Baba Ghanoush Is a creamy appetizer dish made mostly of eggplant and dipped with pita chips, crackers, or something similar. There are many different recipes depending on what he particular preparer likes but all include eggplant as the main ingredient.
Basbousa:
Basbousa is a traditional Middle Eastern dessert made primarily with wheat, basically a semolina cake. It is served with a light sugar syrup drizzled over it. It is traditionally a very sweet dessert but there are variations that aren't so sweet and it is usually served on special occasions.
Falafel:
Falafel is a widely known Middle Eastern dish made with fried chickpeas and various spices. Traditionally Egyptians will use fava beans instead of chickpeas. It is served with a variety of foods like salads, pita bread, and hummus just to name a few. It is considered a "fast" food.
Falafel recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried chickpeas
- 1/2 large onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2-1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 4-6 tablespoons flour
- Soybean or vegetable oil for frying
- Chopped tomato for garnish
- Diced onion for garnish
- Diced green bell pepper for garnish
- Tahina sauce
- Pita bread
Preparation
1. Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight, then drain. Or use canned chickpeas, drained.2. Place the drained, uncooked chickpeas and the onions in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, hot pepper, garlic, and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed.
3. Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. You want to add enough bulgur or flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for several hours.
4. Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnuts, or use a falafel scoop, available in Middle-Eastern markets.
5. Heat 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees in a deep pot or wok and fry 1 ball to test. If it falls apart, add a little flour. Then fry about 6 balls at once for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Stuff half a pita with falafel balls, chopped tomatoes, onion, green pepper, and pickled turnips. Drizzle with tahina thinned with water.
NOTE: Egyptians omit the cilantro and substitute fava beans for the chickpeas.
Egyptian Hospitality:
One Egyptian custom deals with having a guest in your company. It is considered a great honor to treat your guest and it is a way for them to prove that they are a good host. If you are taken out to eat by an Egyptian they will insist on paying. They will very strongly insist that they pay and if the server is aware that someone is a guest they will NOT take payment from them. The source that I found this out from tells of a story of a German and him being taken out to eat by an Egyptian. The German insisted on paying and the waiter took his money because he was the first to pull it out but once the host said that he was the guest he "shoved the money" back into the Germans hands and took payment from the Egyptian.
http://www.yummyoyummy.com/2011/01/basboosa-basbousa-semolina-cake.html
http://www.egypt.cl/typical-food.htm
http://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2011/06/classic-baba-ghanoush/
http://mideastfood.about.com/od/middleeasternfood101/a/felafel.htm
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/My-Favorite-Falafel-231755
http://www.somedayillbethere.com/2012/07/on-egyptian-hospitality-understanding-egypt/
I find it very interesting that many of the foods from different countries in the Middle East are relatively similar. The falafel, for example, can be found from Egypt to Lebanon, as can many flat breads and such. When I think of food in America, it is completely diverse. I can go from one town to another and experience a drastic change in the type of foods that are loved by its citizens, let alone go from on state to another. I think that going from one country to another and finding similar foods is quite interesting, as I would imagine crossing a border would put you into an entirely different world. I guess that’s just part of being in another culture different from our own. Even the hospitality customs that you mention can be found in other Middle Eastern regions to. I know that Syria (the country I am covering) has similar customs. It baffles me how people spread across such vast areas of land can be so similar to certain degrees. I think an important question for these kinds of relations are how they affect the different societies. Are they positive reinforcement? Say I’m from one place (let’s call it A) and you’re from another (called B). A positive result of having similar aspects such as the ones mentioned above would be that they unite us. A and B have similar customs and cuisine, so we should be friends, right? But on the other hand, it could also be a hindrance. B has similar foods and similar customs to A, so they should be more like A, and vice versa. I know that sometimes I find someone who has similar interests with me, and I try to get them into other things that I like that they might not. Similarity can be both positive and negative, as it can lead to both unity and conformity. It’s really a toss-up as to how the trajectory follows.
ReplyDeleteFalafel is really delicious especially if it is with hummus. My father went to Egypt so many times and he said that he ate the best falafel in the world from one of the carts in the streets. Egyptians are famous with their food and some of their dishes you can not see it in any different country. What i also like is Koshari which is considered the number one dish in Egypt. Koshari is made of Egyptian rice, lentils and macaroni with spicy tomato Sauce. I know other dishes such as Mulukia which is a type of greens and they love it with rabbits meat. They have Moussaka which is a tomato and eggplant dish. I just love the Egyptians food.
ReplyDeleteAbout hospitality i totally agree, as i mentioned my father went to Egypt before to visit a friend they were really kind and they even offered my dad to stay in their place instead on staying in a hotel and i think this is very generous from them. They cooked and offer the rides for him too.
you mentioned the Baba Ghanoush , I thought it is a dish that is more famous in countries such as Lebanon and Syria don't you think so?.
As I commented on Jessica's post about Palestinian hospitality, I also want to note here that on Leila's Iranian Blog: mena160airan.blogspot.com there is a great video illustrating the same concept about determination to be the one to pay at the restaurant, for example.
ReplyDelete