Middle Eastern Cuisine
- Food and Religious Custom
- Easy Paklava Cookies
- Rice in Middle Eastern Cuisine
- Janu-Feb
- Communal ovens
- Grilling an Eggplant
- Can you grow figs in New York?
- Old Chirstmas
- Winter Daydreams
- Our Family's Christmas Table
Posted by
Debbie Kwiatoski
Debbie Kwiatoski
Religious observance plays an even greater influence on dietary habits than geography or cultural influence.
There is probably no greater influence upon the cuisine and eating habits of any culture than religion. No, you say? The greatest influence for what a culture eats haw got to start with its geography? With its relationship to the wider world? With its level of general cultural achievement?
Consider this: Within the Middle East, there are deserts and mountains, as well as temperate zones. There is no water in places – and lots in others. The Middle East has had an active trade dialogue with the wider world since ancient times and many foods and dishes have been exchanged in that dialogue. Also, the earliest agriculture was found when some of the hunters and gatherers in the Levant discovered they could settle down and build cities if they farmed the land and raised domesticated livestock.
So, why do the dietary habits of Muslims, Jews and Christians living together for thousands of years in that area of the world differ from each other in some significant ways? Religion.
While it’s true that portions of the Torah, the Koran and the Bible, in places, all draw from the same sources, and it’s true that climate and geography played a role in food taboos, as well, differences in what may be eaten – and when – are still striking.
Check out a series of articles I’ve written on Suite101 for the lowdown on Islam, Judaism, and Christianity and its relationship to food and religious food culture observances.
Consider this: Within the Middle East, there are deserts and mountains, as well as temperate zones. There is no water in places – and lots in others. The Middle East has had an active trade dialogue with the wider world since ancient times and many foods and dishes have been exchanged in that dialogue. Also, the earliest agriculture was found when some of the hunters and gatherers in the Levant discovered they could settle down and build cities if they farmed the land and raised domesticated livestock.
So, why do the dietary habits of Muslims, Jews and Christians living together for thousands of years in that area of the world differ from each other in some significant ways? Religion.
While it’s true that portions of the Torah, the Koran and the Bible, in places, all draw from the same sources, and it’s true that climate and geography played a role in food taboos, as well, differences in what may be eaten – and when – are still striking.
Check out a series of articles I’ve written on Suite101 for the lowdown on Islam, Judaism, and Christianity and its relationship to food and religious food culture observances.
Posted by
Debbie Kwiatoski
Debbie Kwiatoski
These little nests of nuts and phyllo dough might not be "traditional," but they are a great, light dessert treat that has way fewer calories and take less time to make.
Love the idea of making paklava, but unsure of your ability to work with the delicate, paper-thin sheets of phyllo dough that comprise the rich dessert? Love the taste of paklava, but wary of all the calories the syrupy, buttery sweet contains?
Have I got a treat for you!
I don’t really have a traditional name for these light "cookies," but they are a family favorite in our house – easy and quick to make, and not as fattening as paklava, but quite similar in the way they taste.
Here’s how to make them:
For a great recipe to make the "real" Paklava, check out Paklava , and for more things to do with Phyllo Dough, check out Spinach and Cheese Pie
Have I got a treat for you!
I don’t really have a traditional name for these light "cookies," but they are a family favorite in our house – easy and quick to make, and not as fattening as paklava, but quite similar in the way they taste.
Here’s how to make them:
- Take 8 – 10 sheets of phyllo dough (more or less, it doesn’t actually matter) and keeping them rolled up, "chiffonade" them, making cuts every quarter inch or so down the length of the rolled dough. Then, "fluff" them to separate the long fettuccine-like strips, gathering them into a big pile.
- Next, melt about 2 Tablespoons of butter, and SLOWLY mix it into the strips, fluffing with your fingers, to keep the strips from clumping.
- Taking small handfuls from the pile, mound them onto a baking sheet to form little "nests."
