Jonathan Gold quiz: Test your knowledge of food and Islam Mussakhan is a Middle Eastern chicken dish flavored with sumac berries and other spices. Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times / September 24, 2012 By Jonathan Gold September 24, 2012, 3:30 p.m. In the spirit of disclosure, it must be confessed that the author of this quiz has occasionally been unkind on the subject of dietary restrictions, perhaps as a result of exposure to more than his share of Tofurkey sausage pizza and gluten-free bakery treats. Yet when an invitation to a halal meal is broached, dishes prepared according to precepts of Islamic dietary law, the anticipation becomes nothing but joy. The cuisines of the Islamic world are as varied and delicious as any on Earth, as different in their flavor as Beirut is from Java. Is Islamic cooking unknowable? Try this quiz and decide for yourself. Jonathan Gold quiz: Film and food All Jonathan Gold reviews for the L.A. Times Review: Jonathan Gold finds food-court ramen at its best