1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List (129 page)

Tart, crisp, fuzzy, and young.

Delicately crunchy and sweetly mellow, the mature almond has its share of fans. But a far more transporting taste sensation can be had when the elegant nut is consumed
before
it has fully ripened, when it is still a delicate springtime green. With its fuzzy, suedelike celadon covering peeled off, the moist kernel, gently firm against the teeth, reveals a fruity flavor that seems to match its ivory-green color.

Like the gorgeous snowy pink blossoms that grace almond trees, the green nuts are welcome harbingers of spring, cherished nibblers wherever almonds are grown. In areas such as California’s Central Valley, the Mediterranean, and Iran, shoppers in local markets anxiously await the arrival of the first green almonds much as we do rhubarb, strawberries, and ramps. But while some upscale restaurants with a seasonal bent present green almonds as an exotic dessert fruit, as has been the delightful custom at Chez L’Ami Louis in Paris, they are virtually unknown in many regions of the world. Growers prefer to harvest the larger, ripe crop as it fetches higher prices.

In Israel, according to the local food historian Dalia Lamdani, an even earlier unripe almond is valued: “The almonds that are picked at the earliest stage
are babies—small and soft all over, when the shell has not hardened. At this stage, they are delicious eaten whole, cut up in salads or pickled.” And generally, no other country makes more of the green charmers, which might be considered fitting since almonds, along with pistachios, are the only nuts mentioned in the Old Testament. A member of the
Rosaceae
botanical family,
Prunus amygdalus
is celebrated among a list of “choice products” in Genesis 43:11: “Take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds.”

Let us hope they were young almonds, presented quite simply as a delicious snack to be eaten out of hand.

Where:
In San Francisco
, Alemany Farmers’ Market between 101 and 280 junction; Ferry Plaza Market;
in Paris
, Chez L’Ami Louis, tel 33/1-48-87-77-4
Mail order:
Melissa’s Produce, tel 800-588-0151,
melissas.com
.
Further information:
aglaiakremezi.com
(search fresh fava and green almonds).

Bulgur meets lamb in the national dish of Lebanon.

Other Middle Eastern countries may take pride in this combination of ground lamb and the nutty bulgur wheat grain, but nowhere does it get so much patient care and subtle seasoning as in Lebanon—indeed, the Lebanese regard
kibbeh
as their national dish. There, in order to be taken seriously, the kibbeh must be made in the lengthy, exhausting, traditional way.

What this means is that the raw meat will be pounded, pounded, and pounded again in a
jorn
(a heavy stone mortar) with a
modakka
(a wooden pestle or mallet). Thus the soft, lean lamb loin is worked to a satiny paste before it gives way in the mortar to onions, salt, and pepper, which are also mashed before being repounded with the meat. Only then does the well-washed, drained, and kneaded golden bulgur join the party, this time with ice water to achieve a mixture so smooth it seems almost like fabric.

It’s said that everyone in the neighborhood knows when the kibbeh is being made, by the rhythmic sound of a modakka thumping against jorn. Everyone gets ready for a treat, too, in whichever of the half-dozen or so forms the kibbeh takes.

By far, the favored iteration is raw kibbeh, a seductive lamb tartare that lets the aromas of onions and pepper come through clearly, along with the fresh, meaty flavor of the lamb. But equally alluring is
kibbeh ‘qrass mashwieh
, in which the pounded raw lamb is formed into small sausage rolls, each with a tiny dice of lard
within, to be grilled over charcoal or fried in oil. For complexity, a stuffing of coarsely ground lamb, onions, pine nuts, salt, pepper, and cinnamon can be prepared to fill walnut-size balls of kibbeh; in Lebanon they will be quickly fried in olive oil, whereas in Syria the little stuffed croquettes are broiled. As
kibbeh bi laban
, the stuffed kibbeh balls are garnished with yogurt enlivened with salt-crushed garlic and dried mint.

That’s just the tip of the kibbeh iceberg. For a more substantial version—
kibbeh bi sanieh
, or kibbeh in a tray—alternating layers of raw kibbeh and stuffing are patted into a rectangular baking pan. Doused with melted butter, the loaf is baked and served hot or at room temperature.

Where:
In Beirut
, Al-Halabi, tel 961/452-3555;
in New York
, Ilili Restaurant, tel 212-683-2929,
ililinyc.com
;
in Houston
, Mary’z Lebanese Cuisine, tel 832-251-1955,
maryzcuisine.com
; Abdallah’s Lebanese Restaurant and Bakery, tel 713-952-4747,
abdallahs.com
;
in Glendale, CA
, Phoenicia, tel 818-956-7800,
phoeniciala.com
.
Retail and mail order:
In New York
, for bulgur, Kalustyan’s, tel 800-352-3451,
kalustyans.com
(search bulghar);
in Brooklyn
, Sahadi’s, tel 718-624-4550,
sahadis.com
(search bulgur).
Further information and recipes:
Secrets of Cooking: Armenian, Lebanese, Persian
by Linda Chirinian (1986);
Arabesque
by Claudia Roden (2005);
foodandwine.com
(search kibbe jenkins);
epicurious.com
(search baked kibbeh);
npr.org
(search lebanese kibbe recipes).

