New Book of Middle Eastern Food

by Claudia Roden

Overview

The definitive volume on Middle Eastern cooking, a modern classic from the award-winning, bestselling author of The Book of Jewish Food and Claudia Roden's Mediterranean

Originally published in 1972 and hailed by James Beard as "a landmark in the field of cookery," this new version represents the accumulation of the author's years of extensive travel throughout the ever-changing landscape of the Middle East, gathering recipes and stories.

Now featuring more than 800 recipes, including the aromatic variations that accent a dish and define the country of origin: fried garlic and cumin and coriander from Egypt, cinnamon and allspice from Turkey, sumac and tamarind from Syria and Lebanon, pomegranate syrup from Iran, preserved lemon and harissa from North Africa. Claudia Roden has worked out simpler approaches to traditional dishes, using healthier ingredients and time-saving methods without ever sacrificing any of the extraordinary flavor, freshness, and texture that distinguish the cooking of this part of the world.

Throughout these pages she draws on all four of the region's major cooking styles:
• The refined haute cuisine of Iran, based on rice exquisitely prepared and embellished with a range of meats, vegetables, fruits, and nuts
• Arab cooking from Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan—at its finest today, and a good source for vegetable and bulgur wheat dishes
• The legendary Turkish cuisine, with its kebabs, wheat and rice dishes, yogurt salads, savory pies, and syrupy pastries
• North African cooking, particularly the splendid fare of Morocco, with its heady mix of hot and sweet, orchestrated to perfection in its couscous dishes and tagines

From the tantalizing mezze—succulent bites of filled fillo crescents and cigars, chopped salads, and stuffed morsels, as well as tahina, chickpeas, and eggplant in their many guises—to the skewered meats and savory stews and hearty grain and vegetable dishes, here is a rich array of Middle Eastern cooking.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780375405068
Publisher:	Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/26/2000
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	528
Sales rank:	463,673
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 9.72(h) x 1.66(d)

About the Author

Claudia Roden was born and raised in Cairo. She completed her formal education in Paris and then moved to London to study art. She travels extensively as a food writer. Her previous books include the James Beard Award-winning Book of Jewish Food, as well as Coffee: A Connoisseur's Companion, The Good Food of Italy—Region by Region, Everything Tastes Better Outdoors, and Mediterranean Cookery, which was published in conjunction with her BBC television series on the Mediterranean. In 1989 she won the two most prestigious food prizes in Italy, the Premio Orio Vergani and the Premio Maria Luigia, Duchessa di Parma, for her London Sunday Times Magazine series The Taste of Italy. She has won six Glenfiddich prizes, including 1992 Food Writer of the Year for articles in the Daily Telegraph and The Observer magazine, and the Glenfiddich Trophy awarded "in celebration of a unique contribution to the food that we eat in Britain today." In 1999 she won a Versailles Award in France, and Prince Claus of the Netherlands presented her with the Prince Claus Award "in recognition of exceptional initiatives and achievements in the field of culture." She lives in London.

Read an Excerpt

Yogurt

In every Middle Eastern household, the making of yogurt is a regular activity — at least it used to be. With a little experience one lears the rhythm of preparation and the exact warmth required to turn milk into yogurt. The actual preparation is extremely easy, but the right conditions as necessary for success. If these are fulfilled, the "magic" cannot fail.

Yogurt is an essential part of the Meiddle Eastern diet. In al-Baghdad's medieval manual it was referred to a "Persian milk." In Iran today it is known as mast, in Turkey as yogurt. Syrians and Lebanese call it laban, Egyptionas laban zabadi, whle Aremenians refer ito it as madzoon. In parts of the Middle East, as in the Balkans, yogurt is believed by some people to have medicinal and therapeutic qualities. Longevity and a strong constitution are attributed to a daily consumption.

