Much of Morocco’s argan oil still comes from nuts excreted by goats. The fabulously expensive oil is now produced in Israel – without goat droppings. Ever get the feeling that you’re barking up the wrong tree? Well, this goat up a tree is bleating with joy at his favorite nosh: argan nuts. As Karin revealed […]
A sustainable T.R.E.E. grows in Aspen, where children learn about real food. As a child, Israeli-born Eden Vardy wanted to know where his food came from. And since he grew up in Aspen, Colorado, his food generally came from a supermarket and was probably transported from far away. As he grew older and learned more […]
October offers a variety of short-season delicacies. Look for olives, dates, and beans. Each month brings forward new fruit or vegetables to charm the eye and palate, while the previous month's stars fade away.
Miriam suggests dishes to suit meals before and after the Big Fast of Yom Kippur. This coming Friday night a Jewish Shabbat and Yom Kippur holiday occur together. While I look forward to a day of prayer and meditation, a day offline and a day of cleaner air, I confess I don’t relish the thought of […]
These big, savory meatballs satisfy big hungers. Certain dishes are considered working-man’s lunches in the Middle East. They’re foods you find in small shuk restaurants or roadside eateries. Eggy shakshoukah (recipe here), mulukhiyah soup (recipe here), the classic lentil/rice combination, majadra. The favored meat in the Middle East is lamb and it’s most often prepared […]
During the Sukkot holiday, visitors will be able to learn how to make olive oil, sweet wine, bread and cheeses the old fashioned way. Sukkot, the Jewish harvest festival, is a time when Jews attempt to get closer to nature. They live in make-shift huts covered with thatched roofs, sleep outdoors, and celebrate fruits of […]
Instead of standard apples and honey, put some creative green thought into your Rosh Hashanah gifts this year. The Jewish New Year, or Rosh Hashanah 2011 is quickly approaching next week on September 28, and for many Jewish people this is a time of gift-giving in the new Jewish calendar year 5772. Gift giving is […]
The Middle-Eastern pantry staple can be made at home easily. Pomegranates come into season now, just as summer fades and before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Fresh pomegranate seeds are one of the traditional Rosh HaShanah simanim (symbolic foods) on the holiday table. Downtown juice stands everywhere in the Middle East offer glasses of […]
The late-summer peppers are excellent right now, firm-fleshed and plump, with smooth skins and that robust flavor that marries so well with vinegar. Why not pickle some of them? Lemon season is just starting too, so try our recipe for preserved lemons while you’re in the pickling mood. Making pickles is easy. It’s a matter […]
Certain foods common in Middle East diets are better at minimizing the symptoms of herpes, a sexually transmitted viral infection that causes painful lesions on the mouth and genitals.
Find a good spot and plop down in your picnic dress for an impromptu meal on the grass. Picnics are great because they allow us to appreciate the great outdoors (sometimes motivating us to take more efforts to protect it). But sometimes picnics are not so great because they result in picnic littering, or the […]
Pomegranates are enjoying a resurgence in popularity around the globe, in part because they are nutritious as well as deserving of their reputation as a food to put you in the mood. This time of year, Mediterranean landscapes display the ripening fruits of the fall harvest season. Few are as impressive as the grand dame […]
Ayran, doogh, dhallë, daw, xynogala or tan is a cold savory yogurt-based beverage of yogurt and water popular across Asia. Ingredients are yogurt, water and salt.
The level of food waste occurring during the holy Muslim month of fasting goes against the very spirit of Ramadan A couple of days ago, I attended a small communal iftar at a local mosque where I broke my 18-hour fast with some rice, salad and dates. Although there was plenty of food, the organisers […]
In spite of some climate differences, most Middle Eastern countries raise the same crops. Don’t think that it means little choice, though. The huge variety of local fresh fruit and vegetables here, and their bright flavors, astound Westerners who have forgotten how a tomato or a green bean should taste. Real superfoods (see our article […]