Middle Eastern Cuisine |
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Middle East Middle east countries include Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Greece, Crete, Turkey, UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Oman, Bahrain and more with many ethnic groups, including Arabs, Israeli's and Jews, Kurds, Druz, Beduin, Persian, Grecian, Turks etc..... A few Middle Eastern countries belong to North Africa area, AKA the Maghreb. Those countries are Morocco, Tunis and Algeria. The minority ethnic group in this area is the Berbers. Mauritania, Sudan and Egypt are frequently included in this area. Food of the desert was very simple. The Beduins are nomadic people of Arab decent that live in desert areas in the Middle East. They usually live in tents, travelling to new places looking for water sources around the year through the desert. Grilling, frying and stewing are the most common ways of preparing meats in the Middle East. A leg of lamb is a special dish prepared for festive occasions. Spices and fresh herbs are essential. Common spices and herbs include dill, garlic, mint, cinnamon, oregano, parsley, turmeric, cumin, sesame seeds, coriander, pepper etc. Spice blends create a regional flavour for each of the Middle Eastern countries. Rus-el-Hanut ("head of the shop") is a Moroccan blend that consists of up to 27 spices. Baharat, an Iraqi blend, consist 4 -7 spices. Middle Eastern cooking, as much as any other aspect of life is connected to the earth and to the sea, foods which belong to the desert while others belong to the mountains. A combination of health and simplicity, the Middle East has many faces. It might be slight different in every country, but general characteristics are shared. The similarities between most Middle Eastern cuisines cannot be denied. With the language of the countries surrounding the eastern and southern Mediterranean being predominantly Arabic, many of the dishes carry the same names from region to region, though they may be prepared or seasoned somewhat differently. Because of this, the cuisines of the Middle East are often sadly lumped into one homogenous category, when in truth they can vary greatly. To view the cuisines of the Middle East as one is like proclaiming that all cuisines of Western Europe are alike. Originally, the Arabs of arabian peninsula relied heavily on a diet of dates, wheat, barley, rice and meat, with little variety, with a heavy emphasis on yogurt products, such as leben (yoghurt without butterfat). As the indigenous Semitic people of the peninsula wandered, so did their tastes and favored ingredients. Arabian cuisine today is the result of a combination of richly diverse cuisines, incorporating Lebanese cooking, Indian cooking, and many items not indigenous to the Persian Gulf region, which were imported on the dhows and caravans. There is a strong emphasis on the following items in Arabian cuisine: lamb, yogurt, mint, thyme (often in a mix called za'atar), the inescapable tea (preferably Ceylon), sesame, curry powder, saffron, turmeric, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, rice (the staple), and, in coastal areas, fish. In addition, the cuisine is heavily dosed with anything hot, from hot sauces to every variety of pepper, to tea drunk, the hotter the better. This cuisine also favors vegetables such as cucumbers, eggplants, and onions, and fruits (primarily citrus), and often used as seasonings for entrees. As you may note, many of the spices are those emphasized in Indian cuisine. This is not a coincidence, but the result of heavy trading between the two regions, and of the current state of affairs in the wealthy oil states, in which many South Asian workers are living abroad in the Persian Gulf states. |
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Culture Essential to any cooking in the Arabian Peninsula is the concept of hospitality. Meals are generally large family affairs, with much sharing and a great deal of warmth over the dinnertable. Formal dinners and celebrations generally entail large quantities of lamb, and every occasion entails large quantities of tea. In an average Persian Gulf state household, a visitor might expect a dinner consisting of a very large platter, shared commonly, with a vast mountain of rice, incorporating lamb or chicken, or both, as separate dishes, with various stewed vegetables, heavily spiced, sometimes with a tomato sauce. Most likely, there would be several other items on the side, less hearty. Tea would certainly accompany the meal, as it is almost constantly consumed. Coffee would be included as well. There are many regional differences in Arab cuisine. For instance mujadara in Syria or Lebanon is different than mujadara in Jordan or Palestine. Some dishes such as mensaf (the national dish of Jordan) are native to certain countries and rarely if ever make an appearance in other countries. Unlike in most Western cuisines, cinnamon is used in meat dishes as well as in sweets such as Baklava. Other desserts include variations of rice pudding and fried dough. Ground nut mixtures are common fillings for such treats. Saffron is used in everything, from sweets, to rice, to beverages. Fruit juices are quite popular in this often arid region. |
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Afghan cuisine Afghanistan has a wide varying landscape allowing for many different crops. Afghan food is largely based upon cereals like wheat, maize, barley and rice which are the nation's chief crops. Afghanistan is well known for its grapes as well. Given their common history, Afghanistan, Iran and Tajikistan share many of the same dishes. |
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Egyptian cuisine Egyptian cuisine consists of local culinary traditions such as Ful Medames, Kushari and Molokhia, while sharing similarities with food found throughout the eastern Mediterranean like kebab and falafel. Most Egyptians perhaps consider ful medames, or mashed fava beans, to be the national dish. Ful is also used in making Ta'miyya or Falafel. Bread accompanies most Egyptian meals; local bread is called Eish Masri or Eish Baladi, a word which also means life. Ancient Egyptians are known to have used a lot of garlic and onion in their everyday dishes. Fresh mashed garlic with other herbs is used in spicy tomato salad and is also stuffed in boiled or baked aubergines (eggplant). Garlic fried with coriander is added to Mulukhiyya, a popular green soup made from finely chopped leaves. Fried onions are added to Kushari, a dish consisting of brown lentils, macaroni, rice, chickpeas and a spicy tomato sauce. Other popular dishes include Kebab and Kofta, usually of lamb meat, chops & minced meat on skewers grilled on charcoal. Egyptians are famous for stuffing spicy rice in vegetables like green pepper, aubergines, courgettes and tomatoes to make Mahshi. Mahshi is generally rolled in grapevine leaves, Mahshi Warraq Enab, or in cabbage leaves, Mahshi Koronb. Shawerma is a popular sandwich of shreded meat or chicken, usually rolled in pita bread with Tahina sauce. Although Ramadan is a month of fasting in Egypt, it is usually when Egyptians pay special attention to food in variety and richness, since the whole family would gather on the breakfast table just after sunset. There are several special desserts almost exclusive to Ramadan such as Konafa and Atayef. In this month, many Egyptians will make a special table for the poor or passers-by, usually in a tent in the street, called Ma'edat Al Rahman which translates literally as Table of (God) the Gracious (Merciful). Christians of Egypt, mainly Copts, observe fasting periods according to the Liturgical Calendar that practically extend to more than two-thirds of the year. The diet is mainly vegetarian. During this fasting, Copts will usually eat vegetables fried in oil as they avoid meat, chicken, dairy products including butter.
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Lebanese cuisine Lebanese Cuisine, or foods from Lebanon, are considered a Mediterranean delicacy consisting of a variety of fresh vegetarian recipes, salads and stews all seasoned with a flavorsome combination of herbs and spices. One of the most world known Lebanese specialties is called the Maza, also written "Mezze", which is a selection of appetisers: olives, cheeses, Labanee, or small portions also known as muqabbilat (starters) |
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Moroccan cuisine Moroccan cuisine has long been considered as one of the most diversified cuisines in the world. The reason is because of the interaction of Morocco with the outside world for centuries. The cuisine of Morocco is a mix of Berber, Moorish, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and African cuisines. The cooks in the royal kitchens of Fez, Meknes, Marrakech, Rabat and Tetouan refined Moroccan cuisine over the centuries and created the basis for what is known as Moroccan cuisine today. |
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