Middle Eastern Cooking

I started cooking Middle Eastern food when I was 18, and then my husband and family lived 20 years in Israel. I learned that Israeli cooking evolved from Jews returning to their ancient homeland from more than 80 nations. They brought with them their favorite native dishes, incorporating them into the ancient Middle Eastern cuisine of their forefathers.



Living in Jerusalem for 20 years gave me an opportuntity to learn so much about Israeli cooking and the Middle Eastern culture, which is so often centered around the table over a delicious meal, relaxed and eaten in the company of family and friends.



Middle Eastern cooking is unique, in that it often consists of many plates of a variety of foods - as if to sample a little of everything. This is quite satisfying and surpisingly filling. A selection of finely chopped fresh and roasted vegetables as colorful salads, drizzled generously with olive oil and lemon juice, platters of olives, humous, pickles, Kibbeh, felafel, salads and stuffed vegetables round off the meal.

Often I will prefer to set out a meal such as this for my guests and family when they come over in the late afternoon on the weekends, with large pitchers of lemonade and juices, so satisfying on a hot and dry afternoon.

I Love to Feed People

It is a Middle Eastern tradition to feed people copious amounts of food. I always prepare way too much food, enough to feed a unit of hungry soldiers! A Cambridge scholar I worked for once told me that it is in my Syrian blood - feeling the need to see people satiated from my home-cooked dishes!

I was about 10 years old when I baked my first cake. I remember how everyone loved the cake and raved about it. It encouraged me to continue trying out different recipes over the years. At 18, I cooked a holiday meal for about 20 people. It was a thrill to be able to work hard cooking several dishes, but more exciting, was watching my guests enjoy the food I had laboured over. Then I was brave enough to try cooking my first Middle Eastern meal for a large crowd, and it was a great success.

Over the years, I heard stories of how my own family members immigrated to America from Damascus, Syria, where they had been professional bakers and cooks. It helped to understand my love for cooking and my enjoyment of watching my guests enjoy my cooking.

To this day, I look for opportunities to feed lots of hungry people good home-cooked meals, especially around the holidays and the weekends. 


I hope these recipes will inspire you to try Middle Eastern cooking.