Product Description

The eastern Mediterranean countries of the Levant — Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Syria — share a love of toothsome breads and grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, fish plucked from the sea, and ripe olives from hillside groves. Meat is used sparingly; aromatic olive oil supplants butter. But reducing these cholesterol-laden foods does not leave the Levantine palate lacking for taste — their absence allows the subtle flavors of herbs and spices to shine. This is the secret of the deliciously healthful diet that eastern Mediterranean cooks have long understood, and that the West is just beginning to appreciate.In Secrets of Healthy Middle Eastern Cuisine, Sanaa Abourezk recasts traditional savory Levantine recipes with the eye of an accomplished chef and nutritionist. The 150 recipes range from appetizers to desserts and include nutritional breakdowns. The author also explains the Mediterranean food pyramid, advises on spice shopping, and intrigues with evocative tales of Levantine life and lore. The resulting cookbook is a colorful bazaar of mouth-watering, healthful recipes, where both ancient and modern culinary secrets are revealed.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1601899 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-01
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .66" h x 7.06" w x 10.03" l, 1.62 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 200 pages

From Booklist
Middle Eastern cuisine, based as it is on grains and greens, might seem like healthy cooking at first glance. But, as Abourezk points out, it is often laden with oil and butter. Abourezk, a nutritionist by training, reforms classic Middle Eastern cooking by eliminating many of these fats. While most of these recipes are vegetarian, Abourezk includes a few meat and fish dishes to demonstrate that these are not always outside the realm of good health. In order to keep fats from dairy sources to a minimum, she suggests making one's own yogurt cheese at home in a simple process of coagulation. This cheese turns into both spiced and aged versions for different tastes and strengths. Nutritionists commonly balk at desserts' concentration of sugars, but Abourezk's simple milk pudding perfumed with orange blossom water and garnished with chopped pistachios will satisfy most sweet cravings. Mark Knoblauch