Egyptians aren’t as well known for their food as let’s say the Turks, or the Lebanese, and now modern Israel, but if there is one singular thing I love about Egypt, it’s their tea. I first tasted Egyptian tea in Sinai, where it’s known as Karkadey tea, and the Israelis translate this to hibiscus. But […]
For years empirical evidence has suggested that the Mediterranean diet, which includes a lot of fish, nuts, olive oil, fruits and vegetables, is superior to others, but it has been exceptionally difficult to prove the relationship between food and diet given that so many other factors can influence a person’s health. Plus, let’s face it: […]
I stood in a golden wheat field some five miles north of Acre in Israel. Paul Nirens of the Galileat organization had arranged a demonstration with a local farmer, to show us how the Druze traditionally roast green wheat for freekeh. To reach the field, we’d driven over a ditch of teeth-rattling bumpiness, part of the […]
Does a vision of rich, creamy, sweet and cheesy dessert with a crunchy topping totally seduce you? Well, it seduces people with a sweet tooth everywhere in the Levant. In Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Greece and Turkey, good housewives make knafeh, the most luxurious dairy dessert.
Available for only a short season, green favas are considered a delicacy in the Middle East. Springtime in the market (shuk), and lots of prime greens have made their once-yearly appearance. Fresh green peas and artichokes, which I love to eat stuffed. Fresh green garlic to hang up and dry for the year. And fresh […]
Keep your chocolate pure, fair trade and organic: a guide to eating chocolate the green way. Chocolate is alternately portrayed as a sinful delight – damaging to your health and your waistline – or as a food with health benefits. So which is it? According to the Mayo Clinic website, a trusted health authority in […]
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 […]
Smooth and heavy – a guide to choosing the best raw olives for pickling at home. There’s nothing like the sensation of running your fingers through a heap of smooth, heavy, fresh olives. And now is the season. Open markets of the Middle East display stands heaped with the green and purple fruit, perfect for […]
The Ehrenberg Snapper is the first on our list of seven fish in the Gulf region (Persian/Arabian Gulf depending on who you’re talking to) that are totally ok to eat! There’s a lot of buzz about overfishing, but navigating what is sustainable to eat is not so easy in the Middle East, where we don’t have such well-established […]
Green Prophet delves into the bloody and murky business of shark fishing and fining in the United Arab Emirates Following the recent shocking incident where a pregnant hammerhead female shark and its forty-five pups were found dead at a fish market in Dubai, we decided to delve a little deeper into the murky business of […]
Maca, goji berries… what gives? Miriam shows how to buy local superfoods without the cost and fancy wasteful packaging. Colorful, flavorful, wonderful, natural products crammed with every natural antioxidant, mineral, micro-nutrient, essential fatty acid and protein you can think of. And I can get them for you, too – wholesale. What? These aren’t superfoods? You’re […]
Make your own cheese spread, Labneh. Easy and delicious! Breakfast in the Middle East. There’s black coffee. Pita. Chopped cucumbers and tomatoes. Olive oil to drizzle at will. And labneh, a thick, yoghurt-based cheese whose sour taste perfectly complements vegetables, bread like zalabya, and olive oil. Labneh is as easy to make as our ricotta recipe. […]
Within Islam there are many herbs, plants and fruits that are believed to have medicinal and healing properties. Olive, pomegranate, dates and figs are amongst those that are directly mentioned in the Qur’an as blessed foods. However, there is only one that can stake a claim as a super food and that is Black cumin […]
A play on words and a plea for blessings. Start the Jewish New Year with a variety of salads that symbolize things you desire. Rosh Hashana’s symbolic foods represent things we ask to be granted in the coming year, the Jewish New Year. But they simply might represent words. Enjoy these easy-to-make symbolic salads and […]
Baba ganoush, baba ghannouj or baba ghannoug (Arabic بابا غنوج ) is an Arab dish of eggplant (aubergine) mashed and mixed with various seasonings. It’s one of the best flavors the Middle East has to offer. Scientists say after seven or so years your body’s bones and organs regenerate, meaning most of us are a […]
Good for a sore throat, your hair and lowering cholesterol, the ancient honeycomb shows it can also improve your complexion. “Eat the crusts, it will make your hair curly!”, “Add some honey to your tea instead of sugar, it will help your throat!” Well after years of eating bread crusts, my hair is somewhere between […]
The USA allows them, and the EU has banned them, but the controversy over genetically modified foods is far from over, globally or in the Middle East. While Israel prohibits the import of genetically modified seeds, according to a 2009 article in Haaretz, even green-savvy consumers may be eating their fair share of Frankenfoods. (Genetically […]
Ma’moul means “filled” or “stuffed” in Arabic, and these tender, crumbly pastries are stuffed with dates or nuts. Traditionally, they’re made in special wooden molds that imprint the pastry with individual designs – so you know if your ma’amoul is stuffed with walnuts, dates, or pistachios, without having to take a bite. People all over […]
The continent of Africa evokes emotion: on one hand there is the impressive landscape, African tribal cultures attached to their roots, and the massive land mammals that still roam wild. But there is another side of Africa, which is much less romantic, brought to the world’s attention through Live Aid and Sally Struthers’ commercials: its […]
Many of us are rushing around today, crossing things off lists though simultaneously putting new ones on, trying to get ready for Rosh Hashanah. It’s a big food holiday – bigger than most, even – and most of us will have family recipes and traditional fare serving as the staples for dinner tonight. Far be […]
Shelled those garden peas? Now you have a soup you can make from the unused pea pods.
“Social Change is another form of fermentation. Ideas ferment, as they spread and mutate and inspire movements for change,” Sandor Katz. I sat down to read Sandor Katz’s “Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods” to help me along with my recreational pickling and fermenting skills. I was hoping to learn a bit […]
