Lilia Zaouali was born in Tunisia and lives between France and Italy. After completing her doctorate at the Department of Arab and Islamic Studies at the Sorbonne, she taught Anthropology of the Muslim world at the Paris-VII University and at the Sarah Lawrence American Academy. She also held a series of seminars on Islamic institutions at the University of Piedmont Orientale, Alexandria and the University of Macerata. She has published numerous articles in university historical and political science reviews both in Tunisia and Italy. Her interest in the history of the Arab-Islamic world and of its relations with other Mediterranean civilisations includes the culture of food. She writes about ceremonial cooking and travel.