Foods of Southwest Asia and Africa

Southwest Asia

• Commonly called Middle East • Lies across Black Sea from Eastern Europe and across the Red Sea from Africa • Excellent farming due to river system • Wheat and barley, early crops • Today use irrigated fields

Southwest Asian Ingredients

• Lamb and Chicken common main dishes • Yogurt (Laban) is essential • Wheat is common for baking – rice • Fruits and vegetables – Figs, dates, grapes, raisins, lemons, oranges – Spinach, zucchini, artichokes, tomatoes, okra – Tahini: thick ground paste made from sesame seeds

Seasonings

• Coriander • Cardamom • Cinnamon • Ginger • Turmeric • Allspice • Sumac: deep red berry, usually ground, adds a fruity tartness • Saffron: thread-like center of crocus flower • Mint • Parsley • Dill • Cilantro

Southwest Asian Cuisine

• Labneh: yogurt cheese on flatbread • Marcook: dome-shaped flatbread • Taboun: thick Palestinian loaf • Manakeesh: Lebanese bread • Mezza: appetizers • Hummus: pureed garbanzo beans seasoned with tahini • Falafel: tahini sauce or yogurt dipping sauce • Fatayer: turnover filled with meat, cheese, spinach • Tabbouleh: fresh salad • Doms: meat and rice stuffed in eggplant or grape leaves • Kahwah: Coffee

Israeli Cuisine

• Knish: turnover filled with potatoes, cheese, kasha or chicken • Bourekas: cheese filled pastry • Cholent: stew of beans, potatoes, barley and meat • Loksheen Kugel: noodle pudding

North Africa

• Sahara Desert • Only small portion of land along Mediterranean coast is suitable for human, plant and animal life • Nile River: waters crops, plus dates, nuts, olives, potatoes citrus fruits

North African Dishes

• Couscous: main grain • Harissa: garlic seasoned red pepper paste • Merguez: spicy Tunisian lamb sausage • Tagines: well seasoned stews • B’stilla: pie filled with cooked, spiced chicken in curdled egg sauce and topped with sugar and cinnamon coated almonds • Fava beans; small and brown • Ful medames: thick stew of lightly mashed beans • Brik: turnover filled with egg • El ham lahlou: sweet lamb stew

Sub-Saharan Africa

• Malnourishment is widespread • Famine constant threat • Cooking is bold in flavor and color • Legumes, nuts, black-eyed peas, sweet peppers, squash, okra, chiles, garlic • Meatless dishes are common – Meats: chicken, guinea fowl, beef, fish, goat

Sub-Saharan Dishes

• Moambe: common stew base • Bervere: varying amounts of red pepper, fenu greek, allspice, cloves, cardamom, turmeric • Egusi: blend of ground, roasted squash seeds and tomato paste • Ugali and Mealie meal: mound of fine cornmeal porridge • Injera: thin, spongy sourdough flatbread • Irio: mash of peas, potatoes, corn and greens