Which countries are part of the Middle East varies depending on who you ask. From a food perspective, the flavours of Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine (the Levant), Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, The UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar (the countries of the Arabian Gulf), Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt (North Africa) all have a lot in common. The influences crosses borders to neighbouring Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Xinjjiang in China, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Sudan, Somalia, Zanzibar and Greece too; as well as the Middle Eastern/Arabic influence on Malaysian and Indonesian cuisines.
Sharbat Sekanjabin Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Persian cooking class! Sharbat is Persian cordial, a syrup flavoured with fruits and/or flowers, usually with a sour touch, that’s then diluted with water and served over ice. The word is related to sherbet, sorbet, shrub (in the drinks sense) and syrup, via the Arabic šariba […]
Pomegranate Juice Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Persian cooking class! I’ve enjoyed ob’eh anar – freshly squeezed pomegranate juice – from street stalls all over Tehran, especially in summer when some are open all night to refresh shift workers and people on their way home from an evening out. Pomegranates are native to […]
Paloudeh Talebi (Rockmelon Slushie) Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Persian cooking class! Paloudeh talebi are rockmelon slushies sold by street vendors and made in homes throughout summer in Iran; paloudeh is a variation of the word faloodeh, Persia’s famous rose water, lime and noodle granita. These Persian rockmelon slushies can be simply fresh […]
Doogh (Persian Yoghurt Drink) Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Persian cooking class! Yoghurt is popular throughout the Middle Eastern region, dolloped onto rice, stirred through vegetables for a tangy dip, and often blended into refreshing drinks. In Iran, it’s used to make doogh (also written dugh), a slightly salty, minty, fizzy drink that’s […]
Kashke Bademjan (Persian Eggplant Dip) Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Persian cooking class! Bademjan is Farsi for eggplant, kashk is fermented whey, and kashke bademjan (roasted eggplant dip) is one of my favourite Persian dishes. My friend Parya-joon made a huge bowl of it for my last birthday party which was a great […]
Persian Omelet Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Persian cooking class! What Persians call omelet is more like what I would call scrambled egg with tomato. It’s usually not a pretty dish, but it is a tasty one that appears on almost every breakfast menu in Iran. Typically the egg is finely scrambled so […]
Persian Halva Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Persian cooking class! Halva, meaning ‘sweet’ in Arabic, is popular throughout the Middle East and Indian subcontinent. Unlike the tahini version often seen, Persian halva is made from a flour and butter dough, flavoured with two of Persia’s most popular ingredients: saffron and rose water. It’s […]
Savoury Künefe Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Turkish cooking class inspired by Somer Sivrioglu! I love the flavours in Turkish paçanga börek – the pastirma, kasar cheese, tomato and chilli sing together. I’m also impressed by how deliciously easy sweet kunefe is to make using kadayifi pastry. So I wondered what would happen […]
Turkish Coffee Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Turkish cooking class inspired by Somer Sivrioglu! For a short time during my travels around Turkey I helped out in a friend’s cay evi (tea house) and became quite a dab hand at making Turkish coffee, called kahvesi. The trick to getting that prized thick foam […]
Turkish Breakfast Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Turkish cooking class inspired by Somer Sivrioglu! I loved every meal in Turkey – but I think breakfast, kahvaltısı, was my favourite. Turkish breakfast is so different from what I grew up with and I never tired of it. Each morning, my travelling companions and I […]
