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Levantine Cuisine
Levantine cuisine is the traditional cuisine of the Levant, in the sense of the rough area of former Ottoman Syria. The cuisine has similarities with Egyptian cuisine, North African cuisine and Ottoman cuisine. It is particularly known for its ''meze'' spreads of hot and cold dishes, most notably among them ''ful medames'', ''hummus'', ''tabbouleh'' and '' baba ghanoush'', accompanied by bread. History The history of Levantine cuisine can be traced back to the early civilizations that flourished in the region, such as the Canaanites, Israelites, Phoenicians, and Hittites. These ancient cultures developed complex agricultural systems, producing grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables that would become staples of the Levantine diet. Bread, olive oil, and wine were integral to the cuisine from the very beginning, and remain so today. Levantine dishes Classic Mezes or small dishes * '' Baba ghanoush'' (بابا غنوج)—a dip made from baked, mashed eggplant mixed with lemon, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Syrian Meal
Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine Arabic, Levantine and Mesopotamian Arabic, Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The culture of Syria, cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indigenous elements and the foreign cultures that have come to rule the land and its people over the course of thousands of years. By the seventh century, most of the inhabitants of the Levant spoke Aramaic. In the centuries after the Muslim conquest of the Levant in 634, Arabic gradually became the dominant language, but a minority of Syrians (particularly the Assyrian people, Assyrians and Terms for Syriac Christians#Syriac identity, Syriac-Arameans retained Neo-Aramaic languages, Aramaic (Syriac), which is still spoken in its Eastern Aramaic languages, Eastern and Western Aramaic languages, Western dialects. The national name "Syrian" was originally an Indo-European corrupt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Olive Oil
Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a condiment, or as a salad dressing. It can also be found in some cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, soaps, and fuels for traditional oil lamps. It also has additional uses in some religions. The olive is one of three core food plants in Mediterranean cuisine, with wheat and grapes. Olive trees have been cultivated around the Mediterranean since the 8th millennium BC. In 2022, Spain was the world's largest producer, manufacturing 24% of the world's total. Other large producers were Italy, Greece, and Turkey, collectively accounting for 59% of the global market. The composition of olive oil varies with the cultivar, altitude, time of harvest, and extraction process. It consists mainly of oleic acid (up to 83%), with smaller amounts of other fatty acids ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fattoush
Fattoush (; also fattush, fatush, fattoosh, and fattouche) is a Levantine salad made from toasted or fried pieces of khubz (Arabic flat bread) combined with mixed greens and other vegetables, such as radishes, cucumber and tomatoes.Wright, 2003p. 241/ref> Fattoush is popular among communities in the Levant. Etymology ''Fattūsh'' is derived from the Arabic ''fatt'' "crush" and the suffix of Turkic origin ''-ūsh''. Coining words this way was common in Levantine Arabic. Ingredients Fattoush belongs to the family of dishes known as ''fattat'' (plural of ''fatteh''), which use stale flatbread as a base.Claudia Roden, ''The New Book of Middle Eastern Food'', 2008, p. 74 Fattoush includes vegetables and herbs varying by season and taste. The vegetables are cut into relatively large pieces compared to tabbouleh which requires ingredients to be finely chopped. Sumac is usually used to give fattoush its sour taste, while some recipes also add pomegranate molasses along with the sumac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pita
Pita ( or ; ) or pitta (British English), also known as Arabic bread (, ), as Lebanese bread and as kmaj (from the Persian ''kumaj''), is a family of yeast- leavened round flatbreads baked from wheat flour, common in the Mediterranean, Levant, and neighboring areas. It includes the widely known version with an interior pocket. In the United Kingdom, the term is used for pocket versions such as the Greek pita, used for barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (often shortened to BBQ worldwide; barbie or barby in Australia and New Zealand) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that employ live fire and smoke to coo ...s as a souvlaki wrap. The Western world, Western name ''pita'' may sometimes be used to refer to various other types of flatbreads that have different names in their local languages, such as numerous styles of Arab ''khubz'' (). Etymology The first mention of the word in English cited in the Oxford English ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gastronomica
''Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture'' is a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary academic journal with a focus on food. It is published by the University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty .... It was founded by Darra Goldstein in 2001. Awards The journal has received a number of accolades: *Prix d'Or at the Gourmet Voice World Media Festival in 2004 *2007 Utne Independent Press Award for Social/Cultural Coverage *Best Food Magazine in the World at the 2011 Gourmand Awards in Paris *Co-winner of the 2012 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Publication of the Year. References External links * University of California Press academic journals Food and drink magazines published in the United States Quarterly magazines published in the U ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Falafel
