"middle eastern food" news and stories

Seen this exotic spice listed in summer recipes? Read for more on its mysterious makeup.

Whole grains? Check. Nuts? Check. Herbs? Check. Middle Eastern tabbouleh is not only one of the healthiest salads around, it hits just the right notes of tart and refreshing with lemon juice and mounds of parsley.

Typically made with bulgur and tomatoes, this variation, from Stone Soup, is created with brown rice and a whole cup of almonds, making it substantial enough to be a meal in itself. Cut back on the nuts and it's a colorful side salad to accompany fish or lamb.

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Ever since I returned from Dubai, I've become fascinated by Middle Eastern cuisine. A couple of weeks ago, I went to Sahadi's in Brooklyn, and I discovered Labne. Labne is a dense yoghurt eaten in Syria and Lebanon. It's not as tangy as many of the Greek yoghurts I've tried in the past, but it has the same thick texture. You can flavor it with crushed mint and olive oil. Also, it doesn't have nearly as many carbs as most yoghurts. Labne from Karoun Dairies in California has just two grams of carbohydrates in a two tablespoon serving size .

For those of you on a low-carb diet, like the Atkin's, Labne is a great find. You can use it as a dip for hamburger meat. It can be a substitute for sour cream. It also tenderizes meat in a stew and adds a great creamy tang to a soup. For those of you not on a strict low carb regimen, I urge you to try it over bread with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, olive oil and maras pepper. When entertaining, Labne can serve as dip for bread. This month, the New York Times Magazine featured a recipe for labne-and-ricotta cheesecakes with rice, nut and raspberry relish.

Ah, the diverse ways you can add labne into your diet! Next time you have zaatar bread, dip it into labne and taste the gastronomic effects of this unique low-carb treat.

During my visit in Dubai, I did what almost every tourist there does. I went to the lavish, semi-futuristic, Vegas inspired malls where you can not only go shopping, but also indoor skiing. While at the Wafi mall, an ancient Egyptian inspired building shaped like a pyramid, I made sure to stop into Wafi Gourmet, a Middle Eastern specialty food store. The selection of dates looked gorgeous.

Wafi Gourmet has a counter full of chocolate covered dates, dates stuffed with oranges, and dates stuffed with pistachios and dipped in chocolate. I started off with a tasting of their plan dates. Their juiciness, freshness, and intense sweetness satiated my palate. I couldn't imagine eating the ones covered in chocolate, but, I'm so glad I did!

Dates are one of the few fruits in Dubai that come from the United Arab of Emirates, and, at the moment, they're in season. At Wafi Gourmet, they sell a few different aged dates. Since I have a sweet tooth, the fresh ones were naturally my favorite. The ones that are aged are more savory. Currently, I'm on a quest to find the same succulent dates in NY. If you know where I can find them, please let me know.

When Claudia Roden's Book of Middle Eastern Food was first published more than 30 years ago, it set a standard for Middle Eastern cuisine in the US. The foods of Morocco, Turkey and most Arabian countries were almost entirely unknown. As the tastes of American chefs grew to love and crave new flavors, Roden updated her book into The New Book of Middle Eastern Food. This volume contains most of the recipes set forth in the original, as well as many new ones. The recipes are divided by type and main ingredient, so there are chapters dedicated to soups, yogurt, meat dishes and vegetables, though there is a lot of crossover between the sections as some ingredients, like yogurt, are widely used. Roden's presentation of the material is very interesting, as she takes the time to explain a lot of the origins of dishes and ingredients and the lore that surrounds them in the Middle Eastern cultures she describes.

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