Top 5 Reasons to Try Middle Eastern Food

People can sometimes be anxious about trying a new food, like Middle Eastern cuisine. It's different, has ingredients that may be very different from the norm. Some ingredients you may have never heard of!

There are many benefits to eating Middle Eastern food. You just have to take the leap, open your mouth and your sense, and taste your way through tradition and history to what is called Middle Eastern cuisine.

1. Middle Eastern Food is Healthy!

You won't find a lot of fat like butter and lard in Middle Eastern cooking or food preparation. Many recipes use only olive oil, and in very small quantities. Very few dishes are fried, also. You will find many foods are grilled and baked.

3. Eating a New Food Starts Your Journey to Learn More.2. Middle Eastern Food is a Vegetarian's Paradise.

Middle Eastern food is a natural choice for vegetarians. Veggie only kebobs, appetizers likehummus and baba ghannouj, and meatless soups and stews give vegetarians so many options. Middle eastern salads are filling and served with many types of veggies and spices.

In college, I had a friend who had never eaten any type of ethnic cuisine. I took him to a Middle Eastern restaurant and although he was wary of trying something new, he did and loved it. Today, my friend speaks enough Arabic to carry on a conversation and has visited the Middle East three times. All because of a little kibbeh...

4. A New Food Can Bring Your Family Closer Together.

Don't believe me? Try it. So much can be said and learned over a 45 minute meal. Learning about a new culture can be such a family building exercise. Each week, one of my children cooks a meal from another country. Under my supervision, they chop vegetables, set the table and serve the meal. This time allows me, as a father, to interact with my children productively.

5. Cooking Middle Eastern Food Requires Very Little Skill.

You don't need a degree from the Cordon Bleu to cook up some kebabs or tabouleh. Middle Eastern cooking is about improvisation, using whatever cooking skills you have. Veggies and meats don't have to be perfectly sliced or served a certain way. It's all about what you know how to do!

By Saad Fayed, About.com Guide