Nurhaliza Mohamath presents 'My Cham Tongue'

Third Place Books welcomes Seattle chef and food justice advocate Nurhaliza Mohamath to our Seward Park store! Her new cookbook, My Cham Tongue: A Taste of an Ancient Kingdom Through Family Recipes, uses delicious recipes and food photography to introduce readers to the traditional cuisine of the Cham people of Southeast Asia.

This event is free and open to the public. For important updates, RSVP is highly recommended in advance. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book!

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This event is free to attend. For important updates, registration is highly recommended in advance.

Unbeknownst to today’s world, the Champa kingdom was the longest lasting empire in the history of Southeast Asia. Centuries of war, genocide, and assimilation has resulted in a Cham identity nearly extinct—but not completely. Through recipes passed down from the matriarchs of her family, Nurhaliza weaves breathing Cham food culture into the broader context of Cham history. My Cham Tongue reclaims Cham cuisine within the faculties of food photography, risograph-style illustration, Cham Jawi Arabic calligraphy, poetry, and historical archive. An act of decolonization, My Cham Tongue rejects the dominant narrative that Cham language, stories, traditions, and foodways are forgotten, borrowed, lost, or don’t exist—by gathering the ingredients of a scattered kingdom and imparting its taste back into our diaspora for generations to come.

Nurhaliza Mohamath is a Seattle-raised descendant of Bangsa Champa, immigrating to the Rainier Valley from Saigon in 2002. She is a storyteller, culture worker, and daughter of Cham refugees who believes in liberation through food sovereignty. She received her Bachelor’s Sociology and Economics and Master’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Social Entrepreneurship at Mills College. Much of her experience in food has been in helping her family start Salima Specialties, a Halal Pan-Asian Street Food restaurant, and with the Rainier Beach Food Hub supporting local Black and Brown, immigrant and refugee farmers and young people with culturally relevant food access.

About Third Place Books

Founded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events.