More recently the Western world discovered the healthful qualities of yogurt, but it is too often restricted to a minor role as a dessert, usually sweetened or synthetically flavored. Yogurt has yet to be allowed the versatility it enjoys in the Middle East, where it is, in turn, a hot or cold soup, a salad, a marinade for meat, or the basic liquid element in a meat-and-vegetable dish. The West has still to discover the vast number of dishes which are refreshed, soothed, and glorified when accompanied by yogurt, and the splendid drink called ayran or abdug, which is a mixture of yogurt and water.

The best yogurt I have ever eaten was in Turkey. It was made with water buffalo's milk and was thick and deliciously rich and creamy. A good second is the thick sheep's-milk yogurt product of Greece, which has been drained of its whey.

To Make Yogurt

If yogurt is to be adopted as an important element in cookery, it is worth learning to make it at home. All sorts of equipment have been recommended as being required: cake pans lined with padding, feather cushions, thermometers, different-sized bottles, jars, corks, tops, to name but a few. Commercial firms sell sets of equipment, but you can do perfectly well without them. All that is needed is a large earthenware or glass bowl, a plate to cover it entirely or plastic wrap, and a small woolen blanket — I use two shawls.

The proportions are1 heaping tablespoon of starter or activator (culture of the bacteria bulgaris) or fresh. Live yogurt (I use ordinary, commercial plain whole-milk yogurt) to each quart of whole milk. If you increae the quantity of milk, increase that of the starter accordingly, but do not use too much of the starter, or the new batch of yogurt will be excessively sour.

Bring the milk to the boil in a large pan. When the froth rises, lower the heat and let the milk barely simmer for about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, and allow the milk to cool to the point where you can barely dip your fingers in and leave them there while you count to ten. Ten is the tradtitional count, but the milk must still be hot enough to sting. If you have a thermometer, the temperature should be 106-109 degress F. If the milk is much cooler or hotter than this, the yogurt is likely to fail.

Remove any skin that has formed on the surface of the milk. Beat the acticator or plain yogurt in a large glass or earthnware bowl until it is quite liquid. Add a few tablespoons of the hot milk, one at a time, beating vigorously, between all the additions. Then add the rest of the milk slowly, beating constantly, until thoroughly mixed.

Cover the bowl with a large plate or with plastic wrap. Wrap the whole bowl in a wooledn blanket or shawl and leave it undisturbed in a warm place, such as an airing cupboard, for at least 8 hous or overnight. It should then be ready, thick like a creamy custard. Do not leave the bowl in the warmth too long., or the yogurt will become too sour.

As soon as the yogurt is ready, you can cool it in the refrigerator. It will keep for a week, but it is preferable to make a new batch every 4 days, using some of the previous one as an actrivator.This will ensure a cconstant supply of sweet, fresh-tasting yogurt.

Recipe

Recipes from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food

Saman bi Einab (Quails with Grapes)
Serves 4

A wonderful dish. Even those who think it is not worth cooking quail because the birds are too small think this is delightful. In Morocco, ground ginger is used, but with fresh ginger it is particularly delicious. I peel and cut the root into pieces and squeeze them through a garlic press to obtain the juice. But if you are used to grating ginger, do that.

8 quails
3 tablespoons sunflower or vegetable oil
5-6 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
3 inches fresh gingerroot, or to taste, grated, or crushed in a garlic press to extract the juice
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pound large seedless white grapes, washed and drained

Quails are often sold with some remaining feathers, which need to be pulled or burnt off.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil with the butter. Put in the quails and sauté briskly over medium heat for about 8 minutes, turning to brown them lightly all over, and adding salt, pepper, and ginger. Add the garlic, and cook moments more, until the aroma rises, then take off the heat.

Put the grapes with the remaining oil in a saucepan. Sprinkle with a little salt, and cook, with the lid on, over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until the grapes soft, stirring occasionally. Add them to the quails in the frying pan and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the quails are done to your liking.

Serve hot.

The Quails

The Khoja shot a large number of quails, which he dressed and put on to stew. He clapped the lid on the saucepan and went out to invite his friends to dinner, wishing to give some of them who were always questioning his skill an agreeable proof of it.

