"Do not dismiss the dish by saying that it is just simple food.
The blessed thing is an entire civilization in itself." 
- Abdulhak Sinasi

The history of Middle Eastern Cuisine can be divided into 4 branches 
- Iranian, the haute cuisine of the Middle East, the most exquisite and
refined,based on mainly rice dishes.
- Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, known as the fertile crescent with a rich variety
 and qaulity of vegetables & fruits.
- Turkish cooking, which has influenced most countires abroad due to the 
vast expanse of the Ottoman empire.
- Moroccan cuisine, which is especially magnificient - based on the original
Berbers, echoes of Spain & Portugal, but it's strongest origins are from that
of Ancient Persia.
The history of this food is that of the Middle East.  Dishes carry the triumphs 
and glories, the defeats, the loves and sorrows of the past.  We owe some to
an event, or to one man; the Caliph who commissioned it, the poet who sang it,
or the Imam who fainted on receiving it.  - Claudia Roden