Lebanese Delight

A Lebanese Delight Silent Thesis: Today I am going to inform you about a Middle Eastern side dish called Tabouli or Tabouleh. I. Introduction A. Have you ever stumbled on the Lebanese cuisine more specifically on their various types of food? 1. I’m sure all of you have had a taste of a Middle Eastern dish one point in your life, whether you knew it or not. 2. Just look for a whole table, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, filled with a feast and that is a Middle Eastern tradition except followed everyday. . When I was younger and even until this day I am faced with Middle Eastern hospitality of getting food constantly shoved in my face, but this is how I was introduced to my favorite salad, Tabouleh. b. No matter how hard you try to resist these full course meals, Middle Eastern women are stubborn and would not allow you to leave their house without the proper intake of their food, and I’m talking non-stop service. B. Being Lebanese I am constantly surrounded by the food and culture but whose to argue. C.Today I am going to talk to you about a specific side dish called Taboulie or Tabouleh. 1. First, I will tell you the history of where Tabouleh originated from to get a feel of the eating style in the region of the Lebanese cuisine. 2. Then, I will tell you what Tabouleh is considered to be in the Lebanese Culture. 3. Lastly, I will tell you what Tabouleh consists of. D. I will begin by telling you about the Lebanese Cuisine. II. The Lebanese cuisine is extremely rich in flavors and colors and yet often offers recipes easy to prepare and suitable for a healthy diet. A.According to the book The Complete Middle Eastern Cookbook written in the year 2000 by Tess Mallos, an author and consultant to advertising companies, she states, foreign influences have been felt widely in the area, of Beirut. 1. Lebanon has been ruled by foreign powers and as a result they have influenced the types of food the Lebanese ate. 2. According to the book Mediterranean Cooking written by Andrea Chesman in 2005 she writes, â€Å"Middle Eastern cooking is based in the peasant traditions of the farmers and nomadic peoples who have inhabited the region for thousands of years. a. It’s ancient cuisine and many of the same dishes described in Egyptian texts and in the Bible are still eaten in the Middle East today. b. Its influence was spread all around the Mediterranean. B. The food of the entire Mediterranean region is considered to be a celebration of life. 1. It is fresh, flavorful, and diverse and the cuisine of Lebanon is, as a whole, the Mediterranean diet. a. It includes starches, fruits, vegetables, fresh fish and seafood. b. Red meat is eaten less often than poultry, and usually the only red meat is lamb. . Along with the Lebanese cuisines’ flavors, comes a large amount of garlic and olive oil. a. Joe George a chef and culinary educator writes in his article titled Ethnic Cuisine: Lebanon in 2001, that these two ingredients, olive oil a nd garlic, are an essential part in Lebanon and usually a typical meal consists of them. b. Sanaa Abourezk, an author and chef writes in her book titled Secrets of Healthy Middle Eastern Cuisine in 2005 that other than in a few deserts, butter or cream is rarely used and is replaced by olive oil. C.The cuisine of Lebanon focuses on herbs, spices and the freshness of ingredients, the combinations of the dishes are almost limitless. 1. In her book, Tess Mallos writes about the ingredients used for Arabic cooking. 2. It is almost essential that every Arabic or Middle Eastern household stock up on fine and coarse burghul, Tahini, dried beans, chick peas, dried mint and a spice mix called za’tar. 3. Anissa Helou in her book written in 1994 titled Lebanese Cuisine, she mentions that finding fresh vegetables and fruits would be common and is essential diet in the Lebanese Cuisine. D.Now that you have learned about the history of the Lebanese Cuisine, I am going to inform you of what Tabouleh is considered to be in the Lebanese Culture. III. To understand the various types of food you must also understand the Middle Eastern hospitality and when different dishes are served. A. Tess Mallos writes in her cookbook that Middle Eastern hospitality is frequently expressed with the offering of mezze. 1. Mezze is an array of small dishes which portray different colors, flavors, textures, and aromas, basically they are appetizers, and are only limited by the availability of ingredients and the ability of the cook to prepare them. . These various types of appetizers can be cooked on a minutes notice so it can be very quickly but efficiently. b. Mezze may be as simple as pickled vegetables, hummus, bread, Baba Ghannouj, lebneh, Tabouleh, or it can become an entire meal consisting of grilled marinated seafood, skewered meats and a variety of cooked and raw salads. 2. These appetizers can be refrigerated, frozen, and later when entertaining guests, defrosted. 3. Almost all t ypes of mezze are served with the Arabic flat bread also known as pita bread, which is basically a replacement for a fork.B. Tabouleh is one of the most common types of zesty salad appetizers in the Lebanese culture. D. Now that you have learned about the history of the Lebanese Cuisine as well as what it’s considered to be in the Lebanese culture, I am going to inform you of a specific dish called Tabouleh. IV. According to Claudia Roden, a food writer, she writes in her book titled The New Book of Middle Eastern Food in 2000 that Tabbouleh has been around for about 4,000 years. A.Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern salad thought to have originated in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon in the mountain region of Zahle. 1. Tabouleh was one of the local mountain-village foods offered in the cafes and spread far and wide. a. According to Claudia Roden, it started as a â€Å"relatively substantial salad that was rich with Bulgur but was transformed later into an all-green herby affair. † b. Bulgur is basically cracked wheat, that has been boiled and dried, then ground, and it is the basis of many salads in the Middle East, Tabouleh has become one of the famous ones. . Tabouleh’s primary ingredients are burghul, finely chopped parsley, mint, tomato, scallion and other herbs with lemon juice, olive oil and various seasonings. 3. In the hometown Tabouleh is traditionally served with a lettuce leaf, but in the United States it’s eaten with pita bread as a dip. B. Tabouleh is considered to be one of the main salads one will find at every table of a Lebanese family. V. Conclusion. A. The Lebanese Cuisine can be more complicated than one can assume. 1. One simple dish can have a bigger background to it, a deeper origin. 2.I am sure all of you have tried a Middle Eastern dish one point in your life. B. If you have not, well today you have learned what to look for when you come across a Lebanese dish, and what the origin of Tabouleh is. C. We learned three t hings. 1. First, we learned about the history of where Tabouleh originated from and the Lebanese Cuisine. 2. Second, we learned what Tabouleh is considered to be in the Lebanese culture. 3. Lastly, we learned about what Tabouleh consists of. D. The next time you come across a Lebanese dish, more specifically a salad, you now know what to look for.