Zaytinya in Washington, D.C.

, offers an
Eastern Mediterranean-inspired dessert of
muscat-soaked apricots, vanilla yogurt cream,
apricot sorbet and pistachio powder.

GREG POWERS & AUDREY CREWE

 GLOBAL FLAVORS

Flavors of the
ARAB EAST Healthful ingredients with intriguing tastes define
cuisines of desert oases and Mediterranean shores

BY MELISSA COURY

For most Americans, Arab food means falafel, hummus or skewered

meat from a street vendor’s cart. While these are tasty indeed, they do
not begin to hint at the full range of flavors produced in traditional
Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese kitchens.
Arab cuisine is one of the oldest in the world. As early as the 8th
century, recipes and manuals on the dietary and medicinal properties of
foods were written, and by the late Middle Ages elaborate manuscripts

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 GLOBAL FLAVORS
CALIFORNIA AVOCADO COMMISSION
At San Francisco’s Zaré
at Fly Trap, chef/owner
Hoss Zaré sources locally
and then gives a Middle
Eastern spin to dishes like
Sumac Couscous Salad
with Dungeness crab and
avocado.
66 FLAVOR & THE MENU
discussed everything from spice mixtures and
cooking times to presentation and table
manners.
Many American chefs shy away from Arab
food because they think it is too complicated
(some festive dishes do require hours of
preparation) or too spicy (this region utilizes
many ingredients not common in the West,
but Arab cuisine certainly isn’t spicy in the
sense of “heat”). Just look at a map and you’ll
see that much of the eastern and all of the
southern Mediterranean is Arab, and the
cooking of this region emphasizes the same
flavorful, healthful and economical
ingredients found on the northern coast — the
“Mediterranean” cuisine most Americans
know. Fresh produce, seafood, wheat, beans,
pulses, olive oil, garlic, lemon and fresh herbs
abound. And many of the more-familiar
Mediterranean dishes have Arab ancestors.
In a 1226 cookbook, al-Baghdadi wrote that
pleasures were of six types and that food was the
noblest and most consequential (drink, clothes,
sex, scent, and music were the other five).
Arabs love to eat, and they are happy to share
2011 • Issue 5
their passion with visitors. Travellers
mentioning a destination in the Middle East to
a local will invariably receive a culinary
recommendation. Going to Batroun to see the
Phoenician sea wall? Make sure you try the
lemonade, for which it’s famous. Damascus?
Don’t fail to sample the ice cream in the Souq
al-Hamidiyya!
Here, we’ll look at some of the adaptable
flavors and ingredients from six cities of the Arab
East — how they are used in their native regions
and how they can inspire menu development for
flavor-seeking American consumers.
ZAHLE: BEKAA VALLEY BOUNTY
The city of Zahle, on the eastern slopes of Mt.
Sannine at the edge of the fertile Bekaa Valley,
is home to Lebanon’s Ksara, Musar and Kefraya
wineries as well as the El Massaya distillery, one
of many that produce arak, the region’s
distinctive, anise-flavored liquor.
The Bekaa Valley region offers melons,
apples, apricots and grapes along with beans,
cabbage, eggplant, squash and most of the
country’s dairy products. Its halloumi and akawi
cheeses are prized throughout the area, as is
shanklish, a tart, dry goat’s cheese covered in
herbs and spices.
In Zahle, cafes serving drinks and mazza (the
Arab equivalent of tapas) line both sides of the
Bardouni River. Waiters carry large trays from
table to table, letting guests make selections, and
at the end of the evening the bill is reckoned by
the number of empty dishes and glasses.
Arak is a potent alcoholic drink made
from white grapes fermented with
anise seeds. When water is added, it
turns cloudy, hence the nickname
“lion’s milk.” Arak is typically served
with mazza, although its refreshing
anise flavor makes it a natural
ingredient in a range of dishes. It
complements fish stews and mussel
bowls, can be mixed with brown sugar
and olive oil as a salad dressing, and
imparts a delicate licorice flavor to
baked goods or a simple dessert of ice
cream or fresh pineapple.
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 GLOBAL FLAVORS

TRIPOLI: TRADITIONAL SWEETS

Tripoli, located on the Mediterranean coast
in the north of Lebanon, is renowned for its
bakeries. In the city’s modern district and its
venerable covered marketplace, shoppers are
drawn to the stacks of freshly baked breads
and tempting nut-filled pastries. Baklava,
kanafa, and mamoul are not served as dessert
after meals (as they usually are in Middle
Eastern restaurants in America) but rather
as late-morning or afternoon snacks with
coffee and tea. The pastries owe much of
their distinctive flavor to the addition of
flower waters, especially orange blossom and

BARD VALLEY MEDJOOL DATE GROWERS ASSN.

rose petal.

