Day 1 - Key Words

basmatirice AlonggrainricegrowninthefoothillsoftheHimalayas.Thegrainisagedtodecrease itsmoisturecontentandthereforehasaperfumed,nutlikeflavorandaroma.Basmati translatesintoqueenoffragranceorthefragrantone.Thericestaysfirmand separateaftercookingandisnotsticky.Itisavailableasbothwhitericeandbrownrice. Sinceithasahighamountofstarch,itcanbewashedorsoakedtomakethegrainsless likelytobreakduringcooking. chelow A Persian style steamed rice preparation. Long grain rice is soaked in cold water, drained, poured into boiling water, cooked for a few minutes, drained, rinsed, sauted in butter, and steamed in a small amount of water until done. khoresh ThecommonnameofstewsinPersiancuisine.Itisservedwitharicedishcalledpolow. Themaincomponentofakhoresh(alsocalledkhoresht)isvegetablesandnotmeat. TheyaresimilartoIndiancuriesintermsofpreparation.Thestewsaremadewith liberalamountsofsaffron,givingitaveryuniquefragranttaste.Popularkhoreshs includeKhoreshGheymeh,splitpealamborbeefstew;KhoreshGhormehSabzi,fresh herbandlambstew;KhoreshFesenjaan,pomegranatestew. polow CookedriceinPersian.TherearefourprimarymethodsofricecookeryinIran:chelow, seeabove;polow,sameaschelowbutafterdrainingtherice,otheringredientsare addedinlayersandthensteamedtogether;kateh,riceiscookeduntilwaterisabsorbed, atraditionaldishofNorthernIran;anddamy,almostthesameaskatehbutheatis reducedjustbeforeboilingandatowelisplacedbetweenthelidandthepottoprevent steamfromescaping,damymeanssimmered. Polowcanbemadewithavarietyofingredientsincludinggreenbeens,sourcherries, barberries,herbs,lentils,saffron,raisins,orangepeel,andlimabeanswithdill. pomegranate Afruitthesizeofalargeorangewithathinleatheryskin.Itrangesincolorfromredto pinkyellow.Ithasseedspackedincompartmentsseparatedbybitter,creamcolored membranes.Theseesareedibleandaresurroundedbyatranslucent,redpulpthathas asweettartflavor. PomegranatesaregrowninAsia,theMediterranean,andCalifornia.IntheUS,theyare availableinOctoberandNovember.Theyshouldbeheavyfortheirsize,andhavea brightblemishfreeskin.Canberefrigeratedforuptotwomonthsorstoredinacool

darkplaceforuptoamonth.PomegranatesarerichinpotassiumandvitaminC.

saffron Theyelloworangestigmasfromasmallpurplecrocus.Eachfloweryieldsonly3 stigmas,andmustbecarefullyhandpickedandthendriedinaverylaborintensive process.Itistheworldsmostexpensivespice.14,000stigmasmakeupanounceof saffron.Historicallyitwasusedtoflavorfoodandbeverages,makemedicines,anddye clothandbodyoilstoadeepyellow.Todayitisusedasanaromaticspicetoflavorand tintfood.Itisusedindishessuchasbouillabaisse,risottoMilanese,paella,European bakedgoods,andPersiandishes.SaffronisgrowninIndia,Spain,France,Italy,the MiddleEastandtheeasternMediterraneanregion. tamarind AtallshadetreenativetoAsiaandnorthernAfrica,andwidelygrowninIndia.The treeproduces5inchlongpodsthatcontainsmallseedsandasoursweetpulp.This pulpbecomesverysourwhendried.Thepulpconcentrateisusedasapopular flavoringinEastIndianandMiddleEasterncuisines(likelemonjuiceinWestern culture).Someflavorapplicationsincludechutneys,curries,andpickledfish;sweet syruptoflavorsoftdrinks;aningredientinWorcestershiresauce,HPsauce,andthe JamaicanPickapeppasauce.Itissoldinjarsofconcentratedpulpwithseeds,canned paste,bricksofdriedpods,orgroundpowder.ItisnamedfromtheArabictamarhindi meaningIndiandate.ItiscommonlysoldintheUSasTamicon. InMexico,tamarindismadeintoadrinkcalledAguadeTamarindo,madeintohard candiesandsuckers,andusedtoflavoraguesfrescas.

Day 1 - Study Questions

1. HowarePersiaandIransimilar? HistoricallyIranwasknownasPersia.Persiawastheregionsearliestempirethat spannedovera1000yearperiod(500BCto7thC.AD 2. WhatflavorprofileisdistinctlyPersian? IndigenousPersianfoodincludes:oranges,lemons,almonds,pistachios,lentils,grapes, eggplant,spinach,andrice,ThesefoodswerealongtheIslamicexpansionisttrailleaving etymologytracksfromSpaintoIndia. 3. Howhasitsgeographicaljuxtapositionaffectedthemakeupofitscuisine. IranisgeographicallypositionedbetweentheFarEastandtheMiddleEast.Itaquired wealthandresourcestofuelitsempirebyitsstrategicpositiononthefamoustrade routeknownas,"theSilkRoadofChina".

Additionalnotes TheMiddleEastisaEurocentricorientationsthatreferstocountrieswhoseboundaries extendeasttoIran,northtoTurkey,southtoYemen,andwesttoMorocco.

MidEastRegionalCuisine 1. Iran a. Mostsophisticated b. NotconsideredpartoftheArabworld 2. Syria,Lebanon,Israel,Egypt,andJordan a. TheCaliforniaoftheMiddleEast,capacitytoproducequality vegetablesandfruits b. ReferredtoastheFertileCrescent c. Organoleptic?SensationsassociatedwithArabandJewishcuisine 3. Turkey 4. Maghrib a. TheNorthAfricancoastlineenvelopingLibya,Tunisia,Algeria, andMorocco b. Sharesastrikinglysimilarstyleofcookingandseasoninwith Persia