Passport Day Food Series Continues With Columbian and Arab Foods!
by Mac Narahara, mn587
Issue date: 2/22/05 Section: Stern Scene
You cannot leave the fantastic Colombian food word world without trying the Atlantic coast dishes: "Carimanola", a flour ball filled with cheese, "Butifarra" a typical sausage, "Patacon Pisao" fried smash plantain and for dessert a "Cocada" made out of sugar and coconut, or an "Alegria" made out of honey and popcorn.
I am not sure if you would be able to find all these particular words in a New York menu, or even if they sound appealing to you but at least I know that if you are willing to trespass Manhattan's and your mind's boundaries, you will find some of them in "Tierras Colombianas", 33-01 Broadway (33rd St.), Queens. In order to accompany this gastronomic adventure I definitely encourage you to ask for a "Colombiana", a unique Colombian soda that I guarantee you'll fall in love with. Enjoy!
ARAB CUISINE:
by Mohamed El Beih: mohamed.elbeih@stern.nyu.edu
With kind contributions from Alaa Al-Shroogi, Mohamed Ben Mustafa, Khadija Oubala, & Muayyad Qubbaj
If you think you have indulged the exotic foods of Arabia after the late night pilgrimage to Mamoun's, think again. The largely beer-influenced Mamoun experience is far from representative, especially since the 280 million people that inhabit the Arab world eat more than just shawerma and falafel. The 22 Arab countries that span from the Atlantic coast of northern Africa to the Arabian Sea enjoy a magnificent array of spicy dishes that are shared throughout. Unique and central to culture, Arabic cuisine tends to unite Arabs as much as language, history, and tradition.
Usually, dishes from Lebanon form the basis of the cuisine recognized internationally as Arabic. In New York, Lebanese restaurants are among the most popular. A typical Lebanese meal starts with "mezze," an elaborate spread of anywhere between ten to fifty hors d'oeuvres. Yoghurt, cheese, cucumber, aubergines, chick peas, nuts, tomatoes, burghul and sesame (seeds, paste and oil) are harmoniously blended into numerous assorted medleys. Parsley and mint are used in vast quantities as are lemons, onions and garlic. Pastries are stuffed with vegetables and vegetables are stuffed with meats. A seasoned lamb, chicken or fish dish follows with salad and rice.
I am not sure if you would be able to find all these particular words in a New York menu, or even if they sound appealing to you but at least I know that if you are willing to trespass Manhattan's and your mind's boundaries, you will find some of them in "Tierras Colombianas", 33-01 Broadway (33rd St.), Queens. In order to accompany this gastronomic adventure I definitely encourage you to ask for a "Colombiana", a unique Colombian soda that I guarantee you'll fall in love with. Enjoy!
ARAB CUISINE:
by Mohamed El Beih: mohamed.elbeih@stern.nyu.edu
With kind contributions from Alaa Al-Shroogi, Mohamed Ben Mustafa, Khadija Oubala, & Muayyad Qubbaj
If you think you have indulged the exotic foods of Arabia after the late night pilgrimage to Mamoun's, think again. The largely beer-influenced Mamoun experience is far from representative, especially since the 280 million people that inhabit the Arab world eat more than just shawerma and falafel. The 22 Arab countries that span from the Atlantic coast of northern Africa to the Arabian Sea enjoy a magnificent array of spicy dishes that are shared throughout. Unique and central to culture, Arabic cuisine tends to unite Arabs as much as language, history, and tradition.
Usually, dishes from Lebanon form the basis of the cuisine recognized internationally as Arabic. In New York, Lebanese restaurants are among the most popular. A typical Lebanese meal starts with "mezze," an elaborate spread of anywhere between ten to fifty hors d'oeuvres. Yoghurt, cheese, cucumber, aubergines, chick peas, nuts, tomatoes, burghul and sesame (seeds, paste and oil) are harmoniously blended into numerous assorted medleys. Parsley and mint are used in vast quantities as are lemons, onions and garlic. Pastries are stuffed with vegetables and vegetables are stuffed with meats. A seasoned lamb, chicken or fish dish follows with salad and rice.