FOOD HISTORY: A BRIEF HISTORY OF MIDDLE EASTERN FOOD

 FOOD HISTORY: A BRIEF HISTORY OF MIDDLE EASTERN FOOD

Strict restriction on the eating of pork and no alcohol in the food is what one most thinks about when referring to Middle Eastern food and cuisine. However, while pigs were used as a food source by pre – Islamic pagans in the Middle East, because pigs were looked upon as dirty animals, both Jews and early Muslims were prohibited from eating pork. Although the Qur’an says that a starving Muslim, when no other food source is available, can eat pork and not be a sinner, in these circumstances, strict limitations and conditions apply. Concerning the topic of alcohol, the Quran did not ban alcohol from the beginning. The first verse on this topic (4:43) acknowledged that alcohol contained some good and some evil aspects but, “the evil is greater than the good”. It was only later in writings of scholars in the Haditha, (a collection of the sayings and actions of the prophet Muhammad, which are the major religious source of law and guidance for Muslims) that Muslims were ordered to totally abstain from alcohol (5:90-91). However, both Jews and Christians living in the Middle East not only allow the drinking of alcohol, but wine is also used in their religious services. Christians use it in their Communion sacrament and Jews even have a blessing over wine prior to its drinking. The foods eaten in the Middle East were contributed to by Ottoman Sultans, various Persian Shahs, the Moguls, and the flow of commodities from east to west. Food was used as an issue in both economics and politics. It was during the 1st Persian Empire (~550-330 BCE) that the foundation was laid for modern Middle Eastern food when rice, poultry and fruits were incorporated into the local diet. Later, wheat was first cultivated followed by lentils, barley, beans, pistachio nuts, pomegranates, figs, and other regional staples, while religion made an impact on meat eating, with lamb becoming the primary meat, since both Jews and Muslims avoided eating pork. All these food items are used in the modern dishes of many Middle Eastern countries. Augmenting the dishes with ingredients indigenous to each country’s climate and geography, provides a wide, vibrant varied array of delicious dishes to be found in Middle Eastern to cuisine.