While he was out, another man came and carried off the cooked quails, putting live quails in their place.

The Khoja's friends arrived, the saucepan was brought out, and the Khoja proudly took the cover off; the quails flew out with a flutter and disappeared. The Khoja stared in amazement, and then ejaculated:

"Oh Lord! granted that Thou hast restored the quails to life and made the dear little creatures happy again, how about my butter, salt, pepper, herbs, cooking expenses, and all my hard work? Who is going to pay for them?"

Barnham, trans., Tales of the Nasr-ed-din Khoja

Djaj bel Loz (Chicken with Almonds and Honey)
Serves 8

A magnificent dish, and a stunning example of the way Moroccans mix savory and sweet. Chicken pieces are first stewed with lemon juice and saffron, then baked with a topping of almonds and honey.
2 large onions, chopped
4 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
1 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Two 3 1/2- to 4-pound chickens, cut into quarters
Salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon powdered saffron
Juice of 1/2-1 lemon
1 1/2 cups blanched almonds, coarsely ground
1 tablespoon rose water
4-5 tablespoons honey

In a large pan, cook the onions in the oil over low heat with the lid on until they soften, stirring occasionally. Stir in the ginger and cinnamon and put in the chicken. Cover with water, add salt and pepper, saffron, and lemon juice, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings (the sauce should be quite salty), and move the pieces so that the top ones go to the bottom.

Lift the chicken pieces out and arrange them in a large, shallow baking dish. Remove the skin if you like, and pour the sauce over.

Mix the ground almonds with the rose water and honey. Spread this paste over the chicken pieces and bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 30-45 minutes. The flavor, with the melting honey, is divine. Serve hot.

Sabanekh bel Hummus (Spinach with Chickpeas)
Serves 6

The combination of spinach with chickpeas is common throughout the Middle East, but the flavors here are Egyptian. You may use good-quality canned chickpeas. It is good served with yogurt.

1/2 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight, or a 14-ounce can cooked chickpeas
Salt
2 pounds spinach
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Pepper
Juice of 1 lemon (optional)

If you are using the dried and soaked chickpeas, drain and boil them in fresh water for 1 1/4 hours, or until very tender, adding salt when they begin to soften.

Wash the spinach and remove stems only if they are thick and tough, then drain well.

In a large pan, fry the garlic and coriander in the oil, stirring, until the aroma rises. Pack in the spinach without adding any water, cover with a lid, and put over low heat until the leaves crumple to a soft mass. Add the drained chickpeas -- cooked or canned -- season with a little salt and pepper, mix very well, and cook a few minutes more. If there is too much liquid, reduce a little on high heat.

Serve hot or cold, with a squeeze of lemon if you like.

Variations

Fry 1 large chopped onion in 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add 2 medium peeled and chopped tomatoes and 1 teaspoon sugar and cook until reduced, then stir in the cooked spinach and the chickpeas.

White haricot or navy beans may be used instead of chickpeas.

Recipes from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden. Copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden.

Editorial Reviews

★ 07/01/2015
Roden's revised and expanded edition of her 1968 classic reflects decades of careful research. Comprising ample historical background information and 800-plus recipes, it's an essential purchase. Also consider her Arabesque and The Book of Jewish Food. (LJ 10/15/00)

Library Journal

Our Review
This bountiful and definitive book is the fruit of 40 years of traveling, eating, listening to stories, recording recipes, and watching cooks all over the Middle East. Claudia Roden brings together the distinctive flavors of several cuisines, including North Africa's harissa and preserved lemons, Turkey's cinnamon and allspice, and Iran's pomegranate syrup. She also evokes the context of the Middle Eastern way of life: its conviviality, hospitality, traditions, sensuality, and reverence for food.

