As part of its rich cultural program, the Jeddah Book Fair 2024 gave visitors an exceptional opportunity to explore the culinary history of Jeddah through a panel titled "Cooking, a History of Ports: Jeddah as a Model." The session brought together a group of experts — engineer Majed Al-Ahdal, Nawal Al-Khalawi and Aziz Awliya — moderated by media personality Ahmed Al-Salmi.

The panel examined the evolution of culinary arts and how trade through the Port of Jeddah shaped the diversity of food and ingredients in the region. Engineer Majed Al-Ahdal explained that Jeddah has long been a key trading post, with products such as grains from neighboring regions and spices arriving from India passing through. He noted that food history has often been tied to the cuisine of sultans and princes, while documentation of ordinary people's food only began over the past century.

He also discussed Jeddah's historic role in exporting coffee arriving from the Port of Al-Mokha to Egyptian ports and onward to Europe, alongside products such as Al-Bijali almonds from the highlands of Taif and Al-Baha.

Aziz Awliya stressed the importance of preserving cultural identity in Saudi cuisine, emphasizing the need to stay true to authentic ingredients and not abandon culinary heritage while embracing openness to other cultures.

Nawal Al-Khalawi spoke about her efforts to promote local dishes such as "Khafeesh Al-Duba," a dish famous in Al-Ula governorate. She said she is working to take the dish from local to global recognition by introducing innovative touches suited to different seasons, reflecting the flexibility of traditional cooking and its potential for wider reach.

The Jeddah Book Fair is the third fair organized by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission in 2024, following the major success of the Riyadh and Madinah book fairs.