A drizzle of rose or orange-blossom

water mixed with ricotta cheese,
sugar or honey and chopped
pistachios or almonds produces a
quick and easy dessert that is both
light and adventurous. Cheesecake,
ice cream, and rice pudding can
also be given an Arabian Nights
flavor with the simple addition of
rose water, but such essences are not
limited to the dessert list. Floral
water can be added to savory stews
with fruit or splashed on an orange-
and-black-olive salad. Another
simple and refreshing way to bring
these flavors to the table is to add a
splash to ice water served before or
with meals.
TADMOR: SYRIAN DESERT TREATS
Dried fruits were important in the Middle
East where refrigeration was not always
available. Arabs put by large quantities of
dried apricots, grapes, plums, apples and
pears, but dates are most popular. The Syrian
Desert city of Tadmor (ancient Palmyra)
supplies most of the dates found in Damascus,
Aleppo and Beirut. All kinds of fruits are also
candied so that they can be preserved and
served as special treats in winter months.
Damascus is famous for the large wooden
trays of candied fruits sold in shops around
Marjah Square.
For most Americans, dates appear only Sweet dates are a favorite
around the holidays and mostly in fruit of the Syrian Desert.
For a healthful fruit salad,
dense sticky puddings, but since
mix chopped dates, tangy
medieval times, Arab cooks have been citrus and crunchy
adding dates and other dried fruits to almonds; a dollop of ice
meatballs, stews and roast chicken, cream turns it into
and using them in stuffing for baked dessert.
fish. In Lebanon, a side of raw, grated
parsnips mixed with yogurt and
chopped dates is served as an
accompaniment to grilled meats, and
rice and wheat pilafs flavored with
minced dates, raisins, and nuts are
served at festive occasions. Chopped
dates also enhance a salad of
arugula, radicchio and feta.
AMMAN: BEDOUIN FLAVORS
Amman’s cuisine owes much to the Bedouin
traditions of the Jordanian desert. Large
platters of grilled meat or chicken are served
on layers of flatbread, and diners partake from
a shared plate. One of the signature flavors in
these meaty dishes is sumac, a red powder
derived from the bobs of mountain bushes.
This Middle Eastern plant is a benign, lemon-

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 GLOBAL FLAVORS
MAZZA
Creamy hummus
(foreground); labneh, a
traditional Lebanese dish
of strained yogurt; and
tabbouleh are starters on
the Middle Eastern menu
at Mazza in Salt Lake City.
68 FLAVOR & THE MENU
flavored cousin of the itchy American version.
Sumac is sprinkled liberally on everything
from grilled chicken to hummus bi tahini and
baba ghanoush, and is a key ingredient in
fattoush, a popular raw vegetable salad served
with toasted pieces of pita bread.
Sumac is featured in Jordanian
za’atar, a spicy mixture spread on pita
before baking or sprinkled on eggs.
Za’atar is the name for wild mountain
thyme, the major ingredient in its
namesake seasoning. Sesame seeds
must also always be included, but
each region — and perhaps each
spice shop — has its own formula. In
Lebanon, sumac is omitted and
coriander and cumin prevail. For a
simple snack, za’atar is mounded on a
plate and served with fresh bread and
a small bowl of olive oil.
DAMASCUS: THE HOME OF HUMMUS
Damascus lays claim to hummus bi tahini,
arguably the best known Arab dish in
America. Hummus blended with tahini is
eaten at breakfast, lunch and dinner, by rich
and poor alike.
Hummus is the Arabic word for “chickpeas.”
In America, the broad appeal of hummus has
2011 • Issue 5
many restaurants menuing varieties like “black
bean hummus” or “cannellini hummus,” when
what they are actually offering is beans with
tahini. Technically, if there are no chickpeas, it
is not hummus.
Tahini (sesame paste) is a very
versatile ingredient. In the coastal cities
of Saida, Jbeil and Tartus, it is thinned
with vinegar, sprinkled with chopped
walnuts and served over fish as taratur
(tartar) sauce. In a tuna salad, tahini
mixed with thickened yogurt replaces
mayonnaise. Blended with date syrup
or honey, it is spread on bread for a
sweet snack, and bakers in Amman
use it to grease their pans when
making basbousa (semolina cake),
because it is nutritious and adds a
delicate texture.
ALEPPO: SWEET SYRIAN HEAT
The city of Aleppo (also known as Halab), in
northern Syria, is noted especially for red
pepper, pistachios and spicy ground meat
kebabs. Outdoor cafés in the new city draw
families and friends at sundown for plates of
kibbee nayee (raw lamb mixed with red
pepper and topped with walnuts), tabbouleh
and grilled meats, followed by chunks of red
melon or rice pudding.
Aleppo pepper is slightly sweet and
not too hot. Along with pomegranate
molasses and chopped walnuts, it
forms the base for muhammara, and,
mixed with yogurt, it is a natural
marinade for chicken. Halabi kebabs
are flavored with grated onion and lots
of freshly minced parsley, then bathed
in a tomato sauce liberally spiked with
Aleppo pepper.
MELISSA COURY is a freelance writer
specializing in Middle Eastern food and travel;
mncoury@gmail.com.
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