Roden's classic A Book of Middle Eastern Food, first published in this country in 1972, made available recipes that were traditionally passed down orally within families. At the time, the term "Middle Eastern food" was more likely to summon up images of sheep's eyeballs than of falafel and stuffed grape leaves. The book was a revelation to English and American audiences. This new edition updates and expands the original (an interim edition was published in 1985), with more recipes and variations, and a greater focus on simple dishes. Anticipating objections that she has meddled with tradition by reducing the amount of oil in the recipes, Roden tells us, "Cooking does not stand still: it evolves." Other dishes are now more authentic because Middle Eastern ingredients are more widely available, making substitutions unnecessary; if you don't have a Middle Eastern grocery nearby, there's always the Internet.

Scattered among the recipes are proverbs, brief folktales about a character Egyptians call Goha, notes about ingredients, and riddles. One sidebar discusses the "dadas," the black women who are the great cooks and repositories of culinary tradition in Morocco; another recalls a "fantastic, magical" symposium of regional Turkish food, traveling to factory and palace kitchens, with whirling dervishes as well as lectures. An extensive introduction explains the impact of Middle Eastern food upon European cooking, including marzipan and even British mince pies and mint sauce for lamb. It also traces influences upon the enormous variety of Middle Eastern food, from austere Bedouin fare to the Iranian dishes that were the haute cuisine of refined Muslim courts.

Interestingly, the book combines the voices of Claudia Roden of 30 years ago and the Claudia Roden of today, a woman in her prime. As she notes, the first edition reflects an idealistic young Egyptian woman's longing and passion for the Middle Eastern food and culture from which she felt exiled. Roden today is more restrained and pragmatic, less nostalgic. She wants the recipes to live in use, and she encourages readers to adapt them to taste, as Middle Eastern cooks have always personalized their dishes. For us to receive these recipes -- traditionally passed from mother to daughter -- from Roden in both stages of her life enriches the book's conjoined sense of history and intimacy. Middle Eastern cuisine is steeped in tradition, and yet, because it is a human art, also various and evolving. The New Book of Middle Eastern Food is Roden's lifework, and what a splendid and savory life it is.

bn.com

Bookseller's Report
James Beard called Caludi Roden's 1972 Middle Eastern cookbook "a landmark in the field of cookery," but in those distant days, most of these recipes from places like Tunisia and turkey seemed more like curiosities than like cuisine. this new, entire rewritten recipe book enters a world far more cosmopolitan and curious, and many of Roden's meals will appeal especially to vegetarians and other health-conscious cooks. The author's own reminiscences place these preparations within cultural contexts that we can all appreciate.

Barnes & Noble, Inc.

When Roden published The Book of Middle Eastern Food in 1972, the cuisines of Morocco, Turkey, Greece, Egypt and their neighbors were mysteries in this country. Today, their fresh flavors are better known, and much loved, and Roden has expanded and updated her classic to meet modern needs. The new version includes more than 800 recipes, as well as folk tales, tips, anecdotes and just about all the information anyone needs to reproduce foods from that part of the world. Miraculously, Roden manages to be this thorough while never sacrificing her personal tone--this is a book that is both encyclopedic and intimate. Much of Middle Eastern food is light tasting and vegetable-based, and the recipes reflect these qualities without neglecting more complex and unusual preparations. A chapter on appetizers and salads includes a Moroccan Lettuce and Orange Salad, Tabbouleh, Lemony Chicken Jelly and even a Brain Salad. While Roden is no stickler for starting from scratch, she always provides plenty of options for those who wish to do so. In a section on yogurt--a key ingredient in many recipes, such as Tagliatelle with Yogurt and Fried Onions, and Chickpeas with Yogurt and Soaked Bread--she gives both guidelines for buying yogurt and instructions for making your own. A sub-section on Persian sauces for rice is outstanding, as is another on stuffed eggplants. Desserts include Egyptian "Bread-and-Butter" Pudding and Arab Pancakes with various filings. Roden won a James Beard award for The Book of Jewish Food in 1997. She will certainly be in the running once more with this impressive work. 24 pages of color photos. (Oct.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

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