{"id":8844,"date":"2009-02-02T10:21:34","date_gmt":"2009-02-02T07:21:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/?p=8844"},"modified":"2014-01-01T20:41:13","modified_gmt":"2014-01-01T18:41:13","slug":"asure-noahs-pudding-and-fetullah-gulens-dialog-foundations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/2009\/02\/02\/asure-noahs-pudding-and-fetullah-gulens-dialog-foundations\/","title":{"rendered":"ASURE (NOAH&#8217;S PUDDING) -AND-  FETULLAH GULEN&#8217;S DIALOG FOUNDATIONS"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"storyheader\">\n<div class=\"headline\">\n<h1>Pudding for peace<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"byline\"><span class=\"name\">By Marian Scott, The Gazette<\/span><span class=\"timestamp\">January 28, 2009<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tshowTab(\"text\/html\");\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\t\t\t\tfunction resizeImage() {\n\t\t\t\t\tvar imgBox = document.getElementById('imageBox');\n\t\t\t\t\tvar photo = document.getElementById('storyphoto');<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tif (imgBox != null &amp;&amp; photo != null)\n\t\t\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\t\tif(photo.width &gt;= 460) \n\t\t\t\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\timgBox.className = 'imagesize460';\n\t\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\t\telse \n\t\t\t\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif(photo.width &gt;= 300) \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\timgBox.className = 'imagesize310';\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\telse \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\timgBox.className = 'imageboxpadding';\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\timgBox.style.width = photo.width + 'px';\n\t\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\tfunction getStoryFontSize() {\n\t\t\t\t\tvar storyfontsize = getCookie('storyfontsize');\n\t\t\t\t\tvar storyfontimage = getCookie('storyfontimage');<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ use cookied value, if present\n\t\t\t\t\tif (storyfontsize != null)\n\t\t\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\t\tsetClass('story_content',storyfontsize); \n\t\t\t\t\t\tif (storyfontimage != null)\n\t\t\t\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsetClass('fontsizecontainer',storyfontimage); \n\t\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\telse\t\/\/ default it to para14 if no cookie\n\t\t\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\t\tsetClass('story_content','para14'); \n\t\t\t\t\t\tsetClass('fontsizecontainer','size02');\n\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\tfunction setStoryFontSize(storyfontsize,storyfontimage) {\n\t\t\t\t\tsetClass('story_content',storyfontsize); \n\t\t\t\t\tsetClass('fontsizecontainer',storyfontimage);\n\t\t\t\t\tsetCookie('storyfontsize', storyfontsize, '365', '\/', '', '');\n\t\t\t\t\tsetCookie('storyfontimage', storyfontimage, '365', '\/', '', '');\n\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\tfunction setCookie( name, value, expires, path, domain, secure ) {\n\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ set time\n\t\t\t\t\tvar today = new Date();\n\t\t\t\t\ttoday.setTime( today.getTime() );<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tif ( expires )\n\t\t\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\t\texpires = expires * 1000 * 60 * 60 * 24; \/\/days\n\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\tvar expires_date = new Date( today.getTime() + (expires) );<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tdocument.cookie = name + \"=\" + escape( value ) +\n\t\t\t\t\t( ( expires ) ? \";expires=\" + expires_date.toGMTString() : \"\" ) + \n\t\t\t\t\t( ( path ) ? \";path=\" + path : \"\" ) + \n\t\t\t\t\t( ( domain ) ? \";domain=\" + domain : \"\" ) +\n\t\t\t\t\t( ( secure ) ? \";secure\" : \"\" );\n\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\tfunction getCookie( check_name ) {\n\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ split this cookie up into name\/value pairs\n\t\t\t\t\tvar a_all_cookies = document.cookie.split( ';' );\n\t\t\t\t\tvar a_temp_cookie = '';\n\t\t\t\t\tvar cookie_name = '';\n\t\t\t\t\tvar cookie_value = '';\n\t\t\t\t\tvar b_cookie_found = false; \/\/ set boolean t\/f default f<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tfor ( i = 0; i &lt; a_all_cookies.length; i++ )\n\t\t\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ split apart each name=value pair\n\t\t\t\t\t\ta_temp_cookie = a_all_cookies[i].split( '=' );<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ and trim left\/right whitespace while we're at it\n\t\t\t\t\t\tcookie_name = a_temp_cookie[0].replace(\/^s+|s+$\/g, '');<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ if the extracted name matches passed