Feast: Food of the Islamic World

Martabak has been a dish that has haunted me for decades. The first time I had the dish was in Chicago, decades ago; it has been a flavour that I have never forgotten. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to have it again very occasionally while I travelled to Asia. Most recently, while I was in Georgetown, Malaysia, I had to have this dish again. I got to enjoy it at the fabled Hameediyah Restaurant. More on this here. Martabak is an ancient dish, one that has travelled across the...

Islamic culture has a tradition of bread puddings that arose from the need to use stale bread. It was a simple solution to soak the bread...

Stuffing leaves are traditional in the Middle East with the most common leaf being grape leaves and cabbage. The stuffing is usually meat...

The world of biryani, layered rice, though originally from India, crosses out of its borders in today world of migration and trade. This...

A milk pudding is the most basic of all desserts, essentially thickened milk and sugar. Countless versions of this dessert exist based on...

This is a lovely curry from the northernmost tip of Sumatra. This goat curry speaks to old heritage trade routes, influenced by Indian and Arab traders, each adding a nuance to this dish that is perfectly intermingled with local flavours. The dish is made particularly during the months of Ramadaan. In the afternoon, huge metal cauldrons called beulangongs are prepared and set over slow fires to simmer until sunset, when the day -long fast is broken. The curry is served with rice after...

Rice originated in either India or China. It has always been the major grain of the civilized world and quickly replaced ancient grains...

Morocco is known for its variety of tagines, a lovely meaty stew that usually, but not always, contains dried fruits. These slow-cooked...

Mishkaki is derived from the Swahili word for meat grilled over charcoal. It could be beef. lamb or chicken, as in this case. Mishkaki is...

Mashbuss, also spelt as machboos, makbous, or majboos, is a family of rice dishes that are common throughout the Middle East. They are...

Biryani is associated with the Islamic world, it is a combination of rice and meat, and in vegetarian versions with paneer or vegetables....

Briouats are Morocco's version of the Indian samosa, Turkish borek or the Lebanese fatayer. In these cultures, there are an almost...

Dates are a symbol of the Arab world and the cultivation of dates goes back to centuries to probably the 6000-8000 BC and are considered...