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Levantine Cuisine
Levantine cuisine is the traditional cuisine of the Levant. Perhaps the most distinctive aspect of Levantine cuisine is ''meze'' including ''tabbouleh'', ''hummus'' and ''baba ghanoush''. Levantine dishes * Arabic coffee (قهوة عربية)—made from finely ground coffee beans with cardamom * ''Awameh'' (عوامة)—a fried-dough Levantine pastry similar to doughnut holes, made of deep-fried dough soaked in sugar syrup or honey and cinnamon, sometimes sprinkled with sesame seeds * ''Baba ghanoush'' (بابا غنوج)—a dip made from baked, mashed eggplant mixed with lemon, garlic, olive oil and various seasonings * ''Baklava'' (البقلاوة)—a dessert made of phyllo pastry filled with chopped nuts and soaked in syrup * ''Bamia'' (بامية)—a stew prepared with chunks of lamb meat with okra in a tomato-based sauce, served over rice * ''Basbousa'' (بسبوسة)—a Middle-Eastern small, sweet cake of cooked semolina soaked in rose water syrup, topped w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ottoman Syria
Ottoman Syria ( ar, سوريا العثمانية) refers to divisions of the Ottoman Empire within the region of Syria, usually defined as being east of the Mediterranean Sea, west of the Euphrates River, north of the Arabian Desert and south of the Taurus Mountains. Ottoman Syria became organized by the Ottomans upon conquest from the Mamluk Sultanate in the early 16th century as a single eyalet (province) of Damascus Eyalet. In 1534, the Aleppo Eyalet was split into a separate administration. The Tripoli Eyalet was formed out of Damascus province in 1579 and later the Adana Eyalet was split from Aleppo. In 1660, the Eyalet of Safed was established and shortly afterwards renamed Sidon Eyalet; in 1667, the Mount Lebanon Emirate was given special autonomous status within the Sidon province, but was abolished in 1841 and reconfigured in 1861 as the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate. The Syrian eyalets were later transformed into the Syria Vilayet, the Aleppo Vilayet and the Beirut ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Doughnut Hole
A doughnut or donut () is a type of food made from leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franchised specialty vendors. ''Doughnut'' is the traditional spelling, while ''donut'' is the simplified version; the terms are used interchangeably. Doughnuts are usually deep fried from a flour dough, but other types of batters can also be used. Various toppings and flavorings are used for different types, such as sugar, chocolate or maple glazing. Doughnuts may also include water, leavening, eggs, milk, sugar, oil, shortening, and natural or artificial flavors. The two most common types are the ring doughnut and the filled doughnut, which is injected with fruit preserves (the jelly doughnut), cream, custard, or other sweet fillings. Small pieces of dough are sometimes cooked as doughnut holes. Once fried, doughnuts may be glazed with a s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basbousa
Basbousa () is a sweet, syrup-soaked semolina cake that originated in Egypt. The semolina batter is baked in a sheet pan, then sweetened with orange flower water, rose water or simple syrup, and typically cut into diamond (lozenge) shapes or squares. The dish has also spread within most areas of the former Ottoman Empire, and is generally featured in Middle Eastern cuisines, Greek cuisine, Azerbaijani cuisine, Ethiopian cuisine, and many others. Names It is found in the cuisines of the Middle East, the Balkans and the North Africa under a variety of names. *Arabic: هريسة ''harīsa'' (meaning mashed or crushed), نمورة ''nammoura'', بسبوسة ''basbūsah'' * * *Greek: ραβανί (''ravani''), ρεβανί (''revani''), σάμαλι (''samali'') * * * Macedonian and * * * Basbousa is the most common name for this dessert in the Middle East but it may be named differently depending on the region; It is often called "hareesa" in the Levant. Note that "harissa" in No ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Okra
Okra or Okro (, ), ''Abelmoschus esculentus'', known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers or ochro, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It has edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of West African, Ethiopian, Southeast Asian, and South Asian origins. Cultivated in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions around the world, okra is used in the cuisines of many countries. Etymology ''Abelmoschus'' is New Latin from Arabic أَبُو المِسْك (ʾabū l-misk, “father of musk”), while ''esculentus'' is Latin for being fit for human consumption. The first use of the word ''okra'' (alternatively; ''okro'' or ''ochro'') appeared in 1679 in the Colony of Virginia, deriving from the Igbo word . The word ''gumbo'' was first used in American vernacular around 1805, deriving from Louisiana Creole, but originates from either the Umbundu word ''ochinggômbo'' or the Kimbundu word ''ki-ngombo.'' Despi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bamia
Bamia is a Middle Eastern, Assyrian, Armenian, Afghan, Kurdish, and Anatolian stew prepared using lamb, okra and tomatoes as primary ingredients.Claudia Roden, ''A New Book of Middle Eastern Food'', p. 248 Additional ingredients used include tomato sauce, onion, garlic, cilantro (coriander), vegetable oil, cardamom, salt and pepper. The word "bamia" itself simply means "okra" and it is etymologically an Arabic word. Vegetarian bamia is very popular during fasting seasons such as Easter in Greece and Cyprus. Regional variations In Turkey, bamia (natively ''bamya'') is an Anatolian stew that has a sweet and sour flavor. It is prepared using okra, lemon juice, olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper. Turkish bamia is sometimes served as a palate cleanser between food courses at ceremonial feasts. In Egypt, sinew (tendons) of lamb are typically used, which can endure long cooking times. Ta'aleya, an Egyptian garlic sauce, is used as an ingredient to add flavor to bamia. In Iran and Af ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Filo
