[SCA-cooks] Middle Eastern Food

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Soffya Appollonia Tudja wrote:
>How about goat cheese?  Cumin, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom seeds, nutmeg.  I
>have "Moroccan Spice Blend recipe if interested.
>
>Let me know and I can post it to the list.

We have also had long discussions about such things as Ras el-hanout. 
There's a file documenting our discussion in Stefan's Florilegium. 
However, that is not "period", as far as i have been able to 
determine.

Of course we always welcome more info :-)

[late edition: thanks for sending the recipe. It's not authentic - 
it's more "Moroccan inspired" than Moroccan - but looks tasty]

Morocco and Egypt are in North Africa, not in the Middle East which 
is Southwest Asia. But they are part of the Islamic world and part of 
the Near East. This is why i often put "Middle Eastern" in quotes. 
What folks tend to call "middle eastern" is much much more. And i'm 
going to cover more not less...

To Maire and others: I am not looking for "help". I'm truly asking 
what do you think of when you hear...

I'm looking for people's assumptions about "Middle Eastern" food, so 
i can address them.

And for those with a bit more knowledge, what they've heard about and 
want to know more.

Of course, notes about "period" stuff i might overlook or forget or 
leave out are welcome (Thanks for the message, Your Grace).

I now own Andrew Dalby's "Dangerous Tastes" ($7) and Alan Davidson's 
"Oxford Companion to Food" ($15 pprbk, called the Penguin Companion 
to Food). Cheez, Davidson is so funny - it's a joy to read. Of course 
i have the Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook and "Medieval Arab Cookery"

Still on the lookout for more books on the history of food in the 
Near and Middle East and - for personal info, not necessarily the 
class, Central and South Asia. So if anyone know of more good books 
on *historical* food ways...

And it's amazing how many important foodstuffs, not just spices, 
originated in Southeast Asia (aka IndoChina). But i knew a lot of 
that, having an academic background in Southeast Asian Studies. I 
have a secret desire to have an Indonesian persona, but, alas that 
might be more 17th c. for real European contact and it isn't hot 
enough around here to wear so little clothing.

Anahita