of Arab/Muslim Spain on the development of subsequent world history; and Arabic contributions to the English and Spanish vocabularies. 

            He has published hundreds of articles and lectured about these subjects. In addition, he is currently working on four major projects detailing the contributions of the Arabic language to the Spanish vocabulary, and the history of the Arabic language and its contributions to the world, a Syria Travel book; and ‘Memories of Arab Homesteading in Southern Saskatchewan’.

            Among his most important recently published works are: 

Arabic Contributions to the English Vocabulary (Librarie du Liban: Beirut, 1996), 

From the Lands of Figs and Olives Over 300 Delicious and Unusual Recipes from the Middle East and North Africa ( Interlink Books: New York, 1995 HB; 1997 PB); 

Journeys Back to Arab Spain (Middle East Studies Centre: Toronto, 1994); and and 

Classic Vegetarian Cooking From the Middle East and North Africa, Interlink Books: New York, May 2000 HB.  Also, 

he has just completed his manuscript on Arabic Contributions to the Cuisine of the Latin-Speaking World.