[SCA-cooks] Middle Eastern Food

[Susan Fox-Davis]

I think an important thing to know is that Middle Eastern Cuisine AS WE KNOW IT
is largely a product of the Ottoman Empire's assimilation of other cultures up
through the 19th Century.  There are similar flavors in period sources, but
don't bother looking up "baklava" or "hummus" in Al-Baghdadi's 13th Century
cookery book because they are not there.

You know already about Cariadoc's Miscellany for good period recipes and useful
redactions.
<http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/cariadoc/miscellany.html>  Particular goodies
therein that I would choose include Rishta [period pasta, yay!], Isfanakh
Mutajjan [cooked spinach with yummy spices -- vegan!], Hais [date balls,
theoretically caravan food for keeping a long time but it never lasts that long
around here] and the drink syrups.

Dame Selene Colfox
OP, OLC, OHA, ODC, SR etc.
Sable Fret Pursuivant
selene at earthlink.net


Anahita wrote:

>What individual ingredients do you think of when someone says "Middle
>Eastern"? What dishes?
>
>What else would people want to know about historical Middle Eastern food?