Filo or phyllo is a very thin unleavened dough used for making pastries such as baklava and börek in Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisines. Filo-based pastries are made by layering many sheets of filo brushed with oil or butter; the pastry is then baked. Name and etymology The name ''filo'' (phonetic) or ''phyllo'' (transliteration) comes from Greek 'leaf'.Alan Davidson (2014). ''The Oxford Companion to Food'. Oxford: Oxford University Press. . p. 307. In Turkish, it is called ' 'thin', a word which is also used for a kind of thin unleavened bread. In Arabic, it is called ''reqaqot''; in Morocco, warqa ( ar, ورقة). The Albanian flia also may be named for ''fije''/''fli'' 'sheet, leaf'. History The origin of the practice of stretching raw dough into paper-thin sheets is unclear, with many cultures claiming credit.Mayer, Caroline E.Phyllo Facts. Washington Post. 1989Archived Some claim it may be derived from the Greeks; Homer's ''Odyssey'', written around 800 BC, mentio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baklava
Baklava (, or ; ota, باقلوا ) is a layered pastry dessert made of filo pastry, filled with chopped nuts, and sweetened with syrup or honey. It was one of the most popular sweet pastries of Ottoman cuisine. The pre- Ottoman origin of the dish is unknown, but, in modern times, it is a common dessert of Turkish, Iranian and Arab cuisines, and other countries of the Levant and Maghreb, along with the South Caucasus, Balkans, and Central Asia. Etymology The word ''baklava'' is first attested in English in 1650, a borrowing from ota, باقلاوه . The name baklava is used in many languages with minor phonetic and spelling variations. Historian Paul D. Buell argues that the word "baklava" may come from the Mongolian root ' 'to tie, wrap up, pile up' composed with the Turkic verbal ending ''-v''; baγla- itself in Mongolian is a Turkic loanword. Sevan Nişanyan considers its oldest known forms (pre-1500) to be ''baklağı'' and ''baklağu'', and labels it as being of Pro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Olive Oil
Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: for frying foods or as a salad dressing. It can be found in some cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, soaps, and fuels for traditional oil lamps. It also has additional uses in some religions. The olive is one of three core food plants in Mediterranean cuisine; the other two are wheat and grapes. Olive trees have been grown around the Mediterranean since the 8th millennium BC. In 2019–2020, world production of olive oil was . Spain was the largest producer followed by Italy, Tunisia, Greece, Turkey and Morocco. San Marino has by far the largest per capita consumption of olive oil worldwide. The composition of olive oil varies with the cultivar, altitude, time of harvest, and extraction process. It consists mainly of oleic acid (up to 83%), with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baba Ghanoush
Baba ghanoush (, ;"baba ghanouj" (US) and ), also spelled baba ganoush or baba ghanouj, is a Levantine appetizer consisting of finely chopped roasted , , , various |
Sesame
Sesame ( or ; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a flowering plant in the genus ''Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods. World production in 2018 was , with Sudan, Myanmar, and India as the largest producers. Sesame seed is one of the oldest oilseed crops known, domesticated well over 3,000 years ago. ''Sesamum'' has many other species, most being wild and native to sub-Saharan Africa. ''S. indicum,'' the cultivated type, originated in India. It tolerates drought conditions well, growing where other crops fail. Sesame has one of the highest oil contents of any seed. With a rich, nutty flavor, it is a common ingredient in cuisines around the world. Like other foods, it can trigger allergic reactions in some people. Etymology The word "sesame" is from Latin ''sesamum'' and Greek σήσαμον : ''sēsamon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfast cereals, snack foods, bagels, teas, and traditional foods. The aroma and flavour of cinnamon derive from its essential oil and principal component, cinnamaldehyde, as well as numerous other constituents including eugenol. Cinnamon is the name for several species of trees and the commercial spice products that some of them produce. All are members of the genus ''Cinnamomum'' in the family Lauraceae. Only a few ''Cinnamomum'' species are grown commercially for spice. ''Cinnamomum verum'' (AKA ''C. zeylanicum''), known as "Ceylon cinnamon" after its origins in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), is considered to be "true cinnamon", but most cinnamon in international commerce is derived from four other species, usually and more correctly refe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Honey
Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primarily floral nectar) or the secretions of other insects, like the honeydew of aphids. This refinement takes place both within individual bees, through regurgitation and enzymatic activity, as well as during storage in the hive, through water evaporation that concentrates the honey's sugars until it is thick and viscous. Honey bees stockpile honey in the hive. Within the hive is a structure made from wax called honeycomb. The honeycomb is made up of hundreds or thousands of hexagonal cells, into which the bees regurgitate honey for storage. Other honey-producing species of bee store the substance in different structures, such as the pots made of wax and resin used by the stingless bee. Honey for human consumption is collected from wild ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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