This remarkable and beautifully illustrated book describes more than 75 ingredients used in Middle Eastern cooking. The cuisines included in "The Middle Eastern Kitchen are those of Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. These countries' common culinary tradition has been influenced by the persian, Islamic, and Ottoman empires, with a sprinkling of the Byzantine and Roman empires. The insightful texts take readers and cooks into the history and diversity of these ancient cultures, while the 150 recipes allow them to put their knowledge of these ingredients to practical use. Each ingredient is broken down in sections on appearance and taste, historical background, and cultivation or manufacture methods. Each is illustrated with specially commissioned location, ingredient, and recipe photographs.