Middle eastern humanities

Middle Eastern Cuisines Cooking in Middle East has a high cultural attachment because of the strong family ties in these countries. Middle East countries culture entail large clans that are friendly and hospitable. Offering food is, therefore, an important cultural aspect in Arab countries (Heine, 10). Middle East countries enjoy a variety of food types as well as cooking styles. In these countries, there are both urban and rural foods. In addition, foods differ with the regions such as plains, mountain, sea, streets and nomadic foods. Heine (8) states that although there are numerous variations in Middle Eastern foods, there are various similarities of food from these countries. It is, therefore, paramount to consider the similarities and differences of the culinary traditions of the delegation from the Middle East before setting up the banquet.
Middle East cooking uses generously herbs and spices. The cooks must apply various aromatics and spices in their cooking. Another characteristic of Middle Eastern cooking is the use of skewer cooking (Heine, 75). Middle Eastern cooks prefer skewer cooking to charcoal. The cooks should not use charcoal in line with this tradition. Slowly simmering the foods in unglazed covered pots is another cooking method that the cooks should consider. The banquet should consist of food types that are common among the countries of the visiting delegation. The banquet should consist of rice, wheat and stuffed vegetables dishes. In addition, the cooks should serve omelets, meatballs and scented rice puddings. The cooks should wrap the pies using paper-thin pastry. The pastries should also be nut-filled. Other food types required are fritters soaked in syrup and chopped pistachios served with almonds. Chickpeas served with spinach is a common food combination in the Middle East that must be served at the banquet.
The major categories of cooking styles in the Middle East are Turkish, Arab, Iranian as well as North African. Turkish cooking is the most diverse. However, Turkish meal consists of a standard menu of meat and appetizers. Ozan (4) states that the Turkish cooking is sometimes called ‘ saray’ cooking. Offering the Turkish cuisine would be good for the visiting delegation due to the popularity of this cuisine. The cuisine should consist of various types of kebab dishes, aubergine and a rice dish prepared with fish. Pastry served with meat or potatoes would also be an ideal meal. Drinks are an important accompaniment of the Turkish cuisine (Ozan, 134). The cooks should serve Turkish coffee and tea. The cooks must serve soups at the beginning of the meal. Appetizers such as fried aubergines and fish croquettes served with wine help raise the appetites of the visitors.
The cooks should also serve the Israeli cuisine because of its slight difference with other Middle-Eastern cuisines (Zibart, 156). The Persian cuisine influenced most the Middle-Eastern cuisines. However, Jewish traditions influenced theIsraeli cuisine unlike the Middle-East cuisines. Food types such as falafel, hummus, couscous and msabbha are must serves at the banquet. The cooks must be cautious not to violate Israeli traditional rules associated with Jewish holidays such as keeping Kosher and Shabbat food customs. International influences such as serving fruits such as oranges, avocados and fish products are also acceptable. Serving dairy products will also be acceptable among the Israeli delegation.
According to Zibart (166), serving the Middle Eastern cuisine will be good since the cuisine appeals to most of the visitors. The Arabs, Turks and Iranian visitors will have no problem with the Middle Eastern cuisine. The cooks should use ingredients such as olives, dates, sesame seeds, chickpeas and parsley. They should serve ‘ kibbeh’ and ‘ shawarma’ because of their popularity in the region. The cooks must serve the Turkish coffee since it is the most favorite beverage in the region.
Works cited
Heine, Peter. Food Culture in the Near East, Middle East, and North Africa. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2004. Print.
Ozan, Ozcan. The Sultans Kitchen: A Turkish Cookbook. New York: Tuttle Publishing, 2012. Print.
Zibart, Eve. Ethnic Food Lovers Companion: A Sourcebook for Understanding the Cuisines of the World. New York: Menasha Ridge Press, 2001. Print.