A Sneak Peak Inside My Maghrebi World Through A Culinary Essay

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To feed their families, fishermen used everything they could find in the water to make this dish. Despite the fact that bouillabaisse is now served in restaurants all over the globe, its primary components are still constrained by tradition: tomatoes are not allowed since they weren't brought to Provence until after Spain conquered France in the 17th century! In order to make the well-known spread or dip known as hummus, cooked, mashed chickpeas are combined with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic, and sometimes additional seasonings. It is well-liked across the Middle East and has its roots in the Eastern Mediterranean area. Salads and flatbreads like falafel are signature dishes of Egyptian cuisine. Another well-liked Egyptian cuisine is called ful medames, which is a fava bean dish akin to hummus. Moussaka is a Greek meal made with eggplant, ground beef or lamb, and béchamel sauce that was first created in Egypt and then imported by the Ottomans to Greece. Although Marseille was formerly a part of the Ottoman Empire, Bouillabaisse is a French dish that may be served over rice or couscous and is cooked with saffron-flavored fish stock. Spanish-born chorizo is a kind of pork sausage. It is often used in recipes for Mediterranean foods like paella and Spanish tortilla. It may be eaten fresh or smoked, cured, or both. The Spanish verb choricear, which meaning "to chop into little cubes" or "to cut up finely," is where the term "chorizo" originates (Choricero was also the name given to butchers who worked with pig meat). Because both chorizo and salami are cured meats often used in Mediterranean cuisine, the two are sometimes mistaken for one another. Although salami is produced with ground beef rather than swine, it has a smoother texture than raw chorizo and is higher in fat and salt than its regional relative. A paste produced from mashed sesame seeds is called tahini. It is a main ingredient in many meals that are popular in Mediterranean cuisine and in Middle Eastern cuisine. Tahini may be eaten on its own as part of a meze or is often used as a component in hummus (a collection of small dishes). For instance: Tahini sauce and deep-fried falafel balls are often served with falafel sandwiches. At its height, the Ottoman Empire, which was the most powerful nation at the time, ruled over a sizable chunk of Southeast Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa. As a multicultural empire, it had a variety of cuisines that were popular across its territory and were inspired by the many civilizations that joined together to create it. Ottoman cuisine may be divided into numerous broad groups, including Balkan (eastern Mediterranean), Anatolian (western Mediterranean), Arab, Persian, Greek, and Armenian foods.

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Spanish food is an eclectic fusion of domestic and international influences. The nation boasts a large variety of seafood meals as a result of its closeness to the Mediterranean Sea, and its proximity to France and Portugal has impacted its usage of red wine and garlic. Arabic, North African, and Mediterranean cuisines have all had an impact on Spanish food. Spain was historically ruled by Muslims, which resulted in further Middle Eastern culinary influences. With place of butter or lard, fresh items are often cooked in olive oil in Spanish cuisine (although this varies by region). Popular foods include tortilla espanola (a potato omelette), jamon serrano (dry-cured ham), pan con tomate (bread rubbed with tomato), churros (fried dough sticks) dipped in hot chocolate for breakfast on weekends, gazpacho soup, tapas—small portions of food served as appetisers at bars or restaurants—and much more.

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Using finely diced tomatoes, cucumber, mint, parsley, onion, and olive oil, tabbouleh is a Levantine salad. Lemon juice is often drizzled on top of it to enhance taste. The Mediterranean area is home to the green plant known as parsley. Since it is a member of the carrot family, its leaves are smaller and more delicate than those of most other herbs. Parsley has a number of nutritional advantages, including being high in vitamins A and C, iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium; improving digestion due to its high fibre content; lowering blood pressure; cleansing the kidneys by removing toxins from them; and stimulating bile secretion, which helps prevent gallstones from forming. You may eat parsley fresh or cooked, but be sure to remove the stems first (they are not edible). The freshness of parsley pairs beautifully with other ingredients like tomatoes or lemon juice in stews, salads, and on top of soups (like our recipe for Greek Soup). Broad beans, usually referred to as faba beans, are a kind of legume that is frequently used in Mediterranean cooking. They are common in many nations around the Mediterranean Sea and have long been a staple cuisine. They are not only affordable and simple to raise, but they are also healthful. High levels of protein, dietary fibre, and B vitamins including folate and riboflavin are all found in faba beans (vitamin B9). They may be used in both soups and salads because to their adaptability; when fried into falafel, they provide a fantastic vegetarian protein source! Red chilies, garlic, and other spices are used to make the hot chilli paste known as harissa. It is typically used as a condiment with Mediterranean foods including couscous, grilled meats, and seafood. It is Tunisian in origin. Additionally, couscous, yoghurt, sauces, barbecue sauces, and meat glazes may all be made using harissa as an ingredient. By roasting dried chilies and then grinding them with garlic, cumin, coriander seed, caraway, and olive oil, one may make harissa at home. However, this approach may produce inconsistently high-quality harissa owing to irregularities in heat transmission during the roasting of the components.

