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DTSTART:20251115T170000Z
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SUMMARY:The Food of the Middle East Is On Your Table: A Camden Conference Luncheon
DESCRIPTION:Listen to a talk on the history of Middle Eastern cuisine with 
 Food Historian Sandy Garson while enjoying a luncheon of food from the 
 region.  Registration is required for this program as space is 
 limited.\n\nThe land the English Victorians called “the Middle East” 
 (between the Far East and Near East) stretches from Iran to Egypt and 
 includes Anatolian Turkey\, Yemen\, Syria and Lebanon. It was the original 
 Garden of Eden because it was the most fertile well watered garden of 
 eating. Wheat was discovered here and domesticated in all the forms in our 
 pantry\; grapes were fermented into wine 8000 years ago\; figs\, 
 pomegranates\, almonds\, dates\, raisins and pistachios graced tables rich 
 with the aromas of saffron\, honey and rose water. Its recipes—bursting 
 with flavor\, nutrients and color—went East to become Punjabi Indian food 
 and West to be Greek\, Spanish and Moroccan\, and is the origin of some of 
 our own most beloved dishes like hummus\, falafel\, pilaf and 
 macaroni.\n\nSandy Garson\, former caterer\, food entrepreneur and food 
 historian\, has published many articles and two cookbooks\, one award 
 winning. After an orthopedic emergency made her close her successful Maine 
 bakery and catering business\, she helped establish a restaurant in Ulan 
 Bator\, Mongolia\; taught cooking in Kathmandu\, Nepal\; cooked at a 
 Buddhist monastery in Vancouver\, Canada\, lectured at New York’s Rubin 
 Museum and was a panelist for MOFAD (Museum of Food And Drink). As Nana 
 Chef\, she taught American children to cook. Lately she teaches Maine 
 seniors how food is the secret ingredient of history.  \n\n \n\nThe 
 luncheon menu may include: \n\nLamb and rice stuffed grape leaves (dolmas) 
 \n\nPalestinian cauliflower fritters with minted yogurt\n\nAnatolian bulgur 
 with dates\, nuts and raisins (best warm but not hot)\n\nLavash with 
 muhamarra and baba ganoush\n\nChickpeas with maftoul \n\nAsura aka Noah’s 
 Pudding (one of the oldest desserts)\n\n \n\nPresented as part of the 39th 
 Annual Camden Conference.  The Camden Conference is a nonprofit 
 organization providing a non-partisan community forum fostering in-depth 
 discussion of world issues through year-round events and an annual February 
 conference.  The 2026 theme is Power\, Politics\, and Players in Today’s 
 Middle East.
LOCATION:Community Room
ORGANIZER;CN="Hannah Lackoff":MAILTO:hlackoff@pattenfreelibrary.org
CATEGORIES:Lecture/Speaker
CONTACT;CN="Hannah Lackoff":MAILTO:hlackoff@pattenfreelibrary.org
STATUS:CONFIRMED
UID:LibCal-15516719
URL:https://patten-lib.libcal.com/event/15516719
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