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By ANDY PERDUE
Herald news editor
Here are food pyramids you might not have considered: Cheops, Chephren and
Mycerinus. These are the chaps whose giant tombs constitute the lone remaining
Wonder of the World, the great pyramids of Egypt.
With architecture and traditions as ancient as civilization itself, Egypt
has much to teach modern cooks. And because of its location in the lower
right corner of the Mediterranean Sea, Egypt has been a cornerstone of influence
on many great cuisines, serving as a crossroads for Africa, Asia and Europe.
Early Egyptians had a pretty good idea about how to handle themselves gastronomically.
They reputedly discovered how to leaven bread, as wheat grew abundantly
on the fertile banks of the Nile River.
In her coffee-table cookbook Mediterranean: The Beautiful Cookbook, Joyce
Goldstein writes, "We are fairly well-informed about the cuisine of
ancient Egypt. Like their Greek counterparts, the Egyptian gods seem to
have taken an interest in food; Isis is said to have first taught people
the use and cultivation of the olive."
Indeed, like in other great ancient civilizations, Egypt's leaders lived
in splendor. Mushrooms, Goldstein writes, were reserved for the pharaohs
because of the magical properties they were purported to carry. Early Egyptians
also had suspicions about garlic's healthy qualities, which we're still
trying to understand. The pharaohs also enjoyed the rich spices of India.
Today, amid the Golden Arches and other signs of Western influence, Egypt's
national dish remains one of its oldest. Ful Mudammas may be served at any
meal, particularly breakfast, and is made from the fava bean. This broad
bean is cooked slowly and may be mixed with garlic, cumin, lentils, tomatoes,
carrots or onions, and it may be accompanied by hard-boiled eggs, onions
soaked in vinegar and mixed pickles, according to Egyptian Cooking: A Practical
Guide, by Samia Abdennour.
Fava beans probably will be one of the more difficult ingredients to find
for Egyptian cooking. But dried fava beans can be located at Highland Health
Foods and Templemen's Market in Kennewick. And canned fava beans are a staple
at Fred Meyer stores.
While Ful Mudammas might not catch on in the United States the way it has
along the Nile, another Egyptian food has. Many Mediterranean restaurants
serve falafel, and dried mixes for it can be found in most Mid-Columbia
grocery stores.
While these deep-fried croquettes generally are thought to be Israeli in
origin - where they're sold on the streets of Jerusalem like hot dogs are
in New York - they actually came from Egypt, where the dish called Ta'amia
is made with white broad beans.
Since Egyptian white broad beans are difficult to find, the Israeli method
of using chickpeas is preferred.
Much Egyptian cooking is vegetable- and grain-based. A lot of this is steeped
in tradition, and much is a matter of economics.
Arabic cooking, which has greatly influenced Egypt since the seventh century,
when Islam swept across North Africa, uses less meat than Westerners are
accustomed to. Lamb is found most often because it travels well, but beef
is rare, and pork is forbidden by Muslim law.
Along the Nile, though, poultry has been popular, especially geese and ducks.
Another favorite is seafood, except for shellfish, which may have been influenced
by the dietary laws of ancient Israelites.
As with other Middle Easterners, Egyptians use the freshest available ingredients,
because refrigeration and preservation have not always been available in
the desert.
As a result, many Egyptian dishes that might sound plain or bland at first
glance because their main ingredients are fava beans or lentils actually
offer exciting and new taste experiences for Westerners who already are
searching for healthy vegetable- and grain-based cuisine.
Bil hana wal shiffa - with pleasure and health.
Chickpeas, that most common of Mediterranean beans, grow well in the
Mid-Columbia.
Farmers in Walla Walla and Columbia counties plant chickpeas - also called
garbanzos - in rotation with wheat. A rotation crop is used to break the
cycles of disease that might emerge when a farmer grows one plant season
after season.
In 1994, about 5,500 acres were planted in chickpeas in Washington, the
last year for which there are complete records, and produced 4.4 million
pounds.
Farmers must take great care in harvesting chickpeas. All foliage must be
absolutely dry to protect the light brown seeds from being stained by green
chlorophyll in the leaves.
Clean chickpeas go to salad buffet counters. Stained chickpeas are sold
at a loss for cattle feed.
n Fava beans could be grown in the Northwest as an export crop but haven't
been yet, said Tom Lumpkin, chairman of the department of crop and soil
sciences at Washington State University. He grew up in Burbank.
"It's one of the ancient crops from the Fertile Crescent, and it's
still an important crop throughout Northern Africa into Central Europe,"
he said.
It also is used in China and Japan, where the biggest market might be for
Northwest beans.
However, fava beans like cool weather and probably will grow best west of
the mountains rather than in the Mid-Columbia, he said.
-- Global Gourmet is a monthly Herald feature exploring distinct regions
and their cuisines. If you have suggestions or questions, call Loretto Hulse
at 582-1513.
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