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Wheat that has been parboiled, dried, and crushed is known as bulgur. Bulgur may be served as a side dish or added to salads, pilafs, and soups. Although it is thought that bulgur originated in the Mediterranean area, it has subsequently spread all over the globe. It is also widely used in Middle Eastern cooking; bulgur is a component in the salad tabbouleh and the soup kibbeh nayyeh (made with lamb). The food of Naples, Italy, is known as neapolitan cuisine. Its history spans more than 2,000 years. The ingredients and customs that the Greeks and Romans introduced to southern Italy during their conquest are the foundation of Neapolitan cuisine. It then served as a model for several other Mediterranean dishes. One of the most widely consumed types of Italian cuisine nowadays is neapolitan. Pizza, spaghetti, fish and seafood dishes like swordfish or calamari, among other meals, are only a few examples of the various varieties of Neapolitan cuisine (squid). The ingredients for the classic Middle Eastern meal baba ghanoush are eggplant, garlic, and tahini. It's often served with pita bread or pita chips as an appetiser or side dish, but it also tastes great as a main meal. Baba ghanoush is smooth and creamy, but not too substantial like hummus (another popular dip). For various tastes, serve it either warm or cold! Spanish paella is a rice dish that is often cooked with chicken, fish, or rabbit. It is often consumed on special occasions and presented in a big pan. The Latin word for pan is where the term "paella" originates (patella). The ingredients of koshary, sometimes spelled kushari, include rice, macaroni, lentils, and fried onions. Its origins are in Egypt, where it is revered as the national food. Tomato sauce is frequently drizzled on top of koshary.

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This Egyptian delicacy has been present since the 19th century; Al-Ahram, an Egyptian daily, published the first mention of it. The dish itself was developed by street vendors who required inexpensive meals to sell to working-class people daily as they travelled to work or school. Koshary became so well-liked because it made it possible for consumers to enjoy this comfort dish without going over their spending limits! The food of Italy is well-liked all throughout the globe. Pizza, spaghetti, risotto, lasagna, bread, custard desserts, and lentil soup are all common ingredients in Italian cuisine. Italian food mostly consists of meat, such as chicken or beef, and vegetables, such as tomatoes and peppers. Italy is renowned for its sauces, such as alfredo sauce and tomato sauce, which may be used on a variety of dishes, including pizza and pasta. The cephalopod class, which also contains octopus and cuttlefish, includes squid. Squid is a widely used element in international cuisine, particularly in Mediterranean nations like Greece and Italy. Squid is often eaten whole, however it may also be cut into rings or strips or filleted. Squid is not only tasty but also a fantastic source of protein, with one dish (100 grammes) containing around 19 grammes. Despite the fact that this quantity may seem little in comparison to other meals, the high quantities of vitamin B12 make up for it (which helps with brain function). Squid could be just up your alley the next time you're feeling experimental when it comes to the food selections at your favourite Mediterranean restaurant or market—or even if you'd want to cook your own dish at home! Making sausages is both a craft and an age-old art. It is both a science and an art. You are simply prohibited from calling your sausage "art" because doing so would be dishonest. This is but a sample of the delectable cuisine available in Mediterranean nations. There is food for everyone, including spaghetti and falafel. While certain meals may seem to be comparable to those from other regions of the globe, they often have their own distinctive twist or taste profile that sets them apart from the competition. Check out our blog section if you want to learn more about Mediterranean cooking or need travel inspiration before you go to one of these nations.

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A diverse range of cuisines from the nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea make up Mediterranean cuisine. The use of olive oil, herbs, and spices in the cuisine is often used to identify them. A filo-based pastry called a borek may be filled with cheese, spinach, feta, or meat. It has become a staple of Turkish cuisine and a favourite dish across the Mediterranean area. Depending on where you are from, the Borek is sometimes referred to as börek or boereg. A deep-fried ball or patty called falafel is produced with ground fava beans, chickpeas, or both. They are a well-liked street snack throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East. Frequently, tahini sauce, pickled veggies, and falafel are served in wraps (which is made from ground sesame seeds). Pita bread may be used to create falafel sandwiches. Did you realise? It's uncertain whether this was done on purpose, but the name "falafel" may have been derived from the Arabic word for "spheres" The ancient Egyptian meal fava bean soup, also known as ful medames, has a long history. In Egypt and the rest of the Middle East, it is consumed for breakfast, lunch, and supper as well as sometimes as a late-night snack. It is a rich and healthful dish made with dried fava beans that have been soaked overnight and cooked with olive oil, garlic, and cumin. Pita bread is often provided with the beans so that it may be dipped into the soup. The ingredients for moussaka include minced beef, potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant. It was developed in the Ottoman Empire and is a staple of Turkish, Greek, and Cypriot cooking. It is unknown where the term moussaka came from; it might have been taken from Turkish musakka, which is a phrase derived from Arabic musakhkha (northern pronunciation), which means "to feed," or from the Arabic word musaqqa, which means "a meal containing meat." Fish stew known as bouillabaisse has its origins in Marseille. It is often served with a piece of bread and is cooked with fish, shellfish, and vegetables. It may be paired with either rouille or a saffron, garlic, and olive oil mayonnaise. A spread or dip known as hummus, often written houmous or humus, is created by blending cooked, mashed chickpeas with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and garlic. Garbanzo beans are another name for chickpeas. The Middle East is where the dish first appeared, and it then migrated to North Africa, Europe, and finally the United States.