The Arab world has always had an appreciation for the very idea of food. To show his appreciation, the 10th century caliph Mustakfi required that each of his guests recite a poem discussing the virtues of food. Cooking in the Middle East was even a noble pastime, unlike many other historical cultures.

A sample Arab menu might include meat (usually lamb) with mutton fat, fruits, nuts, vegetables, and eggs. Their meal was often all cooked in a single pot. Their religion, Islam, dictated most of what they were allowed to eat. It forbade the consumption of pork, alcohol, or any animal blood. The restrictions, however, presented no problems to the Arabs, who had plenty of resources and riches to find alternative cuisine.

The roots of the Arab's food came from many different sources. The Near East gave the Arabs the ever-popular tail-fat. Also from the Near East came couscous, a staple component of any Arab's diet. Couscous might be described as a rice-like dish, but the grains are smaller and made of wheat. The Persian influence on Middle Eastern food was also quite clear. Most Arab spice ideas come from the Persians. The topping of chopped nuts, used frequently by Arabs, had its roots in Persia. Turkish delight, the famously sweet candy, came to the Arans by way of the Persains. In their language, it is called Rahat Lokum, or "giver of pleasure to the throat."

Food was a very important factor in Arab medicine. Arabs generally agreed that a good, balanced diet was the best medicine. The medicinal theories of the time included the "four elements," water, air, fire, and earth. Fruit was thought to have too much water, so it was not fed to infants, for fear of an imbalance of the four elements.

Middle Eastern food is still gaining popularity, ever since it was brought to Westerners during the Crusades.

	Make Makhfiya, Arab meatballs.
	Learn some food terms in Arabic.
	Find out more about Arab food.