- In a food processor, finely grind about 1 cup of walnuts (or any nuts) with about 1/3 cup of sugar and 3 Tablespoons of a mixture of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg.
- Heavily sprinkle this nut mixture over the tops of each of the nests.
- Bake at 350 degree F. for about 8-10 minutes – keep checking – until the cookies are browned lightly – but not burnt.
For a great recipe to make the "real" Paklava, check out Paklava , and for more things to do with Phyllo Dough, check out Spinach and Cheese Pie
Rice in Middle Eastern Cuisine
Posted by
Debbie Kwiatoski
Debbie Kwiatoski
Although rice is not indigenous to the Middle East, it has been cultivated to suitable areas for a couple of thousand years and is quite a popular grain.
When it comes to Middle Eastern cooking, Basmati rice seems to work best for savory kinds of dishes, like pilafs and dolmas, and short grained, sticker varieties work best for sweet dishes, like rice pudding. Technically, Basmati – fragrant, slightly nutty tasting long grained rice – is not actually grown in the Middle East, but in certain sections of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. But the basmati-like varieties that are grown in many parts of the Middle East are not grown in sufficient quantities to export and pretty much stay a staple of the small regions in which they are grown.
Although it yields higher crops than equal areas of wheat or barley, both of the latter grains are used more widely in Middle Eastern cooking than is rice – but rice holds a special place in the cuisine, nonetheless. For one thing, it has been widely reported that long grain rice, cooked simply with clarified butter, was one of the Prophet Muhammad’s favorite dishes.
But, although it has been grown in marshy area of Anatolia, Egypt, Iraq, Iran and Syria for thousands of years, there has rarely been so much produced that it ever became an everyday food. Instead, cooked with everything from butter to sour cherries; orange peel and mulberries to tomatoes, traditionally it usually featured, mounded in great pyramids, on tables at the wedding feast or other special occasions.
Today, rice production is up in areas that are able to grow it – and a wider global economy has made it pretty widely available throughout the entire Middle East. In the 20th century, into today, it has become more popular as an everyday dish.
Although it yields higher crops than equal areas of wheat or barley, both of the latter grains are used more widely in Middle Eastern cooking than is rice – but rice holds a special place in the cuisine, nonetheless. For one thing, it has been widely reported that long grain rice, cooked simply with clarified butter, was one of the Prophet Muhammad’s favorite dishes.
But, although it has been grown in marshy area of Anatolia, Egypt, Iraq, Iran and Syria for thousands of years, there has rarely been so much produced that it ever became an everyday food. Instead, cooked with everything from butter to sour cherries; orange peel and mulberries to tomatoes, traditionally it usually featured, mounded in great pyramids, on tables at the wedding feast or other special occasions.
Today, rice production is up in areas that are able to grow it – and a wider global economy has made it pretty widely available throughout the entire Middle East. In the 20th century, into today, it has become more popular as an everyday dish.
Posted by
Debbie Kwiatoski
Debbie Kwiatoski
The Holidays are over. The scene outside my door is bleak and grey and dirty. I long for the foods of Spring!
There are paw prints running from the back door through the kitchen to the living room – a suspicious brownish green mixture of mud and God knows what else. The cats beg to go outside, but scratch wildly to come back in not a minute or two later…opting instead for the sunny window rather than the real deal. It gets dark too early and light too late. The ground freezes, and then thaws and heaves, sticking to everything passing through it.
In the pot on the stove is yet another pottage of root vegetables, stewing with some sort of meat. Don’t get me wrong, I love carrots and parsnips; potatoes, leeks, onions and fennel in its time. But it’s officially "Janu-Feb" in my soul and my whole being yearns for a really fresh tabbouleh, a bowl of cold jagik ….or even just a fresh strawberry or stalks of asparagus from my own garden.
Instead, I pull a package of well-sealed dolma from the freezer and dream of Spring.