Falafel (; , ) is a deep-fried ball or patty-shaped fritter of Egyptian origin that features in Middle Eastern cuisine, particularly Levantine cuisines. It is made from ground fava beans, chickpeas, or both, and mixed with herbs and spices before frying. Falafel is often served in a flatbread such as pita, samoon, laffa, or taboon; “falafel” also frequently refers to a wrapped sandwich that is prepared in this way. The falafel balls may be topped with salads, pickled vegetables, and hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a meze tray. Falafel is a popular street food eaten throughout the Middle East. In Egypt, it is most often made with fava beans, while in Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, it is typically made with chickpeas or sometimes a blend of both. Etymology The word () is Arabic and is the plural of ' () 'pepper', borrowed from Persian (), cognate with t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Falafels 2
Falafel (; , ) is a deep-fried ball or patty-shaped fritter of Egyptian origin that features in Middle Eastern cuisine, particularly Levantine cuisines. It is made from ground fava beans, chickpeas, or both, and mixed with herbs and spices before frying. Falafel is often served in a flatbread such as pita, samoon, laffa, or taboon; “falafel” also frequently refers to a wrapped sandwich that is prepared in this way. The falafel balls may be topped with salads, pickled vegetables, and hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a meze tray. Falafel is a popular street food eaten throughout the Middle East. In Egypt, it is most often made with fava beans, while in Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, it is typically made with chickpeas or sometimes a blend of both. Etymology The word () is Arabic and is the plural of ' () 'pepper', borrowed from Persian (), cognate with the Sansk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cumin
Cumin (, ; ; ''Cuminum cyminum'') is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the Irano-Turanian Region. Its seeds – each one contained within a fruit, which is dried – are used in the cuisines of many cultures in both whole and ground form. Although cumin is used in traditional medicine, there is no high-quality evidence that it is safe or effective as a therapeutic agent. Etymology and pronunciation The term comes via Middle English ''comyn'', from Old English ''cymen'' (which is cognate with Old High German ''kumin'') and Old French cummin, both from the Latin term . This in turn comes from the Ancient Greek (), a Semitic languages, Semitic borrowing related to Hebrew language, Hebrew () and Arabic (). All of these ultimately derive from Akkadian language, Akkadian (). The English word is traditionally pronounced (), like "coming" with an ⟨n⟩ instead of ⟨ng⟩ (/ŋ/)."Cumin." '' A Way with Words'' (Radio broadcast/podcast). 25 October 2014. Re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edible Salt
In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as rock salt or halite. Salt is essential for life in general (being the source of the essential Mineral (nutrient), dietary minerals Sodium#Biological role, sodium and Chlorine#Biological role, chlorine), and saltiness is one of the Basic tastes, basic human tastes. Salt is one of the oldest and most ubiquitous food seasonings, and is known to uniformly improve the taste perception of food. Salting (food), Salting, brining, and pickling are ancient and important methods of food preservation. Some of the earliest evidence of salt processing dates to around 6000 BC, when people living in the area of present-day Romania boiled spring (hydrology), spring water to extract salts; a Salt in Chinese History#Ancient China, Qin and Han dynasties, salt w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tahini
Tahini () (, or in Iraq: (rashi-راشي)) is a Middle Eastern condiment (a seed butter) made from ground sesame seeds. The most common variety comes from hulled seeds, but unhulled ones can also be used; the latter variety is slightly bitter, but more nutritious. The seeds are more commonly roasted than raw. Tahini can be served by itself (as a dip), made into a salad dressing, or used as a major ingredient in hummus, baba ghanoush, and halva. Tahini is used in the cuisines of the Levant and Eastern Mediterranean, the South Caucasus, the Balkans, South Asia, Central Asia, and amongst Ashkenazi Jews as well as parts of Russia and North Africa. Sesame paste, used in some East Asian cuisines, may differ only slightly from tahini. Etymology ''Tahini'' is of Semitic origin and comes from a colloquial Levantine Arabic pronunciation of (), or more accurately (), whence also English ''tahina'' and Hebrew ''ṭḥina'' . It is derived from the root , which as a verb means ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, stretching from the Black Sea through the southern Caucasus, northeastern Iran, and the Hindu Kush; it also grows wild in parts of Mediterranean Europe. There are two subspecies and hundreds of varieties of garlic. Garlic has been used for thousands of years as a seasoning, culinary ingredient, traditional medical remedy; it was known in many ancient civilizations, including the Babylonians, Egyptians, Romans, and Chinese, and remains significant in many cuisines and folk treatments, especially across the Mediterranean and Asia. Garlic propagates in a variety of climates and conditions and is produced globally; China is by far the largest producer, accounting for over two thirds (73%) of the world's supply in 2021. Description Garli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lemon
The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some evidence suggests lemons originated during the 1st millennium BC in what is now northeastern India. Some other citrus fruits are called ''lemon''. The yellow fruit of the lemon tree is used throughout the world, primarily for its juice. The pulp and rind are used in cooking and baking. The juice of the lemon is about 5–6% citric acid, giving it a sour taste. This makes it a key ingredient in drinks and foods such as lemonade and lemon meringue pie. In 2022, world production was 22 million tonnes, led by India with 18% of the total. Description The lemon tree produces a pointed oval yellow fruit. Botanically this is a hesperidium, a modified berry with a tough, leathery rind. The rind is divided into an outer colored layer or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
