Deck 9: Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Greece, and Turkey

Question 1

Which European country shares a lot of its culinary heritage with its Middle Eastern neighbors with similar food ingredients and products?

A) Italy
B) Greece
C) Switzerland
D) Austria

Answer 1

Greece

Question 2

Why are the cuisines of the Middle East more like regional differences then individual cuisine?

A) The people living there were mostly nomadic, crossing border after border without any restriction.
B) The same foods grow everywhere.
C) It used to be one big country.
D) The same religion dominates the various cultures.

Answer 2

The people living there were mostly nomadic, crossing border after border without any restriction.

Question 3

What advanced discovery was made by early Iranians which enabled people to live in settled communities rather than the nomadic lifestyle they were used to?

A) Farming
B) Smoking and drying foods
C) Pickling and preserving foods
D) That salt actually preserved foods

Answer 3

Farming

Question 4

What one single influence caused the cuisines of the Middle East to be dependent on large amounts of seasonings and spices to flavor their foods?

A) The belief in life after death where Egyptian Pharaohs were embalmed using spices and salts
B) Spices grow abundantly in the Middle East.
C) Wars were often fought and won between different Asian countries.
D) They controlled the spice trade form Asia to Europe for hundreds of years.

Question 5

Which vegetable was introduced to the Middle East thanks to thriving trade with India?

A) Eggplant
B) Potatoes
C) Green peppers
D) Tomatoes

Question 6

What caused the cuisine of the Middle East to change beginning in the 14^th century and continuing to the 20^th century?

A) A series of damaging droughts and great floods that made it difficult to farm or raise livestock
B) War between all the nations kept any single identity from forming.
C) Discovery of a water route to India by Portugal at the beginning of the 14^th century, whch caused the Middle Eastern spice route to disappear forever
D) Rise of the Ottoman Empire, which originated in Turkey and encompassed much of Western Europe, the Middle East and North Africa

Question 7

With a mixture of Muslim and Jewish beliefs dominating the Middle East, what meat is not often served in Middle Eastern restaurants?

A) Pork
B) Lamb
C) Beef
D) Veal

Question 8

Because of religious beliefs and the adaptability of this animal to early nomadic lifestyles, what type of meat is regularly consumed in Middle Eastern homes and restaurants?

A) Pork
B) Lamb
C) Water buffalo
D) Beef

Question 9

What events were taking place in the 16^th and 17^th centuries that helped shape the Middle Eastern cuisine we know today?

A) The invention of pots and pans
B) Trade with the New World supplying tomatoes, chili peppers, squash and potatoes for the first time
C) Return of the spice route from Asia
D) First Middle Eastern cookbooks are published.

Question 10

What are the names of the two major rivers which flow from Iran through a large part of the Middle East and ends at the Persian Gulf providing water and fertility to thousands of miles of each nation they touch?

A) Amazon and Oronoco
B) Tagus and Duoro
C) Euphrates and Tigris
D) Congo and Niger

Question 11

Which two types of beans are you likely to find on the Middle Eastern table?

A) Green beans and wax beans
B) Kidney beans and pinto beans
C) Black and green mung beans
D) Chick peas and lentils

Question 12

Theory states that warriors from this country first started skewering pieces of meats on their swords and cooking them over an open fire which was the beginning of the shish kabob?

A) Iran
B) Greece
C) Syria
D) Turkey

Question 13

Which other cooking method is prevalent throughout the Middle East because of its earlier nomadic traditions?

A) Braising
B) Boiling
C) Frying
D) Baking

Question 14

Which combination of three herbs listed here can be identified with the cuisine of the Middle East?

A) Fennel, lavender and marjoram
B) Mint, cilantro and dill
C) Chervil, tarragon and parsley
D) Sage, rosemary and thyme

Question 15

Which ingredient listed below is actually boiled wheat berries that have been dried and cracked; it is used in salads, soups and as a starchy accompaniment to many meals?

A) Hominy
B) Buckwheat groats
C) Bulgur
D) Grits

Question 16

The most common accompaniment to the spicy Iranian dish known as chelo kebah is yogurt.

Question 17

Hummus is a mixture of sesame seeds and pine nuts, and is a popular spread throughout the Middle East.

Question 18

Ground chickpeas are often blended with other herbs and spices, breaded and deep fried making the popular snack known as falafel.

Question 19

Parmesan cheese is often folded with the spinach and onion mixture when making the savory Greek pastry known as Spanakopita.

Question 20

Dolmas are always made with grape leaves as the wrapper, although the filling can change from town to town.