Flavors: Hais (Desert Energy Balls)

Flavors: Hais (Desert Energy Balls)

Recipe by Sarah al-Hamad
Photograph by Kate Whitaker

Al-Baghdadi wrote his hit medieval cookbook Kitab al-Tabikh (Book of Dishes) in 1226 CE at the height of Abbasid sophistication and power. It included this recipe for hais or date sweetmeats.

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Flavors: Spicy Roasted Cauliflower (Zahra)

Flavors: Spicy Roasted Cauliflower (Zahra)

Recipe by Anas Atassi
Photograph by Jeroen van der Spek
Ma’aleh is usually deep-fried cauliflower, served in a sandwich with raw vegetables and tarator.
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Flavors: Shir Yakheh Gulab (Rose and Pistachio Ice Cream)

Flavors: Shir Yakheh Gulab (Rose and Pistachio Ice Cream)

Recipe by Durkhanai Ayubi
Photograph by Alicia Taylor
During the hot summer months, ice-cream shops, called shir yakh feroshees, would sell an assortment of ice creams and other cold desserts. My sister Fatema remembers going into beautiful little shops after school to buy shir yakh. They were colorful and decoratively tiled and had Bollywood music playing in the background. The shir yakh, with rose and pistachios, is a favorite at Parwana, one of her restaurants.
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Flavors: Chicken Kabab Burgers

Flavors: Chicken Kabab Burgers

Recipe by Asma Khan
Photograph by Laura Edwards

Like the iconic bun kabab of Karachi in Pakistan or Hyderabad in India, a spicy kabab inside a bun is a popular street food in certain regions of the Indian subcontinent.

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Flavors: Fattoush Salad

Flavors: Fattoush Salad

Recipe and photo by Yasmine Elgharably and Sheweker Elgharably
This classic Middle Eastern salad is made distinctive—and more substantial—by the addition of torn-up bread.
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Flavors: Beef Stew with Green Peas (Bazela bil roz)

Flavors: Beef Stew with Green Peas (Bazela bil roz)

Recipe by Anas Atassi
Photograph by Jeroen van der Spek

This hearty beef stew, a type of yakhni, or popular stew, is served with rice in the Syrian style.

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Flavors: Upside-Down in Babylon Pineapple Palace Cake

Flavors: Upside-Down in Babylon Pineapple Palace Cake

Recipe by Sarah al-Hamad
Photograph by Kate Whitaker
Palace cake was made in honor of the gods who were worshipped in the temples of Ur on the banks of the Euphrates. It contained raisins, aniseed, and an unbelievable amount of fat and dates.
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Flavors: Pumpkin Coconut Soup (Kaddu Nariyal Shorba)

Flavors: Pumpkin Coconut Soup (Kaddu Nariyal Shorba)

Recipe by Asma Khan
Photograph by Laura Edwards
Nothing had prepared me for the damp, cold winters of Cambridge. I wanted to make this soup not just because it was warming and comforting but because I also got a lot of free pumpkins from the market on my first Halloween in England.
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Flavors: Afghan Breakfast Eggs Tokhme Banjanromi

Flavors: Afghan Breakfast Eggs Tokhme Banjanromi

Recipe by Farida Ayubi
Description by Durkhanai Ayubi
Photograph by Alicia Taylor
My mother recalls having this dish for breakfast during family day trips, such as to Mazari-Sharif (in northern Afghanistan) for the Red Tulip Festival (Guli Surkh), during the spring equinox. It would be made in a beautiful copper karayee, a shallow heavy-based pan used in Afghan cooking. The karayee would be placed directly over a portable kerosene burner, where the eggs, vegetables and spices would bubble away. The large karayee is then placed in the middle of the breakfast spread, surrounded by naans and various chais, for everyone to help themselves.
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