In the pot on the stove is yet another pottage of root vegetables, stewing with some sort of meat. Don’t get me wrong, I love carrots and parsnips; potatoes, leeks, onions and fennel in its time. But it’s officially "Janu-Feb" in my soul and my whole being yearns for a really fresh tabbouleh, a bowl of cold jagik ….or even just a fresh strawberry or stalks of asparagus from my own garden.
Instead, I pull a package of well-sealed dolma from the freezer and dream of Spring.
Posted by
Debbie Kwiatoski
Debbie Kwiatoski
Often an oven would be shared by many families - or the local baker paid a small fee to bake the family's breads and baked dishes.
Looking through a stack of old photographs found when we cleaned out my grandmother’s home, I noticed one faded sepia shot of two young girls sitting by a large outdoor, beehive oven.
"What was that about," I asked my father, knowing it would jar a memory.
"Oh, we used to send our bread and some other baked goods there to be cooked," he replied.
In the small settlement where my father grew up, indoor ovens in individual homes were a rarity. Instead, in small communities without a commercial baker , there would be a large clay oven in the middle of the town for housewives to use communally. In larger towns, the local baker would – for a small fee – bake the family’s cheoreg, souberoeg or other baked dish.
In many ways, it wasn’t a bad arrangement. The communal oven gave the community a nice meeting place, my father remembered. Usually, he added, the breads and other dishes that required baking would be done on some sort of loose weekly/hourly schedule.
Posted by
Debbie Kwiatoski
Debbie Kwiatoski
Grilling an eggplant on top of the stove is easy - and creates a great flavor for your dish!
There is something about grilling an eggplant that adds a special, slightly smoky, taste to whatever dish you create with it. Depending upon whether you intend to puree it for a baba ganoush or use the grilled slices in a vegetarian pita wrap, the cooking technique varies slightly, but both ways are incredibly easy.
Grilling a whole eggplant is a simple process, done right on the stove burner. Gas is best – but you can also get quite good results from an electric range. Basically, just wash the eggplant and place it on a hot burner, skin and all. You need to pay attention to it, as the process goes quickly. Using tongs, turn the eggplant over to a new section every few minutes or so – when the skin actually begins to burn and smoke. Once the entire eggplant has been well scorched, and is quite hot, take it off the heat and put it into a small paper bag, wrapping it tightly to catch the steam. Let it sit until it is cool to touch. The inside should now be soft and cooked, as well and the smoky flavor dispersed throughout.
Grilling slices is just as easy. Slice the eggplant (skin and all) at an angle, creating slices that are about ½ inch thick. Drizzle a hot grilling pan with olive oil. Salt and pepper the slices and lay them in the pan, giving each side about a minute or two to cook. Remove to an absorbent paper to cool a bit and then wrap up in a pita with grilled onions, red and green peppers, roasted garlic, some mild cheese of any sort and dress with more extra virgin olive oil, whipped with some lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper.
Grilling a whole eggplant is a simple process, done right on the stove burner. Gas is best – but you can also get quite good results from an electric range. Basically, just wash the eggplant and place it on a hot burner, skin and all. You need to pay attention to it, as the process goes quickly. Using tongs, turn the eggplant over to a new section every few minutes or so – when the skin actually begins to burn and smoke. Once the entire eggplant has been well scorched, and is quite hot, take it off the heat and put it into a small paper bag, wrapping it tightly to catch the steam. Let it sit until it is cool to touch. The inside should now be soft and cooked, as well and the smoky flavor dispersed throughout.
Grilling slices is just as easy. Slice the eggplant (skin and all) at an angle, creating slices that are about ½ inch thick. Drizzle a hot grilling pan with olive oil. Salt and pepper the slices and lay them in the pan, giving each side about a minute or two to cook. Remove to an absorbent paper to cool a bit and then wrap up in a pita with grilled onions, red and green peppers, roasted garlic, some mild cheese of any sort and dress with more extra virgin olive oil, whipped with some lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper.
