conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me a description for a book titled Vegetarian Dishes from the Middle East about Manchester, Turkish, Arab with the genre: Cookbooks, Food & Wine, Regional & International.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: the author died in 1987 at the untimely age of 47. He is survived by his wife and son who still live in Manchester. As well as his passion for cooking, he was a painter of international reputation who exhibited all over the world. His other interests included composing music and translating Turkish, Arab, Persian and Armenian authors. He was a true polymath.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me the first five paragraphs for this book.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Vegetarian Dishes from the Middle East
  The Middle East, the 'cradle' of our Western civilisation, has not only been the centre of three major world religions, the foundation stone of great empires and the birthplace of many of history's greatest men, but also the major source of much of our Western culture. It was on the slopes of what is now Kurdistan that man first succeeded in cultivating wheat and barley 8–10,000 years ago. It was in Mesopotamia and Asia Minor (modern Turkey) where animals were first domesticated and where man built his first crude shelter, to be followed by fortified cities, communities, law, order and literature. One of the least-known and appreciated achievements of the Middle Eastern people has been in the field of food cultivation or, in present day technological jargon, 'food culture'.
  Innumerable tribes, races and nations have appeared on the podia of history, acted out their roles and then returned into the void of time, only to be followed by others who have retrieved their predecessor's mantle and assured the evolution of history. Thus, down the ages have come (only to go in their turn) the peoples of the Pharaohs, Sumerians, Assyrians, Hebrews, Hittites, Babylonians, Urartians, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans.
  The people of the Middle East today, who regard themselves as Arabs, Armenians, Iranians, Kurds, Jews or Turks are, in essence, the descendants of those people of the past. They have retained the basic cultures of their ancestors almost intact although their own ancestry is often hidden in self-perpetuating shrouds of mystery and romance. A brief study of their cultures, be it of food, mythology, art or applied sciences, will illustrate clearly the contention that the people of the Middle East are virtually – with a very few exceptions – of the same ancestry and culture, and their food is part of that same culture.
  Time was when a handful of daring and eccentric Europeans – one had to be eccentric to be daring in those days – dressed as Arabs or, acting as missionaries or archeologists, traversed the dunes of Arabia, plundered their way through Asia Minor or descended into the valleys of Kurdistan in search of knowledge and excitement – or in pursuit of personal achievement or enlightenment. On their return they brought with them smatterings of half-truths, hearsay and mumbo-jumbo; ideas picked from the corners of the souks or from the hot, sweaty chambers of partly ruined Turkish baths. To them, and to most other Westerners, the Middle East was – and in some ways still is – the 'mysterious Orient'.
  The people of the Middle East are in essence vegetarians; meat, poultry or fish are really 'extras' to their basic diet of cereals, pulses, dairy produce and vegetables. Over the centuries, versatile, rich and often ritualistic methods of vegetable cooking have evolved; for both to the men of the desert and those on the hills, a little had to go a long way and this meant careful husbandry, clever use of what was available, relatively imperishable and even edible. There is such a thing as Middle Eastern cuisine, as there is Indian, Chinese or European cuisine, yet this can be subdivided by taking into account certain religious, geographic and ethnic differences. Nevertheless, there is an overall uniformity in approach, preparation and presentation.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me two more paragraphs.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Remove the pan from the heat, take off the weight and plate and remove the blor to test if the leaf is tender. If so, allow to cool, remove from the saucepan and arrange on a plate.
  Wash the leaves in cold water, place in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes, then strain into a colander and leave to cool.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Delete the last sentence.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Remove the pan from the heat, take off the weight and plate and remove the blor to test if the leaf is tender. If so, allow to cool, remove from the saucepan and arrange on a plate.
  Wash the leaves in cold water, place in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me the last three paragraphs.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Meanwhile, prepare the syrup by placing the sugar and water in a saucepan and bringing to the boil. Add the lemon juice and rind and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the figs and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover the pan and set aside for 18–24 hours.
  Bring them slowly back to the boil, check the syrup and if it clings thickly to the back of a spoon, the preserve is ready.
  Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla and set aside to cool. Spoon into warm, sterilised jars and seal when completely cold.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Delete the first sentence.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Add the lemon juice and rind and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the figs and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover the pan and set aside for 18–24 hours.
  Bring them slowly back to the boil, check the syrup and if it clings thickly to the back of a spoon, the preserve is ready.
  Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla and set aside to cool. Spoon into warm, sterilised jars and seal when completely cold.