The Arabesque Table
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The Arabesque Table Contemporary Recipes from the Arab World Reem Kassis Legend 7 Introduction 9 Ingredients 16 Basics 20 Dairy + Eggs 34 Eggplants + Tomatoes 54 Pomegranates + Lemons 78 Roots + Shoots + Leaves 100 Coriander + Cumin + Cardamom 122 Za’atar + Sumac 146 Grains + Pulses 162 Nuts + Seeds 186 Tahini 210 Fruits + Floral Waters 230 Acknowledgements 252 Sources 253 Index 254 One of the things I have tried to convey with Aleppo Pepper fragrant fruit, not only in its fresh form, but also native to the Mediterranean region. They are distinguished Chilies are native to South and Central America but made preserved and dried. by their more slender shape and uniform texture and this book is the fluid nature of cuisine: how their way to the Middle East along the Silk Road sometime color, and their flavor is more buttery and sweet. Evidence vastly recipes change over time, how recipes during the fifteenth and sixteenth century Columbian Lentils of their use goes back to biblical times, and to this day, attributed to one culture have their origins in Exchange. Because environmental factors (terroir) affect a Lentils originated in the Near East and have been cultivated they are used as garnish or to flavor rice, stuffings, and another, and how historic trade routes have crop’s phenotype, chilies grown in Aleppo have a distinct since antiquity. The seeds come in various sizes and colors, desserts. Their use in desserts across Europe can in fact flavor, even compared to those grown in neighboring with the brown and red (essentially a split brown lentil) be traced to the Arab influence on medieval European shaped not only the course of history but the Turkey. Usually sold dried and coarsely ground, they have a ones being the most commonly used in Arab cooking. I cookery. Today, they are one of the most expensive nuts on very face of our cuisine as we know it. marked bright red color and a complex flavor that goes have found, however, that I like using other varieties like the market, second only to macadamias; but since they are well with the strong, earthy ingredients of Arab cooking. If beluga and French green (Puy) lentils for recipes where I used in small quantities, it is worth it to buy the best you My fascination with this topic started a Aleppo pepper is called for in a recipe, you can substitute want the lentils to retain their shape and texture. can find. few years ago when I realized how many with other peppers such as Urfa, Marash, and Antep, national dishes were made of ingredients not named after the respective Turkish towns in which they Nigella Seed Rice native to those nations. When I started grow (Sanliurfa, Kahramanmaras, and Gaziantep). “It cures everything, except death,” or so many Muslims The world’s earliest known evidence of rice cultivation goes believe the prophet Mohammed to have said about the back thousands of years to either China or Korea, but its researching where crops come from, I was Almond nigella seed. Native to the region, there are records of it journey to becoming the staple food for half of humanity surprised to see just how much of what is Native to West and Central Asia (roughly present-day being used as far back as four thousand years. Not to be was relatively slow. Most likely brought from Asia to the consumed around the world is native to our Iran and the Middle East), the almond was of great confused with black sesame, onion seeds, or black cumin, Near East by the Persians, it was not a staple and only importance in early Arab cookery, not only for garnish and nigella seed has a strong herby, albeit bitter, flavor. It is started to be grown in Egypt after the sixth or seventh region. Artichokes, asparagus, beets, flavor, but also as a thickening agent. In fact, it was initially mostly used in small quantities to flavor baked goods, century. During the Golden Age of Islam (eight to cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, dates, grapes, used as the thickening agent in sweet milk puddings in although some people grind it finely and mix it with honey, fourteenth century AD), Arabs spread rice to Europe okra, olives, peas, pulses of varying kinds, medieval Arab cookery, from which Europeans adopted then use it as you would peanut butter. Palestinians and North Africa, and the Columbian Exchange brought the idea for blancmange (a panna cotta–like dessert). The also make a black cake flavored entirely with nigella. rice to the New World. Although rice became an and turnips are all native to Western Asia (a Arab influence on Europe made the almond ubiquitous in I love its