Habeeb Salloum


Habeeb Salloum, M.S.M., was a prominent Arab-Canadian author and freelance writer. Habeeb centers his writings on Canada, travel and the culinary arts, Arab and world history, with a specific focus on cooking and tourism.
Habeeb Salloum was a Canadian author who grew up in Saskatchewan, joined the RCAF during the Second World War, and then worked for the Canadian Department of National Revenue for 36 years. For the last 30 years, he has been a full-time Author and Freelance Writer specializing in food, history and travel. Besides 14 books and 20 chapters in books, he has had at least 2000 articles published about culture, food, travel, history and homesteading in western Canada that have appeared in such publications as the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, the Western Producer, Contemporary Review, Forever Young Information Magazine, Countryside & Small Stock Journal Magazine, Backwoods Home Magazine, Vitality Magazine, , and Saveur.
Currently, he has authored and co-authored fourteen books. He is also completing along with his daughter, Muna, a study of Spanish words of Arabic origin. In addition, he is revising along with his daughter Leila, Contributions of Arabic to the English Vocabulary. Habeeb has written hundreds of articles on history, food, travel, homesteading in western Canada and Arab-Canadian history. He is considered Canada's foremost expert on Arab cuisine and Syrian immigration to Canada.
During his travels, he has experienced the cuisine of hundreds of different countries and has written numerous articles about each country's food fare. Along with his writings on food, he has focused many of his writings on each country's history and travel. Much of his writings focus on the cuisine, tourism and history of the Mediterranean countries, Spanish -speaking worlds, Canada, and Arabs living in Canada, specifically Arab pioneering and homesteading in western Canada. He has also delved into the impact of Arab / Muslim Spain on the advancement of world history and contributions of the Arabic language on English and Spanish vocabularies.

Most significant works

"A Birthday Party in Kuwait", in World Communities, Toronto: Ginn and Company, 1977, pp. 180–199.
"Reception pour un nouveau-né au Koweit", in Villes et villages du monde,, Toronto: Ginn and Company, 1979, pp. 180–199.
"George J.Salloum Family", in Neville, The Golden Years 1900–1980, Saskatchewan: The Neville Celebrate Saskatchewan Heritage Committee, 1980.
"Reminiscence of an Arab Family Homesteading in Southern Saskatchewan", Canadian Ethnic Studies, The University of Calgary, Volume XV, Number 2, 1983, pp. 130–138.
Contributor to The Recipes Only Cookbook,, Toronto: Lorraine Grey Publications Limited, 1989,, pp. 57, 62, 89, 109, 126, 153, 208.
"Spanish Vegetarian Cooking Made Simple", Vegan Handbook,, Baltimore: The Vegetarian Resource Group, 1996, pp. 117–120.
"Satisfying Vegetarian Foods from Middle Eastern Lands", Vegan Handbook,, Baltimore: The Vegetarian Resource Group, 1996, pp. 121–125.
"The Wholesome Vegetarian Dishes of North Africa", Vegan Handbook,, Baltimore: The Vegetarian Resource Group, 1996, pp. 126–129.
The Syrians" in the Encyclopedia of Canada’s Peoples, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999, pp. 1241–1246.
"Why Travel", The Right Angle – English Skills For College Students, Anjou, Québec: Les Éditions CEC, Inc., 2000, pp. 38–42.
"Medieval and Renaissance Italy: Sicily", in Regional Cuisines of Medieval Europe, New York: Routledge, 2002, pp. 113–123.
"Moroccan Mint Tea",, Steeped in the World of Tea, Northampton, Massachusetts: Interlink Publishing Group, 2005, pp. 135– 137.
Habeeb is still creating new dishes at his home in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and spends much of his time traveling the world and authoring articles with each visit. His publications can be found in newspapers and magazines across North America, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.

Personal life

Habeeb was born to Jiryas Ya'qub Salloum and Shams in the Qaroun within Syria. A few months later he and his mother and older brother immigrated to Saskatchewan, Canada to join his father who had emigrated six months earlier. Habeeb has three brothers and four sisters.
Habeeb was raised in Saskatchewan on his family's homesteaded farm. During World War II from 1943–1945, he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force. When he finished his time with the RCAF, Habeeb came back to Canada and started a new life in the city of Toronto. In 1950, in Toronto, he married Freda.
In Toronto, he worked for Revenue Canada, Customs and Excise, while at the same time pursuing his interests in literature, cooking and academics. Many years later, after retiring from Revenue Canada, he was able to become a full-time freelance writer and author. Once Habeeb began his new profession, he began his widespread travels around the world.
Habeeb has three children, Muna, Leila and Raji. He has four grandchildren, Laith, Mazin, Jinaan and Shaadi and five great-grandsons, Bilal,Tamer, Khadeen, Kiaan, and Qais, and two great-granddaughters, Layal and Tala.

Awards