Camel milk and dates are now bona fide links in the international gourmet food chain. And while this bodes well for Middle East economics, is the associated environmental news happy too? I questioned this last summer in Malahide, a tiny Irish seaside village where I used to live. I was staying with friends and their child […]
The authentic flavor of Tej beer made according to a centuries-old process. An Ethiopian friend supervised my making Tej at home. It’s a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. It requires Gesho, a dried leaf used instead of hops (Rhamnus prinoides, a relative of buckthorn). But it’s as authentic a recipe as ever you’ll find, for my […]
Even a small swarm of locusts can eat the food of 35,000 people! The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is alerting North Africa to prepare people and food producers about a damaging swarm of locusts expected to move in over the coming weeks. The UN organization is alerting North Africa’s Algeria, Libya, Mauritania and […]
Picking olives the traditional way is less damaging to the fruit The annual olive harvest is here in the Middle East again. For people living in Mediterranean and Middle East olive producing countries, they can enjoy pickling their own olives due to the proliferation of olive trees in these locations. Here in Israel where I […]
Old beers, new drinks. Fired by the taste of heritage beers, Lost Tribes Brew founders have developed beers and wines that resurrect traditional brews, which they claim identify some of Israel’s ten lost tribes. Five childhood friends from New York – Itzkowitz, Allan Farago, Ari Smith, Andrew Septimus and Rabbi Harry Rozenberg – flew to […]
Israelis are averse to buying egg imports from Turkey, where the hens may not be inoculated against salmonella. Free from the dilemma of buying the free-range or organic eggs (I own my own coop with eight hens), the Israeli government has decided to make a law that will require the Made-In label on every egg […]
I try to eat as healthy as possible, buying my family whole wheat products instead of white. I also like to bake pita breads (see my recipe), cookies, and make dinner from scratch as much as I am able. As much as I like healthy choices like quinoa and cranberry juice, sometimes there is nothing like […]
A high use of hormones for IVF treatments may be one reason why Jewish Israelis in special risk category. The Israeli Health Ministry stated that 1 in every 8 Israeli women is at risk of breast cancer. The disease is on the rise in Jewish Israeli women, but mortality rates are dropping, according to the […]
My collection of Pyrex baking pans: An explosion waiting to happen? A hot Pyrex type glass baking dish can literally explode if placed on a cool surface like a sink counter top…In an illuminating article about the dangers of non-stick ceramic cooking ware, we advised readers of the risks involved in cooking with some types […]
Egypt’s first ever seed bombing event will highlight the importance of preserving Egyptian seeds and promoting local biodiversity Environmental groups across Egypt have come together to launch a unique event that involves two things you wouldn’t normally put together: seeds and bombing. Campaigners from Nawaya, Nabta, Greenpeace Egypt and 350.org have been busy training activists […]
Crunchy, tasty popcorn, made on your stove top, with nothing but goodness in it. My friend was amused that I have no microwave oven. How can I deal with food all day long and not own one? And how were we going to pop the popcorn she’d brought over? The health risks associated with microwave […]
Smoking can cause cancer, emphysema, birth defects, and – in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – divorce. Saudi Arabian authorities enacted a ban against smoking in government buildings, curbing a habit enjoyed by six million of its people. Smoking’s now banned at all ministries and government facilities in all provinces of the kingdom, according to the […]
According to the latest findings by global risk-analyser Maplecroft, Arab Spring countries are at greater risk of rising food prices in the coming year It’s no secret that the high price of basic food staples were a contributing factor to the revolts which began in Tunisia and Egypt and sparked the ‘Arab Spring’. The protesters […]
Overexposure by pregnant women to cookware coatings like PFC in microwave popcorn bags may result in underweight newborn babies. Be mindful of the risks when you cook. We wrote a few articles about the potential dangers of cooking with ceramic coated cookware, and the resulting lawsuit filed by one of these cookware manufacturers against the […]
A potentially dangerous form of fungus forced a Gulf family from their home. Is your building sick too? Sounds like a 1950’s horror flick, but it’s been no Hollywood experience for this family-of-five in the United Arab Emirates of Sharjah. They’ve been living in a hotel since September 4 when they returned from vacation to […]
Mafroum potatoes melt in your mouth and fill your senses with truly Middle Eastern flavors. A festive dish, mafroum is one of those foods that reminds me of Moroccan grandmothers who bustle into the kitchen, don an apron, and lovingly conjure delicious food out of vegetables and meat fresh from the shouk.And one of the […]
Reduce one food source and increase pressure on others. We’re all going to die! Only a lot later and with healthier arteries according to political satirist Stephen Colbert’s side-splitting riff on recent reports that the global bacon supply is “cooked”. Britain’s National Pig Association released data recently showing that European pig herds are declining “at a significant […]
Dates and goat’s cheese, a classic Middle Eastern combination that works as an appetizer, nosh, or dessert. Stately date palms grace many streets in the Middle East, giving the landscape an unforgettable silhouette. In Israel, municipalities prune their date palms and give out the big, rustling leaves gratis to those who like to roof their […]
This extract-based pesticide from a hardy Holy Land species of bush forms the basis of a new natural insect repellent. An Israeli company EdenShield has developed a natural, non-toxic bug repellent that masks the smell of plants and flowers –– and possibly even people. It’s like putting a nose plug on bugs so they can’t […]
A new SARS-like mystery illness has health authorities alert ahead of the millions-strong Haj pilgrammage to Mecca. There have been two recent cases of a mysterious SARS-like virus linked to Saudi Arabia. It killed one of its victims from Saudi Arabia. The second who is still alive travelled through the country. The unknown mystery virus […]
The UN is calling for urgent action to reduce human exposure to chemicals and save the lives of millions of people A couple of months ago, as part of my research for an article, I spoke to a young woman affected by a rather unique and misunderstand condition called ‘Multiple Chemical Sensitivity’. Also known as […]
A 45 minute shisha session is the equivalent of puffing 100 cigarettes. In a new study, Iranian researchers proved tobacco water pipes are as harmful as cigarettes, saying, “Our findings reveal profound effects of water pipe smoking on lung function, similar to the effects observed in deep inhalation cigarette smokers.” A student at Amman’s American Community School […]
This Egyptian bodybuilder’s biceps aren’t sustainable, or even good for his own health. Moustafa Ismail will appear in the 2013 Guinness Book of Records now that his 31 inch biceps have been confirmed as the biggest on the planet. The 24-year-old with arms as wide as a man’s waist began bodybuilding ten years ago. In 2007, […]
There’s good news for butter lovers in the future. Professor Oren Froy of the Agriculture, Food, and Environment department, Hebrew University, says that a high-fat diet may help weight loss. The trick is to include fats in regularly scheduled meals. We’ve written about different food theories here on Green Prophet, including a debate on if […]
Beef Products Inc says that the ABC network is to blame for its economic woes. What’s in a name? Beef Products Inc (BPI) is suing ABC News for $1.2 billion, claiming economic damage from the network’s use of the words “pink slime” to describe the mass of connective tissue ground together, washed in ammonia, and […]