check_name\n\t\t\t\t\t\tif ( cookie_name == check_name )\n\t\t\t\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tb_cookie_found = true;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ we need to handle case where cookie has no value but exists (no = sign, that is):\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif ( a_temp_cookie.length &gt; 1 )\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcookie_value = unescape( a_temp_cookie[1].replace(\/^s+|s+$\/g, '') );\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ note that in cases where cookie is initialized but no value, null is returned\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn cookie_value;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbreak;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\t\ta_temp_cookie = null;\n\t\t\t\t\t\tcookie_name = '';\n\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\tif ( !b_cookie_found )\n\t\t\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null;\n\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t}\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/script><\/p>\n<div id=\"imageBox\" class=\"imagesize460\">\n<div class=\"wrapper_0_10_0_0\">\n<div class=\"storyimage\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"imagetext\">\n<h1 id=\"photocaption\">Noah&#8217;s Pudding<\/h1>\n<h2 id=\"photocredit\"><strong>Photograph by: <\/strong>Pierre Obendrauf, The Gazette<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>If a total stranger offers you a cup of pudding in the next few weeks, don&#8217;t be surprised.<\/p>\n<p>Members of the local Turkish community are distributing 5,000 servings of Noah&#8217;s pudding, a traditional treat they trace all the way back to the biblical story of Noah&#8217;s ark.<\/p>\n<p>This is more than a random act of dessert.<\/p>\n<p>Organizers hope the offerings will promote peace and heal rifts between different faiths and cultures.<\/p>\n<p>A tall order for a cup of pudding, but then, this is no ordinary dessert.<\/p>\n<p>Noah&#8217;s pudding is one of the world&#8217;s oldest recipes.<\/p>\n<p>According to Turkish tradition, it originated when Noah&#8217;s ark landed on Mount Ararat after the great flood recounted in the Book of Genesis.<\/p>\n<p>The story goes that food was running short on the ark and Noah told the survivors to contribute whatever they had left to celebrate their safe arrival. The result was a sweet porridge of wheat, chickpeas, dried beans, apricots, raisins, orange peel and sugar.<\/p>\n<p>In Turkey, people offer the pudding to friends, neighbours and the poor during Muharrem, the first month of the Islamic calendar.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">In recent years, Turkish Muslim organizations across North America have transplanted the tradition as a way to reach out to the wider community.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;O<\/strong>ur aim is to get people from different faiths, bring them together on a common platform of love and tolerance and build understanding,&#8221; said Fehmi Kala, executive director of the <strong>Dialog Foundation, a non-profit organization founded three years ago<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"> (By Fetullah Gulen) <\/span> to build bridges between different religious and cultural groups.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Montreal&#8217;s Turkish community numbers 10,345, according to the 2006 census. Kala said most live in Montreal North, St. Michel and St. Laurent.<\/p>\n<p>Nezihe Tekin, 27, was one of a dozen women preparing thousands of portions of pudding last week in the Communaut\u00e9<\/p>\n<p>Islamique Turque du Qu\u00e9bec, a community centre in the St. Michel district.<\/p>\n<p>Turkish cuisine is known for its desserts, said Tekin, as she stirred a huge stockpot.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We have a saying, &#8216;let&#8217;s eat sweets and speak sweetly,&#8217; &#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p>The most famous, of course, is Turkish delight, a confection served to guests with Turkish coffee.<\/p>\n<p>Rice pudding is a popular summer dessert, while baklava is mostly eaten during the winter, Tekin said.<\/p>\n<p>Noah&#8217;s pudding is traditionally cooked on the 10th day of Muharrem to commemorate Noah&#8217;s landing, but it is also eaten at other times of year in Turkey.<\/p>\n<p>The pudding is surprisingly delicious, considering its eclectic ingredients, said Tekin.<\/p>\n<p>It is an apt symbol of diversity, she said. Just as each of the ingredients contributes its own flavour, different faiths and cultures enrich society.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When you put it all together, you can make something nice, no matter what colour or religion.