How to Prepare a Middle Eastern Banquet
Middle Eastern food is a cuisine of refined art that is influenced by many cultures. The spicy dishes indicate that the Middle Eastern region could have been a source or way station for how certain spices arrived into Europe from Asia. The staples of Middle Eastern food include lamb, rice and various legumes such as lentils and chickpeas. There also are lots of salads from fresh seasonable vegetables and pickled or cooked vegetables, as well as various fruits. Many of the dishes also include bulgur, which is cracked wheat, usually in some chopped meat and salad combinations.
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Things You'll Need
- Middle Eastern appetizers
- Middle Eastern breads
- Middle Eastern vegetables
- Middle Eastern meat dishes
- Middle Eastern beverages
- Middle Eastern desserts
Instructions
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Use appetizers and salads including olive oil, small green olives, grape leaves, hot green peppers and pickled or fried eggplant. Savory dips such tahini and hummus are staples offered with various types of pita and flat bread before and during the meal. Spices such as Za'atar, which is similar to oregano, can be sprinkled on some of the dishes for added flavor.
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Offer some salads and side dishes such as spinach salad with yogurt; tomato salad; falafel, which is made from fried ground beans; tabbouleh, a cracked wheat, parsley and mint salad; hummus-bi-tahini, a chickpea and sesame salad; baba ghanouj; eggplant salad with tahini; Tahinat el Beid, a dip for bread; Turkish salad that has a hot sauce used with falafel; Muhamara, a hot pepper dip; Adas Bil Hamod, which is made with potatoes; Labani, a homemade cheese from yogurt and milk; and another eggplant salad called Salatat Bathinjan.
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Arrange some pita bread, a staple in Middle Eastern cuisine, on a plate. It is quite versatile, and is used for dipping and stuffing with other ingredients to make a sandwich. Salads and dips also can be rolled up inside. Pitas also may be baked with onions and topped with the Za'atar spice.
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Satisfy those with a healthy dietary regimen, as well as vegetarians, with plenty of vegetables. Some vegetables to include on a Middle Eastern buffet might include dilled peas with peppers, zucchini, squash, okra and eggplant. It also is popular to present roasted vegetables on a kabob. The Shireeah rice and pasta dish is popular for buffets.
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Include some of the following meats in a Middle Eastern banquet: Kibbeh, with lamb, beef and cracked wheat; Samboosak, which are beef patties; Lamb Shishlik, a marinaded skewered lamb; Motubug, a pastry stuffed with beef; Kibbeh, meatballs with cracked wheat and pine nuts; and Kibbeh, made with lamb or beef and bulgar and pine nuts.
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Prepare some of the following drinks for the Middle Eastern banquet: traditional coffee and tea; cinnamon anise tea; lemon tea; milk with saffron; Arak, a Middle Eastern alcoholic beverage; yogurt drink; finjan erfeh, a spicy tea; Middle Eastern-style lemonade; and Turkish or ginger coffee.
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Polish off the meal with a classic baklava, as well as sesame halva and chocolate-covered dates.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep heating elements under heated foods.
Put cooling elements under foods that need to stay cool.
Be certain to watch heated foods and refrigerate promptly to avoid bacteria.
