Falafel

is a deep-fried ball, doughnut or patty made from ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both. Falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern food, commonly served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread. “Falafel” also frequently refers to a wrapped sandwich that is prepared in this way. The falafel balls are topped with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a meze (assortment of appetizers).

Freekah

 

Freekah

is young green wheat that has been toasted and cracked. It’s a healthy whole grain food, much like bulgur wheat, wheat berries and other whole grains.

Freekeh is part of the “ancient grain” food and health trend that also includes quinoa and teff  and is very popular amongst vegetarians and vegans. You might occasionally see freekeh called farik or even frik.

Why Should I Eat Freekeh?

• Fiber, fiber, fiber! The incredibly high fiber content of freekeh has been credited with weightloss (since fiber fills you up and keeps you feeling full), and, if you’re not eating a healthy well-balanced diet already, you could probably use more fiber in your diet.
• Whole grains such as freekeh are full of essential nutrients such as selenium, potassium, and magnesium. 
• Like quinoa, freekeh makes an excellent source of protein for vegetarian and vegans.

Vegetarians and vegans should note that freekeh also contains plenty of zinc if that’s one of your concerns. And ladies, it’s also if that’s one of your concerns. And ladies, it’s also high in iron.​

To prepare freekeh, you’ll want a little bit more than a 2:1 ratio of liquid to freekeh, so about 2 1/2 cups of water or vegetable broth for every cup of freekeh. Simmer freekeh, covered, for 15-20 minutes. When the liquid is absorbed and the grains are soft, they’re ready to be used. Like pasta, some people prefer to cook freekeh in salted water with a bit of oil, but this is a personal preference.

Freekeh is used a lot in Turkey/ Antakya, ancient Antioch, and pairs with bulgur, vegetables and meat beautifully.  Freekeh  is a cereal food made from green wheat that goes through a roasting process in its production. Freekeh is a popular and ancient grain used Middle Eastern & Southern Turkish cuisine and also popular in Levantine, Egyptian, Arabian Peninsula and North African cuisine.

Pomegranate Molasses

 

 Pomegranate Molasses

Explore the taste of the Mediterranean with Secret Gardens Organic Pomegranate Essence. This authentic recipe combines the finest blends of sun-kissed pomegranates which are handpicked from the unique region of Antakya in Turkey. Thanks to it’s location and soil richness, every drop is filled with a distinctive delicious sweet tangy taste and aroma. Our pomegranates are gently simmered for hours to leave behind the purest and richest flavoured syrup which is used to compliment the natural flavours of many foods, and most commonly used as a salad dressing; so add instead of citrus or vinegar. It’s also great to marinade all types of fish, meats and poultry.

Pomegranate molasses is a pretty simple ingredient. It is pomegranate juice that has been reduced down, with or without sugar, to thick, intensely flavored syrup.

 

Pomegranate molasses has become one of my favorite ingredients, but it’s a tricky one for many people. Perhaps you bought a bottle to make one recipe, such as muhammara, and now you’re wondering what else to do with it.

You can use pomegranate molasses for

Whisked into salad dressings

Stirred into iced tea and other drinks

Brushed on meat as a glaze

Drizzled over roasted vegetables

Whizzed into dips and relishes

Olive

 

Olive Salad with vegetables, pomegranate molasses and zahtar :We would enjoy it as part of our Turkish brunch at the weekends or in the evening as a meze. To make a fruit molasses, the juice is extracted from the fruit before it is boiled and reduced to create a dark, fruity syrup. It is rich, tangy and full of flavor. Most middle eastern and specialty shops carry pomegranate molasses .

1/5 of an onion or 1 green (spring) onion, finely chopped
A handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp chopped fresh zahtar (za’atar), if available or 1 tbsp. dried za’atar
90 ml/ 6 tablespoon green and black olives, pitted
2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
45 ml/ 3 tablespoons olive oil
15 ml/1tablespoons pomegranate molasses (or balsamic vinegar)
Salt and ground black pepper

Pita bread serve

Zaatar

 

Zaatar

Zaatar (Red/Green Thyme)Pita Bread

Enjoy a Middle Eastern snack Zaatar recipe for tasty flat bread, flavored with thyme and sesame seeds.

Ingredients:

• 1cup za’atar (Middle Eastern spice mix consisting of dried oregano, thyme, sumac, sesame seeds and salt)
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Lebanese Pita Dough, recipe follows
• Fresh tomatoes, sliced
• Peppermint
• Lebanese Pita

 

Directions:

Mix the zaatar and olive oil in a bowl and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and lay a baking tray in the oven to heat.