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Kala said Turkey has been a cultural crossroads since antiquity because of its strategic location as a land bridge between Europe and Asia and its proximity to Africa.<\/p>\n<p>He grew up in Antioch, formerly a great city of the ancient world and a cradle of Christianity.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;My friends were Armenian, Kurdish, Shiite, Sunni, Christian and Jewish,&#8221; said Kala, 30, who was a history teacher until immigrating to Canada six years ago. &#8220;We all got along well.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>When Tekin came to Montreal eight years ago as a 19-year-old newlywed, she didn&#8217;t know anyone in the Turkish community, so she cooked Noah&#8217;s pudding for her Italian landlord in the St. Michel district.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He liked it and my husband said, &#8216;Cook it for all the neighbours.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The pudding has endless variations, some calling for as many as 40 ingredients.<\/p>\n<p>Some versions use barley instead of wheat, or a mixture of wheat and rice. Milk is optional. Many recipes call for rose water or orange flower water.<\/p>\n<p>It is garnished with nuts, pomegranate seeds and sometimes cinnamon.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Variations exist throughout the Mediterranean world. Armenians serve a similar pudding at Christmas and Sephardic Jews have a tradition of preparing the pudding at Tu Bishvat, a holiday associated with the planting of trees.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">The idea of distributing Noah&#8217;s pudding to the wider community in different North American cities is credited to <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Fethullah G\u00fclen, a Turkish Muslim cleric living near Philadelphia.<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">G\u00fclen is the leader of a global movement that reconciles Islamic mysticism with modern education and tolerance of other faiths. The author of more than 60 books, G\u00fclen is responsible for the creation of a worldwide network of schools, universities, media outlets and community organizations. He has condemned Islamic terrorism and has also spoken out against the Israeli offensive in Gaza.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Local Turkish businessmen and other members of the community underwrote the costs of the Noah&#8217;s pudding distribution, said Kala.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Dialog Foundation started distributing the pudding three years ago. It also holds Turkish arts festivals, intercultural dinners and interfaith conferences throughout the year.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, volunteers distributed the pudding to 1,500 worshippers at St. Joseph&#8217;s Oratory.<\/p>\n<p>The foundation will hold distributions at churches, university campuses, schools, nursing homes and homeless shelters in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n<p>On Feb. 17, volunteers will cook Noah&#8217;s pudding with students at Concordia University. The cooking session will provide an opportunity to talk with students from a wide spectrum of religious and cultural backgrounds, he said.<\/p>\n<p>Other pudding distributions will take place at the following locations:<\/p>\n<p>St. John Br\u00e9beuf Parish, 7777 George St., LaSalle: Sunday at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.<\/p>\n<p>Montreal North, door to door distribution: Sunday and Monday, after 5 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Montreal Police Station 39, Montreal North: Feb. 3 at 11 a.m.<\/p>\n<p>McGill University: International Student Network potluck dinner at Gert&#8217;s, 3480 McTavish St., Feb. 4, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>The Church of St. James the Apostle, 1439 Ste. Catherine St. W.: Feb. 8 at 11 a.m.<\/p>\n<p>Dans la Rue: Volunteers will ride in the van to share Noah&#8217;s Pudding with street youth. Feb. 8 and 9 at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>\u00c9cole Sogut (a Turkish private school): Feb. 9 at noon.<\/p>\n<p>Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al, 3200 Jean Brillant St.: Feb. 10, 10 a.m to 2 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Montreal Unitarian Church, 5035 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W.: Feb. 15, 11 a.m to 1 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Concordia University, Multi-faith Chaplaincy Services, 2090 Mackay St.: Feb. 17, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n<div class=\"headline\">\n<h1>Noah\u2019s Pudding: The recipe<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"byline\"><span class=\"name\">By Marian Scott, The Gazette<\/span><span class=\"timestamp\">January 27, 2009<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"imageBox\" class=\"imagesize460\">\n<div class=\"wrapper_0_10_0_0\">\n<div class=\"storyimage\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"imagetext\">\n<h3 id=\"photocaption\">Esem Baran (left), Risele Alper (centre) and Demex Kesmen pour cooked Noah&#8217;s Pudding in a cooling vat at the Turkish Cultural Centre on January 17, 2009.