Can you grow figs in New York?
Posted by
Debbie Kwiatoski
Debbie Kwiatoski
Although they are native to the Middle East and love the hot, dry climate of the Mediterranean, there are a couple of figs that can be nurtured even in Zone 6 in the U.S.
Although I live in New York, I have always wanted to grow a fig tree. This quest began in when I realized how incredibly delicious – and expensive – fresh figs were to buy. The problem is, they are really far better suited to the Mediterranean or the Middle East than they are to Upstate New York.
It’s not the first plant I’ve tried to push to its hardiness limits. After a lot of research, I finally found one variety – the Brown Turkey Fig – that will grow in Zone 6, if care is taken to keep it away from the worst of the winter storms. There are other varieties, but I settled on the Brown Turkey, mainly because I actually found one at a local nursery.
So, with visions of fresh figs, and notes on all the recipes I could create out of them dancing in my head, I planted it out two years ago. I took care to plant it in a pot – as opposed to the ground- and to place it in a spot where it would get as much sun and warmth as our property gives.
It actually grew well that first summer, going so far as to even bring forth a single fig (which, of course, a passing deer ate one night).
As winter approached, we decided to bring it into my office for the winter – just in case. It wintered over well, but a surprise snow spring snowstorm froze it down to its roots when we put it back out into the garden too prematurely the next spring. Yet, a healthy sport sprang from its based the next year and has done well. This year, we left it in a sheltered location outside. We’ll see how it does this year.
It’s not the first plant I’ve tried to push to its hardiness limits. After a lot of research, I finally found one variety – the Brown Turkey Fig – that will grow in Zone 6, if care is taken to keep it away from the worst of the winter storms. There are other varieties, but I settled on the Brown Turkey, mainly because I actually found one at a local nursery.
So, with visions of fresh figs, and notes on all the recipes I could create out of them dancing in my head, I planted it out two years ago. I took care to plant it in a pot – as opposed to the ground- and to place it in a spot where it would get as much sun and warmth as our property gives.
It actually grew well that first summer, going so far as to even bring forth a single fig (which, of course, a passing deer ate one night).
As winter approached, we decided to bring it into my office for the winter – just in case. It wintered over well, but a surprise snow spring snowstorm froze it down to its roots when we put it back out into the garden too prematurely the next spring. Yet, a healthy sport sprang from its based the next year and has done well. This year, we left it in a sheltered location outside. We’ll see how it does this year.
Posted by
Debbie Kwiatoski
Debbie Kwiatoski
Just as the rest of the world winds the holiday celebrations down, Armenians and other Orthodox Christians are just getting started.
This Sunday is what in some cultures is called “Three Kings Day,” and in other cultures is called “Old Christmas.” The Christian populations in the Middle East mainly fall into the group of people who celebrate Old Christmas – which, I guess, means that just about the time that the rest of the world is thinking about getting down the tree, packing up the ornaments and polishing off the rest of the fruitcake and leftovers, Orthodox Christians of all ethnicities are just warming up.
For 30 days, the custom is not to eat meat, but to serve ancient dishes with ingredients of things like beans and chickpeas, fruits, vegetables and rice. Now is the time for the Advent fast to be broken – and to break out the special foods of the season. On Christmas Eve – at midnight – every light in the house is traditionally extinguished and then the lights are turned back to symbolize the coming of the new light of the world. Then, the feasting and the gaiety begins. Lamb, fowl (in America, turkey), and all sorts of wonderful dishes find their way to the table. Friends and family come from all over to exchange presents, to eat, to sing to dance the old dances. It really is a wonderful time.
For 30 days, the custom is not to eat meat, but to serve ancient dishes with ingredients of things like beans and chickpeas, fruits, vegetables and rice. Now is the time for the Advent fast to be broken – and to break out the special foods of the season. On Christmas Eve – at midnight – every light in the house is traditionally extinguished and then the lights are turned back to symbolize the coming of the new light of the world. Then, the feasting and the gaiety begins. Lamb, fowl (in America, turkey), and all sorts of wonderful dishes find their way to the table. Friends and family come from all over to exchange presents, to eat, to sing to dance the old dances. It really is a wonderful time.
