I was asked by Husk magazine to contribute to their Conflict issue. So I created Macaroons topped with Bacon. I love the strong symbolism that Bacon holds both in Judaism and Islam. The fact that it is literally a sin to eat a certain food, that it is forbidden by a holy law seems incredulous yet dignified. I have always been intrigued by religious restrictions of the consumption of food. It plays towards my love of the symbolism of food and the ritual of the way we eat it. We often refer to a little indulgence like a macaroon as having sinned. Macaroons stand for Marie Antoinette style flamboyance. The sweet  delicacy combines sublime ganache filling between two macaroon shells. I love the contrast of the daintily textured macaroons against the hearty fatty bacon. I covered them in tiny poppy seed, a staple of the Jewish diet.

They stand in conflict with each other. Traditionally, Jews have always viewed the pig as the epitome of non kosher food. And the Quran says “He has made unlawful for you only that which dies of itself and blood and the flesh of swine and that on which the name of any other than Allah has been invoked.” Eating pork is the strongest culinary taboo. By being abstinent from eating pork you attain purity of soul. By being abstinent from a macaroon we can attain purity of body. Being aware of those dilemmas makes them taste twice as good.

By eating the food of a place we become part of it.