Cut the Lebanese Pita Dough into 12 pieces. Roll out the dough to 1/4- inch thick. Pinch the edges around the dough to form higher edges. Take a fork and pierce the dough all over, releasing any air pockets. Spread 1 to 2 tablespoons za’atar (make sure you mix before using) over each pita dough. Place 3 to 4 pitas on the hot baking tray in the oven and close the door immediately, making sure to not overcrowd the baking tray or oven. Bake until golden on the bottom and a little golden on the top, about 5 minutes. Serve with tomatoes and peppermint rolled inside. The perfect Lebanese breakfast!

Olive Oil

 

Qitaf  Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Early harvest olive oil is pressed during the beginning of the harvest season when the olives are still green or have turned a light purple. The oil pressed from green olives has intense flavor notes, and is naturally higher in antioxidants. We have bottled Qitaf Extra Virgin Olive Oil at origin, to ensure that the freshness, taste and health benefits come to you just the way we had pressed them .

Turkey is renowned for the unique taste of its olive oil. There are around 2.5 million olive trees throughout the area  , that produce the finest olive oil in the Aegean region, if not the whole of Turkey. Centuries old olive trees pass from generation to generation and thrive on the favorable microclimate of the region. Since ancient times, olive oil has been used for its health and cosmetic benefits. A large number of studies confirm the many health benefits of including extra virgin olive oil regularly in your diet. Full of vitamins and antioxidants, it has been proved to increase good cholesterol and decrease the bad one, preventing cardiovascular diseases and osteoporosis amongst other illnesses. It is also extremely good for your skin and hair, either directly or through cosmetics.

The extra virgin olive oil is a fruit-juice.

It does not undergo any chemical process and it comes from a fruit.

That’s why it’s so healthy and is used in the finest cuisines all over the world.

You can fry with extra virgin olive oil.

Olive oil has a higher smoke point than other vegetable oils.

Extra Virgin olive oil is so healthy.

The Mediterranean nutritional model basing on olive oil which has been off offering health &

savour for many centuries currently occupies an important place in the agenda of the world

of healthcare.

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Located in the west of the Aegean Region of Turkey,

climate of the town is under the influence of the

Mediterranean Sea. Olive trading is the biggest source of

income. Most of the people are farmers, and the city is

active in trading. Every year, thousands of tourists come

to this village (known as Thyateria) to see one of the

first seven churches in Christianity. Akhisar/Manisa is an

important olive oil and table olives center which has 10.5

million olive trees.

Tasting specialities

An extra virgin olive oil that is produced from early

cropped green olives. This extra virgin olive oil has good

level of fruitness. It’s bitterness and pungency are also at

medium level.

Antakya ,(from where our olive and olive oil came )Located in the south of Turkey, this ancient city is under the influence of Mediterranean climate. People who live in villages are mostly the farmers and the city is active in trading. Orontes

River divides this cosmopolite city into two. Saint Pierre Church, one of the first churches in Christianity, is located here. The museum in this city has world’s second biggest inlaid collection.

Antakya is an important olive oil center which has 14 million olive trees.

Tasting specialities An extra virgin olive oil produced from the pink olives which were once green. This light extra virgin olive oil has light fruitness. It is also well balanced by levels of bitterness and pungency.

Olive is a long shrub or an evergreen tree with dense branches, broad top which may reach a height of 10 meters. It has a large, distorted and bumpy trunk. As the tree ages, the smooth gray trunk gradually starts to crack. Crown of the tree widens as the height increases every year.

Its stone starts to harden and fruit to ripen in the summer months. Starting to change

colour in September through November, olive first turns from green to violet and then to black, thus ripening. This stage is called “variegation”. Harvest of the ripe olives

continues from September through February. The quality of the olive oil to be obtained is closely related with how olives are picked. Olive oil of the best quality is obtained

from the olives picked from their branches one by one.

Olive should be processed as soon as possible after harvesting. To do this, olives allocated to olive oil extraction are first subjected to defoliation and washing processes in

automated machines. Then the olives are crushed in presses, thus ensuring olive oil to be extracted from the tissues of the fruits. Approximately 10 kilograms of olives are used to

extract a kilo of early-harvested olive oil. In other methods, 3-8 kilos of olives are sufficient to extract a kilo of olive oil.

Pepper Flakes

Makdus Canned Food

Olive Oil

Paper Paste Canned Food

Tomatoes Paste Canned Food

Crushed Sumac

 

Mint Flakes