Food and production

FOOD AND PRODUCTION
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(June 20, 2012)
Middle East Cuisine
Introduction
Middle East cuisine refers to the cuisine of different countries and people of the Middle East. The region’s cuisine is not only diverse but also contains a large degree of homogeneity. The commonly utilized ingredients in this region are olive oil, sesame seeds, sumac, parsley, mint, chickpeas, olive, honey and pitas. Likewise, common dishes include shawarma and kibbeh. In a similar way with other parts of the world, this region normally benefits a lot from a plethora of various cuisines and cooking styles. These various cuisines in the region contain some similarities to one another. On the contrary, they can be categorized into three key areas of influence. These include Arab, Persian and Mediterranean (Ham, 2009).
Middle East Cuisine in relation to different cultures
Cuisines in the Middle East include the Mediterranean, Persian and Arab cultures. Examples of cuisines with the Mediterranean influence include Turkish and Lebanese food. These foods utilize a lot of similar ingredients as their neighbors on the opposite side of the sea such as Italy and Greece. Conversely, the preparations differ from one country to another and also from kitchen to kitchen. The most prevalent staples of Levantine cooking include fava beans, tomatoes, parsley, olive oil, chick peas and lamb. Meal emphasis is normally put on fresh produce and a lot of Mezze. This represents the version of the Middle East for appetizers or Tapas. Within this region, the most beverages of choice include Turkish coffee, Arak and wine. Furthermore, the Persian influenced foods are Afghani and Iranian cuisines. Within these foods, increased emphasis is given to the lamb, meat dishes. In addition, there is also increased utilization of rice in the majority of the meals. For instance, other cuisines within this region have developed as a result of mixing three influences. These three influences are the neighboring Persian and Mediterranean cuisines and the various nomadic lifestyles of Bedouin tribes within the region. Thus, yogurt, almonds, dates, goat and lamb are the most significant ingredients within these cuisines (Edelstein, 2010).
In the Middle East, cereals represent the base for its diet. Rice and wheat are the important and most preferred sources of most of the staple cuisines. In addition, barley is a very common phenomenon in this region. Maize has also become common in some areas. Within this region, bread represents a universal staple. It is normally eaten in one given form or another. Apart from bread, wheat is utilized in the form of couscous and burghul. In the real sense, burghul is simply cracked meat. It is normally prepared by cooking the wheat grains partially in water. Then, it is sun dried or put in an oven and broken into pieces in varying grade sizes. It is normally cooked in water alongside flavorings just like rice. Furthermore, it is utilized in the making of meat pies and as a salad ingredient. Notably, it is utilized as an ingredient in tabbouleh alongside oil, tomato, chopped parsley and lemon (Ham, 2009).
Many types of rice get produced and consumed in within this region. Plain rice is normally served alongside grilled meat or with vegetable or meat stews. In most complicated rice dishes, there exist layers of vegetables, nuts, meat, sauces and dried fruits. Clarified butter and butter are the preferred cooking medium. Olive oil dominates the coastal areas of the Mediterranean region. In most cases, Christians utilize it during Lent when dairy products and meat get excluded. In addition, Jews usually utilize it as a substitute for animal fats to prevent mixing dairy and meat products.
Ethnical cooking methods and food handling procedures
Various ethical methods of cooking and food handling procedures exist in the Middle East. A proper example is Turkish coffee. Alongside its thick foam and careful preparation, Turkish coffee is normally a well established coffee specialty in the Middle East. In the real sense, any types of beans can be utilized to make it. However, the special grinding of the beans coupled with ken and slow boiling of water comes up with coffee different from what other regions of the world enjoy. Thought to have originated in Ethiopia, coffee spread into Cairo by the 15th century and then into Mecca. From Mecca, the beverage became adapted and spread in the entire Middle East. Turkish coffee as it is called today emanated from Arabic coffee. For instance, the Turks simply learned the preparation methods in the reign of the Ottomans. As a beverage, coffee was increasingly ingrained into the Turkish culture. Thus, in Turkey, the term coffee, Kahve represents the basis of the world breakfast. Despite the fact that regional variations influence the coffee recipes utilized throughout the region, the keen grinding and preparation which touches every cup remains fairly constant. The other point is that coffee preparation remains fairly constant. On the contrary, there exist various ways to adapt the coffee flavors into distinct tastes. For example, in Lebanon, sugar is normally added to the water prior to the coffee. This results into sugar syrup. Afterwards, the coffee is boiled three times in order to optimize the flavor. Furthermore, there exist some additions to the coffee. This includes sugar which may facilitate the flavor. Some other additions include hot milk or cream, ground sesame seeds, ground pistachios, honey and cardamom (Edelstein, 2010).
When it comes to grinding the coffee, Turkish coffee does not utilize a specific type of coffee bean. Instead, it uses a specific type of ground coffee. Actually, the beans should be roasted first. Then, the beans are ground into a fine powder. Ancient coffee grinders fail to get the beans into a fine consistency. However, they can get them very close to the finished powder ground by hand. In order to grind this coffee to reach the correct consistency, start with a coffee grinder which is set to grind to Espresso. Then, when the beans have not been ground much, they should be taken to a mortar and pestle and then ground by hand up to a very fine powder. Another handling procedure entails using a Turkish grinder to make the coffee with the appropriate consistency. The powder which results should be utilized in the correct way to obtain the best results. In addition, the powder may be stored for some few weeks in an air tight container (Banna, 2009).
Turkish coffee contains a given procedure for preparing it. In order for it to be prepared, a Turkish coffee pot ought to be present. This is normally bought on the Internet. In addition, it may be purchased at various coffee specialty stores. The key ingredients for this kind of coffee include the following. I tablespoon of sugar, 3 Heaping spoons of powdered coffee, adequate water to fill the neck of the coffee pot and a half teaspoon ground cardamom. The procedure for preparing the Turkish coffee is as illustrated below. First, add water, sugar, water and cardamom to the coffee pot. The addition should occur in a sequence starting with sugar, water and then coffee alongside cardamom. After this, put the coffee pot directly to a source of heat like top of a stove. Then, turn on the heat to the medium level and then low. Watch keenly as foam will start to form. After the foam gets to the top of the coffee top, remove the top from the source of heat. Then, stir the coffee and subsequently return it to the source of heat. After the foam reaching the top for the second time, get rid of the pot from the source of heat. This takes place much quickly during this second time. Afterwards, the coffee should again be stirred and the source of heat turned off. Then, the coffee should be served immediately. It should be poured from a height of approximately 6-12 inches from the cup to assist during the transfer of foam to the cup. The other point is that the Turkish coffee should be served with Turkish delight or Halva. An observation is for the ...