DK - Australian Womens Weekly Middle Eastern: Vibrant, Flavourful Everyday Recipes

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Middle Eastern and North African cooking is a real-food approach that embraces variety, flavor, and spice drawn from a vast region on the eastern and southern shores of the Mediterranean and beyond. Each country has its own traditions and specialties, with historical influences that can be traced back centuries.

A way of life

As with other parts of the Mediterranean, the food of the Middle East and North Africa is about far more than simple sustenance. Its an integral part of the lifestyle. Preparing and enjoying food is an extension of peoples lives, of their families, of their cultures, and of their heritage. And it is reflected in the way they live. It is generous, sociable, and always to be enjoyed surrounded by those you love.

Middle Eastern cooking centers on minimally processed foods such as legumes and whole grains, and plenty of fruit and vegetables, as well as meat, seafood and fish, yogurt, nuts, and seeds. The flavor of food is heightened using warming spices and the addition of a variety of fresh herbs. Also featured are favorites such as extra virgin olive oil, bread, and an assortment of pickled vegetables and condiments such as pomegranate molasses, muhammara, and zhug. These extras always enhance a meal and link all the dishes laid out on the table. In fact, it is rare to see a single dish in isolationthere is always bread, yogurt, or herbs to add depth to a meal.

There are also many health benefits linked with the foods prepared and eaten in the Middle East. Plant-based sources of protein such as pulses, nuts, and seeds are common throughout the Middle East, while seafood and fish feature in coastal regions. The recipes in this book use oily fish such as sardines and trout; these are good sources of heart-healthy omega-3, which can help to boost brain function, including memory, concentration, and mood.

The Middle Eastern pantry also includes plenty of unrefined whole grains and other fiber-rich foods such as vegetables and fruit. This plant-based focus is a great way to ensure lots of fiber in your diet, fueling your body with naturally slow-burning energy sources. A diet high in fiber is linked to better digestion, as well as more stable moods. Choose whole grains such as quinoa, freekeh, and barley over more refined options. Adding legumes or pulses to your diet will up your fiber intake, too, and help you to stay fuller and more nourished for longer.

Food for the body, food for the soul

Many of the dishes in this book are naturally bright and colorful, thanks to the importance placed on fresh, seasonal produce, as well as the use of fresh herbs, nuts, and seeds. Fresh fruit and vegetables contain plenty of antioxidants and polyphenols, which can help to slow the signs of aging and reduce the risk of inflammatory disease. Filling up on 510 servings of vegetables a day is an excellent way to get more antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins, minerals, and fiber into your diet.

Its not just the type of foods consumed in the Middle East that makes this cooking so good for you. It is the way in which the food is prepared and eaten, with importance placed on mealtimes and sharing.

Meals prepared in these countries are a ritual. Often different elements of a single recipe or entire meal are prepared by multiple members of a family or community who come together to help one another. Most Middle Eastern dishes are designed to be enjoyed with family and friends. This family-style approach to eating food around the table helps to develop a sense of community and connection that is essential to wellbeing and happiness. Sharing foods around the table also helps to foster a healthy relationship with food, where the focus is on enjoyment and satiation, rather than restriction or control. From the kitchen to the table, Middle Eastern food is prepared and eaten thoughtfully and with positive intention.

Traditionally, a large lunch and a lighter dinner are the cornerstones of mealtimes; however, with modern urban life, dinner is often the bigger meal of the day. Eating at the table (and in company) is a simple practice that we can adopt from Middle Eastern culture, and can promote more mindfulness toward what, when, and how we are eating. Another benefit of eating family-style shared plates is that it encourages a diet of variety. And variety is at the core of Middle Eastern cooking. Mezze, the custom of eating an assortment of small dishes, is a distinct example of this. Eating this way provides a diet that includes a wide range of ingredients, in an array of colors, making it a simple way to help your body get a healthy mix of essential vitamins and minerals.

Transforming everyday eating

There are two principal methods of cooking used: wet and dry. Soups and stews rich with spices are meals in themselvesperfect for breadswhile the fierce heat of the grill is used for kefta, skewers, and quick-cooking meat. Larger cuts are cooked slowly in the oven and lend themselves to being partnered with a vegetable or salad dish, or even both.

The Middle Eastern sweet tooth is legendary, with spices, nuts, and the distinctive floral flavors of rosewater and orange blossom imbued into syrups and laced through cakes and pastries.

The Middle Eastern style of eating can help you to live a happier life filled with variety, vitality, and connection through the shared experiences of eating together. The simple approach to cooking, the use of fresh seasonal produce, and the deeply embedded culinary traditions of these cultures make food from the Middle East much loved around the world.

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MEZZE

Draw from the complement of vibrant dishes found here to create inviting morsels ideal for sharing, from a simple mezze platter to more elaborate arrays of appetizers.

Mezze | CONTENTS

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Persian flatbread with zaatar and roasted grapes