Food in Middle East varies by area

By Ann Wegner
Staff Writer

January is Middle Eastern Culture Month at Purdue. One difference that students from Middle Eastern countries face when they come to Purdue is different food.

Midwesterners grow corn and beans and raise cattle and hogs, which make up the standard food items in the United States. Middle Easterners grow olives and various vegetables, raise sheep and incorporate these foods into much of the regional cuisine.

"As you would imagine in any place, people eat the food that's grown there," said cultural anthropologist Rose Haberer. Just as the American colonists included corn, turkey, sweet potatoes, so the (Middle Easterners) have incorporated chickpeas, lentils, eggplant and olive oil."

Although the Middle East is made up of countries with diverse religions, languages and traditions, the foods of these cultures can be classified jointly.

Taskin Padir, a Turkish graduate student, believes that varieties of Middle Eastern food are nearly the same. "In Greece, in Turkey, we all have the same dishes so it's a mixed culture, mixed cuisine." Padir said that the Middle East is so fused that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between individual native cuisines.

Mae Abraham, a West Lafayette homemaker originally from Lebanon, said certain foods in the Middle East have the same characteristics depending on the region. "Syrian and Turkish (foods) are similar and the others depends," she said. "(People) can call it the same but it's actually made different; the preparation is different."

A mutual feature in Middle Eastern food is freshness. Abraham said that all of the food used in the Middle East, such as vegetables and meat, is fresh and not frozen. "They never use frozen food," she said. "Butchers (are available) on a daily basis; there are not as many suppliers."

Padir said, "We have farmers' markets in every small town and, all year long, you go there and pick the ingredients by hand.

"Because of the climate, we can find fresh vegetables everywhere. In the southern part (of Turkey) we have really nice gardens, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit; we don't have winter at all."

Padir said that, depending on the season, one's cooking style changes. "In the summer, you try to avoid meat; you cook cold meals like vegetable meals in olive oil." This change is not only due to the desire to eat lighter foods on hotter days but is also reflective of the idea that — in hot weather — to cook a hot, heavy meal inside would heat up the house.

Haberer disagreed, noting that in present-day Arab villages, more so than in cities, the baking is done in oven houses separate from the rest of the dwelling.

The climate in the Middle East seems to shape culinary choices, not only for agricultural but for social reasons.

Haberer, who has lived in Israel, said the desired light, summery foods have developed into a social life outdoors. "You have two (seasons), and so you have a very long time of the year when people picnic — at the parks and beaches — you smell barbecue; they grill chicken, fish and meat," she said. "So that's part of the social thing.

"In Arab society, the buzz word is ‘hospitality’ so people will feed their guests a lot all the time." Haberer described the slaughtering of a lamb in honor of a guest for special occasions. "Everybody gets to share it."

As in the United States, food in the Middle East is plentiful during celebrations. "(Socially), food is very important in Turkey," Padir said. "If you're having a wedding, for example, it starts with food and it ends with food."

Haberer also sees food strongly associated with tradition. "Let's begin with the Jewish society — 85 percent of the population — you have the Sabbath every week so there are traditions related to Sabbath meals. And then you have various holidays," she said.

"Jews, some from many lands like Europe, will have one set of traditions, (but) Yemenite Jews eat differently. Hanukkah here, (Jews eat) potato pancakes. In Israel, jelly donuts have become the tradition for Hanukkah."

Among the primary flavors found in the Middle East, Padir recognized ground black pepper, ground red pepper, cumin, basil and oregano as the common spices and herbs in Turkey. He also said that olive oil is essential for flavor.

"If you just look at the Mediterranean, it starts from Spain, Greece, Turkey; all of the oil is quite important. We have dishes like green beans in olive oil. It's a quite important ingredient."

Some classical Middle Eastern dishes — with varying names throughout the region — are tabbouleh, kibbie (or kibbeh, kabby), hummus, falafel, shwarm, stuffed grape leaves, shish kebabs and kofte (or kefta).

Tabbouleh, which can be served as an entrée or as a side dish, consists mainly of bulgur with tomatoes, scallions, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice, depending on the region. Kibbie, according to Haberer, follows the idea of stuffed foods in classical Israeli dishes.

"In this case, it's bulgur wheat on the outside, and the meat and potatoes on the inside." Kibbie is the national dish of both Lebanon and Syria and can be made in various shapes and sizes, filled with different meats or vegetables and then fried, baked or even eaten raw.

Falafel, the national fast food of the Middle East — according to Haberer — is made from ground chickpeas and spices, fried and served on a pita bread.

In regards to food restrictions in the Middle East, religion is taken into account. Abraham does not believe that religion has much effect on food in Lebanon but, in some of the other countries, there are limitations.

Padir said he and others do not eat pork, due to the Muslim faith, but other meats are popular in his country. Haberer also does not consume pork because of her faith and noted that, although a large percent of the Jewish population is not religious, dietary restrictions are still followed out of culture and habit.

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Food in Middle East varies by area