Middle Eastern cuisine

The scope of oriental cuisine can be roughly divided into the following areas today by geographical and cultural point of view: North Africa ( Maghreb ), Middle East ( Levant ), Arabian Peninsula, Turkey ( Anatolia), the Caucasus, parts of Central Asia, the territory of present-day Iran and Iraq ( in ancient Persia ) and parts of the Indian subcontinent (Pakistan, Afghanistan).

Historically, Middle Eastern cuisine is based on the areas of the so-called Fertile Crescent and thus influences the old culinary traditions of Mesopotamia, like that of the ancient Mediterranean to the Byzantine period, in Armenia, the Indian subcontinent and parts of Central Asia ( Silk Road ). The oriental cuisine had, inter alia, Influence on the Balkan kitchens or those of Sicily. Similarly, some courts of Islamized Turkic peoples were incorporated into the Chinese cuisine.

Already in pre-Islamic times sugar cane, rice and the chicken from India were introduced. The food base form of wheat (as bread cereals and especially in the form of wheat semolina, couscous or bulgur wheat ), millet, dates ( the bread of the desert ), various vegetables ( often filled as stew or pickled with lactic acid ) and legumes. Goats, sheep, chickens, cattle and camels rarely meet the demand for food of animal origin.

Especially the dairy industry makes a significant difference to Asian cuisine - with a regional exception, namely the horse and Yakhaltung in Central Asia, which is also the production of milk used ( Kumys, fermented mare's milk). In addition, especially the spice trade and the Islamic dietary laws had formative, even if the latter are not binding on the religious minorities (such as for the Copts and Armenians ).

In cities such as Baghdad or Damascus has long been home specialized areas of food production, which were thus moved out of the household, such as for bread and baked goods. Where the bread ( in many forms ) in the Orient is an integral part of every meal and thus fulfills the same role which holds in most Asian countries, the rice. The bread is almost always break into pieces instead of cutting it. It is also used for receiving the food or as a basis for desserts such as Om Ali.

Among many other enriched among other pomegranate, rhubarb, spinach, shallot, citrus fruits, candied fruits, coffee (originally from Ethiopia) and sherbet in the course of time, the European cuisine.

The oriental cuisine alternates between rural dishes such as grilled sheep's head, refined edible episodes, consisting of small plate dishes ( the so-called mezze ) and exotic flavored confectionery. Typically, in addition to the use of many spices and condiments (eg, Ras el- Hanout ) and the combination of meat and sweet in a court (eg in meat balls in sugar syrup or chicken in vanilla sauce: Tavuk Gogsü Kazandibi, a dish from Turkey ). Not surprisingly, there are also many methods of preparation under a different name and only slightly modified in all the regional cuisines of the Orient, such as various vegetable dishes yogurt or yogurt drinks.

The modern oriental cuisine formed in its "final" form by the agricultural imports from the New World from, especially peppers ( chili), tomato, maize, potato, sunflower, to name only the most important, without which many courts would be unthinkable.

Landes-/Regionalküchen

• Arab cuisine
• Armenian Kitchen
• Georgian cuisine
• Indian cuisine
• Lebanese cuisine
• Persian food
• Turkish Cuisine
• North African cooking