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Ark of TAsTeegyptmapping biodiversity means returning local Food to the places it deserves: our tables and, at a deeper level, our consciousnessan abundanceoF tRaditions auRelia weintzEgypt’s rich food culture tends to be undervalued internationally. The di- versity of cultures within the country has created a cocktail of traditional recipes, each one representing a cer- tain region and stemming from a local culture: from the Sinai Bedouin tribes and their plethora of indigenous herbs, to the Bedouins of the Western Oasis, famous for their rice cultivation, and the Berber tribe in Siwa, specialists in ol- ives and dates. In short, Egypt is brim- ming with culinary gems.from the oaSeSto the nile deltaThe country is also home to a culture of coffee, which is drunk spiced by the Ababda and Bishari tribes, while along the Nile, in the urban areas that have developed in the river delta, the gastronomic culture has a more Medi- terranean feel. In Upper Egypt, the ru- ral culture has inspired many national gastronomical treasures such as Nu- bian dried vegetables, karkadé (hibis- cus tea) and the famous molokheya, the bitter and highly nutritious leaves of a plant from the mallow family, used to make a soup of the same name. Port Said has a traditional Mediterra- nean fish and seafood culture, though ecosystem pollution is now leading to a decrease in production and pre- senting risks to consumer health. The diversity of Egypt can especially be seen in its various breads: Bedouins in Sinai eat libba (sand-cooked bread),the Ababda and Bishari tribes have a similar bread called jubrit (Siwa date fermented bread) and the Nubians have shamsi.With such a diverse gastronomic landscape, the task of mapping typi- cal local products is challenging but also fascinating. To help with the pro- cess, Slow Food has enlisted the help of local associations and businesses, such as ma7sool productions, which is producing short videos and docu- mentaries as part of the mapping. It is also collaborating with academics88 almanaC© arChIVIo Slow Food