middleeasterncuisine

1. Cuisine of the
Middle East

2. Geographic Location
The Middle East is a large and diverse
geographical area located in southwest Asia and
northeast Africa. It extends over 2,000 miles
from the Black Sea in the north to the Arabian
Sea in the south, and about 1,000 miles from
the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the
mountains of Iran.

4. History
 It was in Mesopotamia that we first saw fermentation,
leading to the production of wine, yogurt, and leavened
bread. It was also around this area that people first
domesticated sheep, goats, and cattle. For these reasons,
Mesopotamian cuisine is referred to as “the oldest cuisine
in the world” and has a strong influence on modern
Middle Eastern cuisines. Wheat,barley,pistachios,figs,&
pomegranateswerefirstcultivatedintheMiddleEast
 MiddleEasterners began to incorporate fruits,poultry,& riceInto their diets
while underthe rule of thePersian Empire (550BCE–330BCE)
 Because of the Middlle East' slocation inthe centeroftheSilk Road,recipes
andspices were frequently exchanged withothercultures.
 ThisincludesyogurtfromRussia, dumplingsfromMongolia, &
variousspicesfromIndia&Africa

5. Beverages
 Alcoholisgenerallyunpopular intheMiddle
Eastdueto theQuran'srejection.It is banned
inmost of theregion's countries suchas
SaudiArabia&Kuwait
 T
urkishcoffeeremainsapopular beverage.
 It ispreparedbyaddingfinelygrounded
coffeebeansandsugar intoapot of cold
water, themixtureisthenstirreduntil the
sugar dissolves beforebeingplacedonheat.
Whenfinished,arich foamwill emerge.

6. Beverages
 Arakis adistilled alcoholic beverage,mixedwith waterandice,
it'sknownas“themilkof lions”
 Arakor araq(Arabic: )‫ﻋﻕﺮ‬isadistilledLevantinespirit of the
anisedrinksfamily
. It istranslucent andunsweetened.
 Arakistraditionally madeof
grapesandaniseed(theseedsof
theaniseplant); whencrushed,
their oil providesarakwith aslight
licoricetaste. Dates,figs, and
other fruitsaresometimes added

7. Etiquette
 Traditionally, dinneris servedwith all foodonthetable,ora
blankedonthefloor. Utensils arenotused,instead aslice ofpita
breadorabarehandis usedfor takingfood.Onlytheright handis
usedfor eating, astheleft is consideredtheuncleanhand.
 TheIslamfaith encouragesgeneroushospitality towardsguests,
coffeeandfigs arecommonlyserved.Andhostsallow thegueststo
takethefirst biteof ameal.

8. Utensils
 Anibrik (top), is thetraditionalcontainer in
whichTurkishcoffeeisserved
 It isaMiddleEasterncontainer with a
spout usedfor storingandpouring liquid
contents.ThetermIBRIKis oftenusedin
EnglishtomeanaT
urkishcoffeepot,
whichisknowninTurkishasacezve.
 Themortar andpestle(bottom) isadevice
usedfor grindingingredients suchas
spicesandherbs

9. Meat & Poultry
Kebabsincludegrilledmeat andsometimesvegetablesplacedon skewer.Lamb
andbeefismostcommonlyused.Or,theyare sometimesrolled inpitabreadand
mixedwithvegetablesand sauce,thisvariationisknownasashawarma.

10. Middle Eastern cuisine relies heavily on olive oil, which is used as the primary
source of fat used when cooking. This is one of the major reasons why Middle
Eastern food is so healthy.
Sesame seeds are also an important ingredient in Middle Eastern cuisine.
They’re used to make a paste called tahini, which contributes much of the flavor
of well-known Middle Eastern dishes like hummus and baba ghanoush. Za’atar,
a traditional spice blend used throughout the Middle East, also contains sesame
seeds as a main component. Za’atar is traditionally made from mountain thyme,
toasted sesame seeds, sumac, and sea salt. The dry spice mix is submerged in
fresh olive oil and is commonly eaten with pita bread.
Middle Eastern countries that touch the Mediterranean sea, such as Turkey,
Egypt, Lebanon, and Cyprus, tend to display stronger flavors than the countries
farther east. These cuisines will use more lemon, garlic, olive oil, and sea salt in
their dishes. Other common ingredients include grape leaves, chickpeas, olives,
citrus, onions, eggplant, tomatoes, and fresh herbs like mint and parsley.
Middle Eastern cuisine is also defined by the concept of mezze. The word mezze
comes from a Turkish word that means snack or appetizer. It’s an assortment of
shared dishes, similar to the concept of Spanish tapas. For this reason, you’ll
find a lot of dips and spreads or other appetizer-like foods as a core part of
Middle Eastern food. When eating dinner in a Middle Eastern home, it’s typical to
have a table full of mezze and piles of pita bread to dip into the various plates.

11. Mezza
 Falafel(top left), isafriedball of chickpeasor
favabeans. It'scommonlysoldbystreet
vendors
 T
abouleh(middle) isatypeof MiddleEastern
salad
 Babaghannouj(bottom) isadipmadeof
eggplant andtahini. Traditionally
, it'satewith
pitabread.

12. Wheat & Grain
 Pita bread,alsoknownasflatbread,is verycommonin a
MiddleEasterndiet.
 Slices of breadareusedaseating utensils aswell as
wrapping kebabs.Thebreadis prepared bybeingbakedat
veryhightemperatures(450-850°F). Whichgivesthe
doughit'spuffed-upappearance.
 Pita or pittaisafamily of yeast-
leavenedroundflatbreads
baked fromwheat flour, also
knownas Arabicbread.

13. Desserts
 Phyllodoughisusedinrecipes suchas
baklava(top).Atypeof pastrywhichcan
haveit'stasteenhancedwith ingredients
suchaschocolate, syrup,or choppednuts.
 Turkishdelight(bottom) isasoft treat
madefromstarchandsugar and
formed intocube-shapedpieces.
 Turkishdelights comeinavarietyof
flavorsandapopular accommodation for
Turkishcoffee.

14. Celebrations
The Islamicholiday ofRamadan involvesfasting.Which isviewed
asamethod ofpromoting patience,modesty, & spirituality.During
theninthmonth ofthe IslamicCalendar, participantswill refrain
fromeating, drinking&smokingeachdayofthemonthfromdusktill
dawn.Ramadan'sendis signaledbyacelebration called Eidul-Fitr,
in whichfeastingis promotedandfoodis donatedto thepoor.

15. THANK YOU