Saturday, November 15 at 12pm
Listen to a talk on the history of Middle Eastern cuisine with Food Historian Sandy Garson while enjoying a luncheon of food from the region. Registration is required for this program as space is limited.
Register for This EventThe land the English Victorians called “the Middle East” (between the Far East and Near East) stretches from Iran to Egypt and includes Anatolian Turkey, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon. It was the original Garden of Eden because it was the most fertile well watered garden of eating. Wheat was discovered here and domesticated in all the forms in our pantry; grapes were fermented into wine 8000 years ago; figs, pomegranates, almonds, dates, raisins and pistachios graced tables rich with the aromas of saffron, honey and rose water. Its recipes—bursting with flavor, nutrients and color—went East to become Punjabi Indian food and West to be Greek, Spanish and Moroccan, and is the origin of some of our own most beloved dishes like hummus, falafel, pilaf and macaroni.
The luncheon menu may include:
Lamb and rice stuffed grape leaves (dolmas)
Palestinian cauliflower fritters with minted yogurt
Anatolian bulgur with dates, nuts and raisins (best warm but not hot)
Lavash with muhamarra and baba ganoush
Chickpeas with maftoul
Asura aka Noah’s Pudding (one of the oldest desserts)
Presented as part of the 39th Annual Camden Conference. The Camden Conference is a nonprofit organization providing a non-partisan community forum fostering in-depth discussion of world issues through year-round events and an annual February conference. The 2026 theme is Power, Politics, and Players in Today’s Middle East.