Posted by
Debbie Kwiatoski
Debbie Kwiatoski
Putting By the Autumn's Harvest Makes it Possible to Bring Back Summer in the Dead of Winter - at Least on the Table.
There’s something slightly pernicious about making dolma in December or January. The zucchini, tomatoes and peppers that comprise the edible receptacles into which the spicy lamb and rice mixture is packed cost dearly in the winter months. Summer is the proper time for dolma. When the baby zucchinis grow so fast and furious that you can barely keep up with the bounty and friends rehearse excuses for not taking any more of the sleek green beauties the second you say hello; that is the proper time for dolma. When the tomatoes and peppers hang heavy on the vine, aching to be picked before they begin to pale; that is the proper time for dolma.
But it’s not even Christmas yet – and already the snow has come fast and thick. We’ve barely dug out from one snow storm, and the radio says that another Nor’easter is about to blow in. This time, they say, it looks more like it’s going to be a snow, sleet and freezing rain “event.” When did storms become events? Parties are events, great times with good friends are events. Life’s milestones are events. Another winter storm is, basically, just an excuse to stay home under the covers; to flip on the TV in the middle of the day…and pray the cable hasn’t gone out; to build a fire in the hearth , make a fresh pot of coffee and pull out that book you’ve been struggling to find the time to read. And, if you’ve planned well, to sneak that frozen bundle of zucchini and sweet, whole peppers out of the freezer, make a pot of dolma, and dream of summer.
But it’s not even Christmas yet – and already the snow has come fast and thick. We’ve barely dug out from one snow storm, and the radio says that another Nor’easter is about to blow in. This time, they say, it looks more like it’s going to be a snow, sleet and freezing rain “event.” When did storms become events? Parties are events, great times with good friends are events. Life’s milestones are events. Another winter storm is, basically, just an excuse to stay home under the covers; to flip on the TV in the middle of the day…and pray the cable hasn’t gone out; to build a fire in the hearth , make a fresh pot of coffee and pull out that book you’ve been struggling to find the time to read. And, if you’ve planned well, to sneak that frozen bundle of zucchini and sweet, whole peppers out of the freezer, make a pot of dolma, and dream of summer.
Posted by
Debbie Kwiatoski
Debbie Kwiatoski
Armenian and Anglo Family Traditions and Foodways Made for Unique Holiday Menus.
When it comes to talking turkey, never was my Armenian grandmother more out of her element – and my Anglo-American grandmother more in hers. Lucky for us all that they got along quite well. Though my maternal grandmother’s cooking never really any extra spice or exotic seasonings, my paternal grandmother grew to love foods like turkey, jello salads, pumpkin pie and a pineapple upside down cake that, once learned, she began to make on every available occasion.
Even though we always had Turkey for Christmas dinner, my Armenian grandmother soon found ways to incorporate traditional touches of the Middle East into the quintessential American Christmas menu.
No Christmas dinner was complete without her own refrigerator pickles and small bowls of oil-cured, wrinkly black olives alongside tufted mounds of carefully shredded string cheese. A pilaf stuffing, studded with giblets, was preferred over the traditional bread variety, as well. On the table, there would also be lamajun and pida (a flatbread thicker than the pita found in the store today); sometimes some stray dolma leftover from the fall’s freezing; and – usually - thick rolls of paper candy and walnuts; and Aunt Rose’s famous "fish cookies," along with the pineapple upside down cake and the pumpkin pie.
William Saroyan once observed how, wherever they are planted following their vast global dispora, Armenians will sink in their roots and grow a "New Armenia." All you really have to do is take a look at their holiday tables to see that his observation is a true one.