Podcast Episode 89: Food from the Silk Road

 
In this episode of the Find Dining podcast, cookbook author Dahlia Abraham-Klein talks to us about foods from The Silk Road through Central Asia.  We discuss how her family’s nomadic merchant history is reflected in her recipes, Bukharian cuisine, and how to pick a great CSA.
 

• Bring the Silk Road to your home kitchen with [easyazon_link asin=”0804843376″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”tasttrek-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Silk Road Vegetarian: Vegan, Vegetarian and Gluten Free Recipes for the Mindful Cook[/easyazon_link]

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• Before settling in New York, Dahlia’s family migrated from ancient Babylon to India and Thailand by way of pre-Bolshevik Uzbekistan and Afghanistan
• Check out Dahlia’s blog, Silk Road Vegetarian
• Persian cuisine is characterized by the use of rice, herbs, and dried fruit in one-pot dishes
• For the cookbook, Dahlia adapted traditional Central Asian recipes for a modern vegetarian diet
• Dahlia was one of the first members of her local CSA, Golden Earthworm

 
 
Food for Thought

• Q: Where was the carrot first cultivated?
  A: Afghanistan

 
 
Out of the Frying Pan Picks:

• Favorite One-Pot Recipe: Shohla, an Afghani-style risotto with tomato base and short brown rice
• Ingredients Substitute Due to Availability: fenugreek and sorrel
• Advice for Joining a CSA: use Local Harvest.org to help you find your local farms
• Most Surprising Thing Learned While Writing the Book: Better ways to cut vegetables
• Subject of Next Cookbook: Challah

 

View Silk Road Tracking in a larger map