The World That Was

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! This week, I'm going to be making a simple party dish - recorded by a Syrian writer in the 13th century! Though the dish is described very literally as "gourd dish", it is, in fact, a delightfully savoury and crunchy snack that can be served at parties alongside a simple yet nutty dipping sauce! Thanks again to Charles Perry for the translation of the original Arabic! In any case, let's now take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video, above! If you like my recipes, consider checking out my Patreon! Ingredients (serves 4) 1 - 2 courgettes / zucchinis (or 1 bottle gourd / calabash) 1/2 cup walnuts (finely ground) 1/2 cup tahini paste bunch of finely chopped mint 1 tbsp ground coriander 1 tbsp ground cumin lemon juice (to taste) honey (to taste) olive oil / sesame oil (for frying) Method 1 - Prepare Ingredients To begin making this dish, we need to grind up about a half a cup of walnuts into a fine powder...

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! Today, I'll be taking a look at another recipe from 13th century Syria - and the anonymously written Scents and Flavours Arabic cookbook - the creamy chicken Jurjaniyyah! The name Jurjaniyyah is derived from an Iranian region - Gorgan - which suggests that this was an imported culinary style, rather than a local recipe! Either way, it's a fairly simple and tasty dish! In any case, lets now take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video, above! Ingredients (Serves 4) 500g yoghurt 1/2 tablespoon flour dissolved in 1 tablespoon water 1/2 tablespoon honey 2 tablespoons mustard seeds ground cumin 250g chicken thighs (or cut of your choice) Method 1 - Bake the Chicken To begin with, we need to cook our chicken. To do this, season a few thighs of chicken with salt, pepper, and freshly-ground cumin. I'm cooking the meat separately to the sauce, which is unusual for meat-based recipes in this time period - but this is s...

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! This week, I'm taking a look at another medieval Syrian recipe from the Kitab al-Wuslah - this time, a simple spiced lamb kofta (meatball) in a herbal garlic sauce. Lamb was a staple meat for the Near and Middle East in the Medieval period - but beef and chicken could also be used here! In any case, let's now take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video above! Ingredients (makes 12 koftas) 500g lamb (minced) parsley or coriander leaves (minced) ground coriander ground cumin ground cloves salt pepper head of garlic olive oil water Method 1 - Prepare the Ingredients To begin with, go chop a whole head of coriander - or parsley, if coriander. Do this by rolling it into a tight ball, and chopping it. Put this in a bowl for later. Place your lamb meat into a bowl. On top of this, put 1/3 of your chopped herbs on top of the lamb, keeping the rest in your bowl for later. Then pour in your ground coriander, for a bit of ...

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! I hope you all had a great New Year, and are keeping safe and well in these trying times. Today, I'll be making some chicken in a blackberry sauce - as recorded in the “Kitab al-Wuslah ila l-Habib” - a collection of Syrian recipes from the 13th century AD! It's a fairly simple tarty sauce that can be made inside a half an hour, and is a delightful addition to any dish! In any case, let's now take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video above! Ingredients 250g blackberries - washed 1 tbsp honey 1 tbsp fresh mint (minced) 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp cloves Salt (to taste) Pepper (to taste) 500g chicken (but the cut of meat is up to you) Method 1 - Cook the chicken To begin with, we need to cook our chicken. This recipe claims that the sauce is to be added to the chicken when the meat is finished cooking, so they'll need to be prepared separately. Make a couple of cuts into the chicken, to increase the surfa...