distinct taste, but for many it can be a love-it- important part of the Arabic culinary repertoire, it was pragmatic rather than exact term, European cuisine, particularly Spanish cuisine. In the or-hate-it flavor. generally reserved for the wealthy. Only in the last few translating roughly to present-day Middle Middle East, almond is eaten at all phases of maturity, from decades has it replaced wheat and its ensuing products East and parts of the Mediterranean and green picked right off trees and dipped in salt, to dried, Olive Oil as a staple grain. cracked, and toasted, and every option in between. If there is one ingredient more meaningful than any other North Africa). But the advent of trade to the Arab world, to the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Semolina allowed the domestication of other Anise Seed and Palestine) in particular, it is the olive and its ensuing oil. Like bulgur, semolina is also made out of durum wheat, a vegetables in the region that thrive there Not to be confused with star anise, anise seed is a plant Rife with symbolism and holding history as ancient as species of wheat native to the Middle East. The difference native to the Levant. The seeds of this flowering plant have humanity itself, the olive tree’s origin can actually be is that it is not parboiled, and the brittle grains are today—thanks to complex irrigation systems an unmistakable sweet flavor, reminiscent of licorice and traced to the Levant. Historic documents show its value to coarsely milled into sharp chips. This process makes it a developed in ancient times—like summer fennel. The primary ingredient in flavoring arak, the Arab have been five times that of wine and two and a half times tough grain that does not become a starchy paste when squash, eggplants (aubergines), cucumbers, alcoholic drink of choice, anise seed is also used widely in that of other oils. Its rising popularity today has, cooked. Instead, it lends dishes a light, granular texture. It baked desserts and breads, or simply boiled and the water unfortunately, left plenty of room for adulteration, making is used mostly in desserts in the Arab world and comes in tomatoes, and potatoes. sipped to aid with digestion. It can be sourced online or in it one of the most tainted industries in the world. Just varying degrees of coarseness from fine to medium to The history of these various crops is specialty grocery stores. because a bottle in the grocery store says “extra-virgin” coarse. Do not confuse it with Italian semolina flour or touched on in the headnotes of relevant does not mean it is, nor does it guarantee that it is farina, which cannot be substituted for it in dishes. Bulgur exclusively olive oil. But price is usually a good indicator, as recipes. This ingredient section, however, Usually made out of durum wheat, a species of wheat is Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). Since good olive Sesame Seed delves into Arab pantry staples—the way a native to the Middle East, bulgur is made by parboiling the oil is worth seeking out, here are a few things to look for One of the first oilseed plants to be domesticated, it is pantry section in any cookbook would—but wheat until plump, then drying it and cracking it into when buying: oil is packaged in darker bottles or tins, it has native to Egypt or the Near East, but has been cultivated in offers more information on the origins of different sizes. The fine grain is used mostly for making a date of harvest or pressing, it is not mass marketed, and other parts of Africa and India since ancient times. In the kubbeh, the medium for making tabbouleh, and the coarse it is single-source origin or has a PDO. Middle Ages, untoasted sesame oil was the oil of choice for each and how it made its way into Arab one for cooking. In grocery stores they are often marked cooking in the Arab world. Today, this oil is still used but cuisine. as #1, #2, and #3, with #1 being the finest. Orange Blossom and Rose Waters less predominantly, and the seeds are used in baked goods Floral waters go back centuries, with medieval banquets and desserts. But the largest use of sesame seeds in the Dill probably smelling more of perfume than food. People used Middle East is in the form of tahini, the paste made by Although Eastern European is the cuisine most likely to these distilled waters to perfume themselves before and grinding the seeds. spring to mind when you think of dill, the plant itself is after eating, but also to finish off and flavor countless native to the Levant and from the same family as the anise dishes, both savory and sweet. They are as they sound, Sumac seed plant.