Dates are grown and loved throughout the Middle East, but in Lebanon they are particularly well turned out in this seductive confection. The region formerly known as the Levant when it included Syria starts with an advantage, as it’s the place where the world’s best, largest, and most flavorful dates are grown. Once peeled—an arduous task—the fresh dates are boiled to tenderness, then drained and dried until they’re still soft but no longer watery. Pitting used to be done with a knitting needle, poked vertically through the date to dislodge the pit; these days several more specific metal instruments can be put to use.

Packed in a large saucepan alternating with layers of sugar, the dates stand overnight before being removed, brushed free of sugar, and stuffed with single whole blanched almonds. The sugar remains in the pan, to be cooked with water and a handful of whole cloves until a syrup forms. Packed into the syrup, the dates sit and gather up clovey flavor for at least four days (and up to a month or so) in a cool dark place.

They emerge delicately spiced, chewy, and syrupy, with a satisfying inner crunch from the almond. Served on their own as addictive treats, perhaps with a cup of tea, they can also be used as a garnish for elegant rice puddings and ice creams.

Mail order:
For dates,
igourmet.com
(search organic medjool dates);
imperialdategardens.com
, tel 800-301-9349.
Further information and recipe:
Food from the Arab World
by Marie Karam Khayat and Margaret Clark Keatinge (1970).

The reddish-orange, spicy, and aromatic Middle Eastern condiment
hilbeh
is a somewhat foamy, pleasantly bitter regular on Yemeni tables. Also beloved in Israel, hilbeh finds a place at almost all meals as a dip, chutney, jelly, or flavor enhancer in one form or another.

Created from the tiny, hard fenugreek seeds (
Trigonella Foenum-graecum
) whose exotic taste is faintly reminiscent of cardamom, hilbeh, also known as fenugreek relish, is light and somewhat frothy. Its unique texture develops as the ground yellow-brown seeds are soaked in hot water for hours, turning into a thick, gelatinous paste when residual water is drained off; whisked quickly while more water is slowly added, the mixture achieves a foamy consistency. Lemon juice, garlic, tomato paste, salt, and cardamom, caraway, or cayenne pepper are blended in, resulting in a sour, tangy flavor that may seem unusual at first. Try slathering a dollop onto warm pita bread, or spooning some into soups or stews, and you may soon become a convert.

Retail and mail order:
In New York
, Kalustyan’s, tel 800-352-3451,
kalustyans.com
;
Mail order:
Penzeys Spices, tel 800-741-7787,
penzeys.com
; Zamouri Spices, tel 913-829-5988,
zamourispices.com
.
Further information and recipes:
The New Book of Middle Eastern Food
by Claudia Roden (2000);
The Complete Middle East Cookbook
by Tess Mallos (2007);
Jerusalem: A Cookbook
by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi (2012);
Spice
by Ana Sortun (2006);
cookstr.com
(search spiced lamb chops with fenugreek sauce);
food.com
(search hilbeh)
Tip:
When ordering fenugreek, preground seeds are preferable, as the tough seeds are difficult to grind; if they aren’t available, toasting the seeds for 20 minutes in a 325° oven makes the task easier.
See also:
Chermoula
;
Tkemali
.

Zhoug comes in two types: fiery red and emerald green.

An intense, engagingly gritty chile paste that has been described as “Yemenite Tabasco,” zhoug (pronounced ZUH-chug) is a revered condiment in the Middle East, most especially in Israel and of course Yemen. Its complex heat is de rigeur on the region’s beloved pita sandwiches, and also supposedly plays a part in warding off sickness. The latter may be easy to believe once you experience its throat-blistering
powers—zhoug really does seem hot enough to destroy a host of germs, so it’s not surprising that Yemenites believe a daily dose wards off colds and heart disease.

Gastronomes risk the burn for the flavor boost zhoug adds to gyros, falafels, and shawarma wraps, as well as to indigenous breads, salads, yogurt dips, and grilled meat specialties. Of the two main versions of zhoug, the fiery red variety is especially hot and is made entirely of chile peppers; the emerald green paste infuses the peppers with parsley, cilantro, garlic, coriander leaves, cumin, and cardamom, for a more complex flavor. Both styles are eaten in much the same way: Thinned with either chopped fresh tomatoes or
hilbeh
(see
listing
), the paste is transformed into the sauce that makes the Middle Eastern sandwich sing.

Retail and mail order:
In New York
, for ingredients, Kalustyan’s, tel 800-352-3451,
kalustyans.com
.
Further information and recipes:
Flatbreads & Flavors
by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid (2008);
Jerusalem: A Cookbook
by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi (2012);
foodandwine.com
(search spicy zhoug);
food.com
(search zhoug yemeni chili sauce).