Introduction to cooking courses in the Middle East: The Middle East is home to some of the most interesting and cultural (not to mention tasty!!!!) food that you can find around the world. It is completely natural therefore that people want to learn to make some of the famous dishes from the Middle East.
It is of course possible to find courses and tutors to teach you how to make these dishes in your home countries (if you live outside of the Middle East), but for the full immersion experience, you should definitely visit the home place of these fantastic, tasty dishes.
Cooking courses in your home country
As mentioned, it is perfectly possible to find cooking courses in your home country. These may be offered by universities or night schools/evening classes, or it might be possible to find a personal tutor just by googling Middle Eastern food courses. Food forums can be another good place to find the recipes that you are craving, but we would still recommend coming to the Middle East to see how the food is made first hand in the original.
Cooking courses in Lebanon
Lebanon is famous for it’s fantastic food: many Western countries feature Lebanese food restaurants in all the major cities. The food is a product of many different cultural influences coming together, primarily Arab of course but with French, Turkish and Greek influences shining through as well. The food is undoubtedly zeki ktir (‘very tasty’) and it is a great place to live and learn for a short time as an outsider.
The only downside to what would otherwise be a very fulfilling experience is the fact that the cost of living in Lebanon can be quite high (especially in the capital Beirut) and this may well be a factor you want to consider when evaluating where you want to learn to cook real Middle Eastern food.
Cooking courses in Palestine
Palestine can be an underappreciated choice for learning to cook local Middle Eastern cuisine because of the negative image of the security situation there. Admittedly, the Gaza Strip is a no-go area due to the high incidence of violent outbreaks, but the West Bank is a stable area and cheap to visit because of the Israeli Occupation stifling tourism.
There are many equally delicious dishes here as in Lebanon as well: Maqluba, Musakhan, Qidra, Ouzi and Mansaf are just a handful of the dishes popular here (even if the last is Jordanian in origin) and you will certainly learn some really tasty dishes if you choose to study here. Most dishes have a base of chicken and rice, but the other ingredients (particularly in the herb and spicing of these dishes) is very creative.
Preparing for a cooking course in the Middle East
We would definitely recommend reading up about the cuisine of the area you intend to visit and even trying your hand at a couple of the dishes before coming to get a feel for the cooking style.
Definitely buy a good cookbook before coming to compare and contrast the locals advice with. Bring appropriate clothing for the weather (and of course the cultural attitudes, as the Middle East is majority Muslim). Pack your sun screen and you’re ready to be off!
The Middle Eastern cooking course in Hebron, West Bank Palestine
A great option if you want to learn traditional Palestinian cooking, can be the Excellence Centre in the city of Hebron, Palestine (or Al-Khalil as the locals call it) in the West Bank, Palestine. You will be working with our very own cook, the lovely Khitam Shantir, who has many years of cooking experience. Her Palestinian dishes always leave the international visitors to the centre fully satisfied and she is patient and generous in her time with helping people to understand the ways of Palestinian cuisine.
The Middle Eastern food cooking programme
The Middle Eastern food cooking programme with the Excellence Center is fully flexible, depending on your commitments and goals, last anywhere from one week up to three months. Students will hone their skills through hands on experience cooking for other volunteers and staff working at the Excellence Center with constant feedback provided by Khitam and her team of helpers.
Some people worry about visiting Palestine because of the security picture, but the truth is it is not difficult to visit Palestine. You might face some questioning before obtaining your visa at Ben Gurion airport in Israel, but from then on it is only the dodgy transport system you need to contend with before reaching Al Khalil/Hebron. The Excellence Center will provide all the necessary support to ensure your journey here is as safe and as easy possible. We do not recommend crossing from Jordan into Palestine as previous students have had problems with this route before.
Fantastic insight not just into Palestinian food
Overall the cooking courses in the Middle East offers a fantastic insight not just into Palestinian food, but also the culture and history of the local area as you learn the ropes of some basic Arabic as well with native Arabic speakers. Everyone who has done this programme before has highly recommended it and you can find feedback, reviews and volunteer testimonials through the website.
Final remarks
We look forward to welcoming your application to the Excellence Center in Hebron, Palestine to take the Middle Eastern food cooking course with at some point in the very near future, soon!
How to get further information
Should you have any questions about our Cooking Program, please do not hesitate to contact us at Rafat@excellencenter.org with Cooking Courses in the Middle East in the subject line.
Whatsapp:+972599479880
For more information, please visit our website: https://excellencenter.org/
Excellence Center’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ExcellenceCenter
Excellence Center’s Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/RafatECHebron
