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DOUEK Origin of surname

DOUEK

Douek, Duek, Dwek, Dowek, Doweck, Duwayk

Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name is derived from an Arabic term meaning either "a young rooster" or "a long-necked earthenware jug".

Originally, this family name is documented in Aleppo, Syria, which used to have an ancient Jewish community that can be traced back to Antiquity. In modern times the Jews of Aleppo emigrated to various countries in the Middle East, Asia, South and North America, and Europe. The various versions of the surname result from different transliteration into European languages: Douek is the accepted transliteration into French and was adopted mainly by those who settled in Egypt and later in France and other French speaking countries, while the variant Duek is common among those who settled in Spanish speaking countries in Latin America.

Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Douek (and variants) include Rabbi Yaakov Dwek Ha-Kohen (1830-1919), who served for many years as Chief Rabbi and Av Beth Din of the Jewish community of Aleppo, and Hayyim Saul Duwayk (1858-1933), known as the Rav Sadeh, widely regarded as one of the most influential kabbalists of his generation.

Claudia Roden (born Douek) (b.1936), cookbook writer and cultural anthropologist, born in Cairo, Egypt, into a family with roots in Aleppo, Syria. She was Egypt's national backstroke swimming champion at the age of 15. She later moved to Paris in 1951 and attended boarding school for three years before relocating to London in 1954. In London, she studied painting at St. Martin's School of Art and shared a flat with her brothers, Ellis Douek and Zaki Douek. It was during this time that Roden, while preparing meals for her brothers, began to experiment with cooking. Drawing upon family recipes, such as pies with aubergine and spinach, and mint and lamb, Roden embarked on a culinary adventure as these ingredients were not commonly found in London at that time.

Roden did not return to Egypt for a quarter of a century, long after her family and most of Cairo's Jewish community had been expelled. Her books often reflect her longing for the close communal culture that was lost, particularly in the culinary arts and social occasions associated with them. In addition to her work as a food writer, Roden has also served as a cooking show presenter for the BBC.

She published over 25 books on Middle Eastern food and cuisine, including A Book of Middle Eastern Food (1968), A New Book of Middle Eastern Food (1970), Middle Eastern Cooking (1988), Mediterranean Cookery, accompanied the BBC TV series (1988), Claudia Roden's Invitation to Mediterranean Cooking: 150 Vegetarian and Seafood Recipes(1992), Tamarind and Saffron: Favourite Recipes from the Middle East (1999), The Arab-Israeli Cookbook: The Recipes (2004), Arabesque - Sumptuous Food from Morocco, Turkey and Lebanon (2005), Simple Mediterranean Cookery (2007), and Claudia Roden’s Mediterranean (2021). 

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DOUEK Origin of surname
DOUEK

Douek, Duek, Dwek, Dowek, Doweck, Duwayk

Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name is derived from an Arabic term meaning either "a young rooster" or "a long-necked earthenware jug".

Originally, this family name is documented in Aleppo, Syria, which used to have an ancient Jewish community that can be traced back to Antiquity. In modern times the Jews of Aleppo emigrated to various countries in the Middle East, Asia, South and North America, and Europe. The various versions of the surname result from different transliteration into European languages: Douek is the accepted transliteration into French and was adopted mainly by those who settled in Egypt and later in France and other French speaking countries, while the variant Duek is common among those who settled in Spanish speaking countries in Latin America.

Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Douek (and variants) include Rabbi Yaakov Dwek Ha-Kohen (1830-1919), who served for many years as Chief Rabbi and Av Beth Din of the Jewish community of Aleppo, and Hayyim Saul Duwayk (1858-1933), known as the Rav Sadeh, widely regarded as one of the most influential kabbalists of his generation.
Written by researchers of ANU Museum of the Jewish People
Claudia Roden

Claudia Roden (born Douek) (b.1936), cookbook writer and cultural anthropologist, born in Cairo, Egypt, into a family with roots in Aleppo, Syria. She was Egypt's national backstroke swimming champion at the age of 15. She later moved to Paris in 1951 and attended boarding school for three years before relocating to London in 1954. In London, she studied painting at St. Martin's School of Art and shared a flat with her brothers, Ellis Douek and Zaki Douek. It was during this time that Roden, while preparing meals for her brothers, began to experiment with cooking. Drawing upon family recipes, such as pies with aubergine and spinach, and mint and lamb, Roden embarked on a culinary adventure as these ingredients were not commonly found in London at that time.

Roden did not return to Egypt for a quarter of a century, long after her family and most of Cairo's Jewish community had been expelled. Her books often reflect her longing for the close communal culture that was lost, particularly in the culinary arts and social occasions associated with them. In addition to her work as a food writer, Roden has also served as a cooking show presenter for the BBC.

She published over 25 books on Middle Eastern food and cuisine, including A Book of Middle Eastern Food (1968), A New Book of Middle Eastern Food (1970), Middle Eastern Cooking (1988), Mediterranean Cookery, accompanied the BBC TV series (1988), Claudia Roden's Invitation to Mediterranean Cooking: 150 Vegetarian and Seafood Recipes(1992), Tamarind and Saffron: Favourite Recipes from the Middle East (1999), The Arab-Israeli Cookbook: The Recipes (2004), Arabesque - Sumptuous Food from Morocco, Turkey and Lebanon (2005), Simple Mediterranean Cookery (2007), and Claudia Roden’s Mediterranean (2021).