Eastern Mediterranean Cooking

Food in this part of the Mediterranean, here including Syria (Aleppo is the culinary capital of the area), Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Greece, and Turkey, always anticipates the arrival of guests. Prepared in a way that is fresh and mild, the food is often served room temperature and so, it can be shared easily, especially in the form of small dishes known as mezze. Distinctive flavorings include pomegranate sauces, pepper spreads, walnut flour (particularly in Syria), ground pistachios and mint. Yogurt and white cheese like feta, halumi, or the Israeli lebanah, are used in soups and sauces or eaten alone with olive oil, fresh tomatoes, and cucumbers. Olives and olive oil are pervasive. Chickpeas, fava beans (or ful, pronounced fool), and lentils are found in soups and stews. As in the rest of the Mediterranean, eggplant is in everything. It is the basis for the many ratatouille-like salads and it is stuffed (if any food item can be stuffed, you will find it so in the eastern Mediterranean). Rice and meat, with perhaps tomatoes and pine nuts added for texture, make up a common stuffing for vegetables, grape leaves, and other meats. Kibbeh, which takes a slightly different name in each country, is a stuffed, oval-shaped meatball. Its shell is made out of a bulgar wheat and ground meat mix, and its stuffing is seasoned ground meat. Kibbeh is often deep-fried. It is also cooked in yogurt, boiled as a dumpling in soups, steamed, pan-fried, and even eaten raw. There are many variations of kibbeh, but the classic is made with lamb. Kebabs -- marinated meats, fish, and vegetables which are cooked on a skewer over an open flame -- are another well-known preparation. Kufta, seasoned ground meat, is also cooked on a skewer. The kufta kebab is then served over rice, vegetables, or in pita bread with yogurt and tahini sauce.

Turkish cooking shares a great deal with its neighbors to the east, and has, since the great Ottoman Empire, exerted a strong cultural sway over the region. It supplements the local love affair with yogurt, lamb (virtually synonymous with "meat" in Turkey), and eggplant with legumes, fresh dill and mint, sumac, and allspice. Desserts are rich and sweet.