Secrets of Healthy Middle Eastern Cuisine

The eastern Mediterranean countries of the Levant - Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Syria - share a love of toothsome breads and grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, fish plucked from the sea, and ripe olives from hillside groves. Meat is used sparingly; aromatic olive oil supplants butter. But reducing these cholesterol-laden foods does not leave the Levantine plate lacking for taste - their absence allows the subtle flavors of herbs and spices to shine. This is the secret of the deliciously healthful diet that Middle Eastern cooks have long understood, and that the West is just beginning to appreciate.