Loading ...Arabic Dishes in the Slavic Cuisine
By: Pamela Dimitrova/ Arab America Contributing Writer
Due to the shared history of trade relations, travelling and Ottoman influence, a number of Arabic recipes spread from mouth to mouth beyond the borders of the Arab world to Europe, influencing the most the Slavic countries from Eastern Europe. As a Bulgarian, a culture which was influenced both by the Ottomans and the Western Europe, I was excited to see how many Arabic dishes exist in our cuisine (some with different names, some with their original Arabic names) and how they became part of it. Here is a list of 5 dishes, that can be found in both the Arabic and the Slavic cuisine.
Baklava
Believe it or not, there is not a grandma in the Slavic countries in the Balkans that doesn’t know how to prepare baklava (баклава). Incorporated in the Slavic culture by the Ottomans, this dish is now favourite of many and can be found almsot everywhere. From Bratislava to Sarajevo, you can order baklava without having to learn to speak Slovak or Bosnian, as this dish has kept its original name. Baklava is a rich, sweet dessert pastry made of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts and sweetened and held together with syrup or honey. It is characteristic of the cuisines of the Middle East, along with Greece, the South Caucasus, Balkans, Maghreb, and Central Asia.
Warak Enab / Dolma
In most Slavic countries this dish is famous as “sarma”. It forms part of the cuisine of a lot of countries, mainly the he former Ottoman Empire and surrounding regions, including Turkey, Egypt, Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, the Balkans, Greece, Iraq, Iran, Northern Sudan, Central and South Asia. Common vegetables to stuff include zucchini, eggplant, tomato and pepper. The stuffing may or may not include meat. Meat dolma are generally served warm, often with sauce; meatless ones are generally served cold, though meatless dolma are eaten both ways in a lot of countries. Both are often eaten with yoghurt, put on top.
Halva
Halva is one of the favourite dishes of the people living in the Arab countries and the ones living in the East Europe, too! All types of halva can be found in the stores, but the most famous are tahini-halva, sesame halva and sunflower halva.
Sesame halva is popular in the Balkans, Poland, Middle East, and other areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. The primary ingredients in this confection are sesame butter or paste (tahini), and sugar, glucose or honey. Soapwort (called ‘erq al halaweh in Arabic; çöven in Turkish), egg white, or marshmallow root are added in some recipes to stabilize the oils in the mixture or create a distinctive texture for the resulting confection.
Sunflower halva is popular in the countries of the former Soviet Union. It is made of roasted ground sunflower seeds instead of sesame. It may include other ingredients, such as nuts, cocoa powder, or vanilla. (My personal favourite, yummy!)
Kofta
Famous in most Slavic countries kjofte, ćufte or ćufteta (кюфте), this something that everyone loves! It is found in the Indian subcontinent, South Caucasian, Middle Eastern, Balkan, and Central Asian cuisines. In the simplest form, koftas consist of balls of minced or ground meat—usually beef, chicken, lamb, or pork—mixed with spices and/or onions. Usually is served alone, but soemtimes is cooked with tomato or vegetable sauce.
In the former Yugoslav republics, present-day Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia and Slovenia, they are called kjofte, ćufte or ćufteta. They are made of any single meat including fish, or mixture of meats, mixed with finely chopped onions, breadcrumbs, eggs, and seasonings. They are most often made by first being browned and then simmered in a roux made with paprika called crvena zaprška “red roux”, or in a tomato sauce similar to Italo-American meatballs.
In Bulgaria, kofta is usually made from pork, beef, or veal, or a mixture of the three. They are usually served as a meze with tarator.
Jajeek / Tzatziki/ Tarator
An absolute classic in most Slavic countirs, tzatziki, cacık or tarator is a dip, soup, or sauce found in the cuisines of Southeast Europe and the Middle East. It is made of salted strained yogurt or diluted yogurt mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, sometimes with vinegar or lemon juice, and herbs such as dill, mint, parsley and thyme. It is generally served as a cold appetizer (meze) or a side dish.
In most Slavic cuisines, it is often prepared as a cold soup, popular in the summer. It is made of yogurt, cucumber, garlic, walnut, dill, vegetable oil, and water, and is served chilled or even with ice. Local variations may replace yogurt with water and vinegar, omit nuts or dill, or add bread. The cucumbers may on rare occasions be replaced with lettuce or carrots.
A thicker variation is sometimes known as “dry tarator” ,or as “Snezhanka” salad (салата “Снежанка”), which means “Snow white salad”, and is served as an appetizer or side dish. During preparation, the yogurt is hung for several hours in a kerchief and loses about half of its water. The cucumbers, garlic, minced walnuts, salt and vegetable oil are then added.
In Bulgaria, tarator is a popular meze (appetizer) but is also served as a side dish along with Shopska salad with most meals.
In Iraq, jajeek is often served as meze. It may accompany alcoholic drinks, especially Arak, an Ouzo-like drink made from dates. In Iran it is known as mast o khiar.
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