My original plan for my 2003 Holiday party was to go with an African theme. I had just gotten a new African cookbook and I was eager to use it. Unfortunately I couldn't find enough Pan-African recipes that sounded both yummy and good for a party. So I nixed the idea and decided, somewhat reluctantly, to go with an Arab theme. The reluctance was based only on the fact that I had already thrown a couple of parties highlighting Arab food, the last one only a couple of years before, and I didn't want to bore my guests too much. Still, Arab food is both delicious and really good for parties, and there is something to be said about going with a known quantity. For my menu I chose local favorites from different parts of the Arab world. I was surprised at how good most of the food was and I would recommend most of these recipes. I wanted to minimize the work, so I relied on Trader Joe's for some of the basics. The final menu consisted of: Peanuts Olives Pita and french bread (storebought) Sliced cucumber and baby carrots Hummus (storebought) sprinkled with paprika for a more authentic appearance Cucumber Yogurt Dip Spinach & cheese philo pastries (bought at Costco) Fattoush A Syrio-Lebanese salad with pita bread Baked Kibbeh Another Syrio-Lebanese specialty Bastilla A delicious chicken pie from Morocco Cream-puffs (storebought) for dessert, because I don't like Arab sweets. One of my friends also brought wonderful smoked salmon and his incredible slow-cooked ribs. Not very Arab but delicious nonetheless :). I had planned to serve several other things (felafel, kusharie, halvah, etc.) but I run out of time to prepare them before my guests arrived (OK, the halvah I forgot to buy). We still had more than enough food. Arab Food Links Bibliography Food from the Arab World Middle Eastern Recipes