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Discover Middle Eastern food traditions

Shane Delia travels to Malta, Lebanon and Iran, exploring the best tastes and produce these regions have to offer.

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Season 1 | Episode guide

Follow Shane through Malta, Lebanon and Iran

Shane Delia’s Spice Journey takes a gastronomic pilgrimage to explore the award-winning chef’s heritage and discover Middle Eastern food traditions.
Get to know Shane

His arm tattoo means "hospitality"

You’d be hard-pressed to find a chef who's more committed to the idea of ‘hospitality’ than Shane Delia, who has the word tattooed on his upper arm. ‘Fortis et...
Spice 101

Spice merchant diaries

Find out about the history of spices used in Middle Eastern cooking and the dishes they can be found in.
SEASON 2 | Recipes

Turkish Spice Journey

In his food odyssey to Turkey, chef Shane Delia's searches for Middle Eastern flavours and discovers the legacy of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires.
Blog

Tales from the road

Follow Shane's blog as he travels through the Middle East.
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Tales from the road

Follow Shane's blog as he travels through the Middle East.

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By Shane Delia

Spice Journey: On the Silk Road

It’s the unexpected things in life that make me smile the most. Like these next two amazing characters. Pashmak, or Persian fairy floss, is one of my favourite...
By Shane Delia

Spice Journey: Welcome to Iran

Bombs, guns, terror, nuclear war, fear, tyrants... These are the images and feelings the Western world want you to have of Iran. And, sadly, these are some of the...
By Shane Delia

Spice Journey: In Beirut

Being here, I’ve felt emotions I’ve never felt before. Emotions that have moved me and changed my views on what’s wrong and right. Travelling through the Middle...
By Shane Delia

Spice Journey: Family values

Believe it or not, I'd never eaten awarma before I went to Lebanon. When I tasted it for dinner after a shoot one night, it was love at first bite. So when the...
By Shane Delia

Spice Journey: I love Malta

Why do I love coming home to Malta? It’s my homeland. I was born in Australia, yet both my parents are Maltese and we still have a lot of family living there. I...
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Shane Delia's Spice Journey recipes

Lebanese

Spicy Dahlia chips

Frozen French fries never tasted so good. Fried then finished with Lebanese spices with an added kick from Aleppo pepper, you’ll never look at tomato sauce the...
Iranian (Persian)

Saffron zoolbia

This simple yet addictive deep-fried Persian dessert works equally well with any kind of sugar syrup. I use saffron, but you could try rosewater, orange blossom...
Iranian (Persian)

Duck dizzi - two ways

Shane gives a modernist touch to a classic Tehrani dish, fusing Middle Eastern and Asian flavours in a rice noodle soup, followed by a Middle Eastern-style sang...
Iranian (Persian)

Roast peaches and basil ice-cream

This is the perfect summer dish for when peaches are at their sweetest. Heady with saffron and grounded by a spiced basil ice-cream, the freeze-dried yoghurt and...
Iranian (Persian)

Slow-roasted lamb with jewelled yoghurt

Rubbed in garlic, anchovies and sabaht baharat, then slow-roasted for 12 hours, this lamb is intensely flavoured and meltingly tender. Keep an eye on the lamb in...
Middle Eastern

Pomegranate-roasted pork belly

Inspired by the pomegranates of Yazd, Shane’s eight-hour slow-roasted pork belly with pomegranate is dark, sticky and beautifully balanced against a lively salad...
Iranian (Persian)

Shiraz eggplant pickle

This Iranian-style eggplant pickle, from Shiraz in south-west Iran, uses cabernet sauvignon vinegar. It’s best to prepare this pickle the day before you want to...
Iranian (Persian)

Boat smuggler’s fish stew

This is an Iranian version of surf and turf, elevated in true Shane Delia style. This tamarind and pork belly stew with prawn mousse stuffed red mullet is rich,...
Middle Eastern

Falafel burgers

Flavoursome Beirut-style falafel balls served as funky finger food. Prepare the falafels ahead of time, then simply cook when ready to serve. The pickled...
Armenian

Stuffed Armenian chicken wings

Dude-food done Beirut street-style: deboned chicken wings stuffed with spiced beef sausage in a cornflake crumb, deep-fried until golden. Try to eat just one!
Lebanese

Beirut lamb pizza

This is comfort food at its finest: Lebanese street food prepared using traditional techniques with modern dude-food flair. You’ll need a mincer for this recipe....
Middle Eastern

Spiced burghul salad with labna

Light, fresh and packed with flavour, this vegetarian dish can be knocked up in a matter of minutes. Serve as a stand-alone entrée or as part of a shared meal.
Middle Eastern

Grilled haloumi salad

Good-quality haloumi is the key to making this simple dish sing. Have everything ready before you cook the haloumi as this dish is best eaten fresh off the...
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