<\/h3>\n<h3 id=\"photocredit\"><strong>Photograph by: <\/strong>Pierre Obendrauf, The Gazette<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"page1\">\n<p>There are endless versions of this nutritious pudding. Feel free to experiment with other grains, fruits and nuts or to substitute honey for the sugar. If desired, you may flavour it with rosewater or orange flower water after the pudding is cooked.<\/p>\n<p>The recipe calls for white pearl wheat. Pearl wheat resembles pearl barley but is lighter in colour. White wheat is a whole grain that has a paler colour than the more common red wheat. It is available at Middle Eastern groceries, bulk stores and health food stores. This version is made with milk but you may substitute water.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Noah\u2019s Pudding <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Serves 10<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>3\u20444 cup (175 mL) white pearl wheat<\/p>\n<p>* 1\u20444 cup (50 mL) dried white beans<\/p>\n<p>* 1\u20444 cup (50 mL) dried chickpeas<\/p>\n<p>1\u20443 cup (75 mL) golden raisins<\/p>\n<p>1\u20443 cup (75 mL) whole, blanched almonds<\/p>\n<p>4 dried apricots, diced in 1\/4-inch (6 mm) pieces<\/p>\n<p>** 1 tablespoon (15 mL) fresh orange rind, chopped in 1\u20448-inch (3 mm) dice<\/p>\n<p>2 cups (500 mL) sugar<\/p>\n<p>4 cups (1 litre) of water, plus additional water for soaking and cooking<\/p>\n<p>2 cups (500 mL) of whole milk (you may substitute water)<\/p>\n<p>To garnish: shelled pistachios, chopped walnuts, pomegranate seeds and\/or cinnamon<\/p>\n<p>* You may substitute 1\/3 cup each of canned beans and chickpeas.<\/p>\n<p>** Use a sharp knife or vegetable peeler to remove the zest (orange-coloured skin) of the orange. You can include a thin sliver of the white pith. Use a sharp knife to chop the zest.<\/p>\n<p>Rinse the wheat, white beans and chickpeas several times. Place each in a separate saucepan and add water to cover generously. Bring each to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Cool and leave to soak overnight in the refrigerator.<\/p>\n<p>Soak the almonds overnight in cold water. Soak the raisins and apricots in water overnight or for at least two hours.<\/p>\n<p>The next day, drain the wheat, reserving the soaking water, and place it in a medium saucepan with 4 cups (1 litre) of water. (Use the soaking water). Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for one and a half hours, stirring occasionally, until the wheat is soft and plump. (Add extra water if needed.)<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, in separate, small saucepans, bring the beans and chickpeas to a boil and simmer until tender but not mushy, about one hour. (The cooking time can vary, depending on how fresh the beans and chickpeas are.) Squeeze the outer skins from the chickpeas and skim off any skins that float away from the beans .<\/p>\n<p>Drain the soaked almonds, raisins and apricots. Drain the cooked beans and chickpeas.<\/p>\n<p>Place the cooked wheat with its liquid in a large stock pot or the top of a double boiler. Add the milk. Partially pur\u00e9e the mixture by buzzing it with a hand blender for about 10 seconds. (Alternatively, use a potato masher.)<\/p>\n<p>Add the drained fruit and almonds, drained, cooked beans and chickpeas and the sugar to the wheat-milk mixture.<\/p>\n<p>Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until the pudding thickens to the consistency of an Indian-style rice pudding. (You can adjust the consistency by adding extra milk or water or by increasing the cooking time.)<\/p>\n<p>Cool. Spoon into one large or several small bowls. Garnish with shelled pistachios, walnuts and pomegranate seeds or sprinkled with cinnamon.<\/p>\n<div class=\"copyright\">\u00a9 Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pudding for peace By Marian Scott, The GazetteJanuary 28, 2009 Noah&#8217;s Pudding Photograph by: Pierre Obendrauf, The Gazette If a total stranger offers you a cup of pudding in the next few weeks, don&#8217;t be surprised. Members of the local Turkish community are distributing 5,000 servings of Noah&#8217;s pudding, a traditional treat they trace all [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":107493,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89],"tags":[1030,120],"class_list":["post-8844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-turkey","tag-asure","tag-gulen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8844"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8844\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}