10.02
History of Middle Eastern Cuisine
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The Fertile Crescent, which includes the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (Sumer, Akkad, Assyria, and Babylonia), is where wheat was originally grown, followed by rye, barley, lentils, beans, pistachios, figs, pomegranates, dates, and other regional staples. The region also saw the domestication of sheep, goats, and cattle. Fermentation was also discovered in Mesopotamia and the Levant, where it was used to leaven bread and produce beer. In addition, it is from that region that the first documented recipes originated.
Fermentation was discovered in Mesopotamia & the Levant, where it was used to leaven bread
It has been a hotspot of food and recipe sharing at a crossroads connecting Europe, Asia, the Caucasus, and North Africa. Rice, chicken, and fruits were introduced into the local diet during the first Persian Empire (ca. 550–330 BCE), laying the groundwork for modern Middle-Eastern cuisine. Merchants transported figs, dates, and nuts to conquered areas, as well as spices from the Orient.
Dumplings from Mongol conquerors, turmeric and other spices from India, cloves, peppercorns, and allspice from the Spice Islands, okra from Africa, and tomatoes from the New World all impacted the region.
Persian-Spiced Lamb Shanks
Because neither the Jewish nor Muslims consume pork, religion has influenced the cuisine by making lamb the predominant meat.
Lebanese Shaabiyat Dessert made with phyllo dough
Sweet pastries made of paper-thin phyllo dough and thick coffee were brought to the region by the Ottoman Empire.
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