List of Middle Eastern dishes

This is a list of dishes found in Middle Eastern cuisine, a generalized term collectively referring to the cuisines of the Middle East and the Maghreb region. The Middle East is home to numerous different cultural and ethnic groups. This diversity is also reflected in the many local culinary traditions in choice of ingredients, style of preparation, and cooking techniques.

Middle Eastern dishes

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Name Image Country/region Description
Ahriche Morocco Tripe or other animal organs wrapped around sticks or kebabs, grilled over hot coals.
Asida North Africa A lump of cooked wheat flour dough, sometimes with butter or honey added.[1]
Baba ghanoush Levant Mashed eggplant dip with virgin olive oil, lemon juice and various seasonings, including sumac.
Baklava Middle East A layered pastry dessert made of filo dough, filled with chopped nuts, sweetened with syrup or honey.
Bazeen Libya Barley dough served with tomato sauce, eggs, potatoes, and mutton.
Bichak Morocco A stuffed pastry appetizer.
Brik Tunisia Stuffed pastry, similar to bichak.
Briouat Morocco Sweet puff pastry.
Chakhchoukha Algeria A stew of lamb, spices, tomatoes, and flatbread. Sometimes spelled as "shakshuka".
Chermoula North Africa A marinade of pickled lemons in oil, lemon juice, herbs, garlic, cumin, and salt, most often used to flavor seafood.
Couscous North Africa A semolina pasta in the form of very fine, very tiny balls or squares.
Dolma Middle East A group of rice- or meat-and-herb filled vegetable dishes of Ottoman origin. Variations are eaten across the Levant, the eastern Mediterranean and the Arab world. Can be served warm or cold. Similar to the Greek stuffed grape leaves, dolmadakia or sarma.
Duqqa Egypt A dip or seasoning of herbs, oil and spices.
Falafel Middle East Popular deep-fried, spherical or patty-shaped fritters made from ground chickpeas and/or broad beans, and spices and herbs.
Fesikh Egypt Fermented, salted mullet.
Freekeh Levant A cereal food made from green wheat that goes through a roasting process in its production. It is an Arab dish that is especially popular in Levantine, Arabian Peninsula, Palestinian and Egyptian cuisine, but also in North African and other neighboring cuisines.[1][2]
Ful medames Egypt Mashed fava beans with olive oil, chopped parsley, onion, garlic, and lemon juice.
Harira Algeria and Morocco A traditional Algerian and Moroccan soup of Maghreb.
Hawawshi Egypt A traditional Egyptian food very similar to the Middle eastern pizza-like Lahmacun. It is meat minced and spiced with onions and pepper, parsley and sometimes hot peppers and chilies, placed between two circular layers of dough, then baked in the oven.
Hummus Middle East A Middle Eastern dip, spread or savory dish made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon juice and garlic.
Kashk bademjan Iran A staple Iranian dish of kashk and eggplant either, with garnishes of caramelized onions, roasted nuts, herbs and spices.
Kebab Middle East A wide variety of grilled or barbecued meat dishes often skewered (Shish Kebabs) originating in the Middle East and later on adopted in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Southern Europe, South Asia and Asia Minor, now found worldwide.
Kibbeh Levant Kibbeh (also kubba or Köfte) is the basis of family of Middle Eastern dishes, and involves a filling of spiced ground meat and onions surrounded by a grain-based outer shell that is fried or baked.
Kibbeh nayyeh Levant A Levantine mezze that consists of minced raw lamb mixed with fine bulgur and spices.
Kushari Egypt Made from rice, lentils, chickpeas and macaroni covered with tomato sauce and fried onions.
Lablabi Tunisia A Tunisian dish based on chick peas in a thin garlic and cumin-flavoured soup, served over small pieces of stale crusty bread.
Makroudh Tunisia and Morocco and Algeria A pastry often filled with dates or almonds.
Matbucha Morocco The name of the dish originates from Arabic and means "cooked [salad]". It is served as an appetizer, often as part of a meze. In Israel it is sometimes referred to as "Turkish salad" (Hebrew: סלט טורקי salat turki).[3]
Méchoui North Africa, Cameroon A whole sheep or a lamb spit roasted on a barbecue. It is popular in North Africa and among the Bamileke people of Cameroon.
Merguez North Africa A very spicy, red sausage of mutton or beef.
Mesfouf Tunisia Similar to couscous, with butter added.
Mrouzia Morocco Sweet and salty tajine with honey, cinnamon and almonds.
Msemen Maghreb Traditional pancakes in Maghreb; usually eaten with a cup of aromatic morning mint tea or of creamy coffee. Msemen can also be stuffed with vegetable or meat fillings.
Mulukhiyah Egypt The leaves of the Corchorus species are used as a vegetable in Middle Eastern, East African, North African, and South Asian cuisine. Mulukhiyyah is rather bitter, and, when boiled, the resulting liquid is a thick, highly mucilaginous broth; it is often described as "slimy," rather like cooked okra.
Pastilla Algeria and Morocco A traditional Moroccan dish; an elaborate meat pie traditionally made of squab (fledgling pigeons). As squabs are often hard to get, shredded chicken is more often used today; pastilla can also use fish, meats or offal as a filling.
Qatayef Egypt and Levant An Arab dessert, commonly served during the month of Ramadan; a sort of sweet dumpling filled with cream or nuts. It is usually prepared using Akkawi cheese as a filling.[4][5]
Sfenj North Africa Donuts cooked in oil then soaked in honey or sprinkled with sugar.
Shakshouka Northwest Africa A dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, chili peppers, and onions, often spiced with cumin.[6] It is believed to have a Tunisian origin.[7]
Shawarma Levant A sandwich or wrap, or simply an entrée, consisting of layered, roasted meat slices cooked together, then cut into slices vertically; roasted on a slowly-turning vertical rotisserie or spit.
Shish taouk North Africa Marinated cubes of chicken are skewered and grilled.
Tabil Tunisia A Tunisian spice mixture consisting of ground coriander seed, caraway seed, garlic powder, and chili powder. The term can also refer to coriander by itself.[8]
Tabbouleh Levant A Levantine salad made mostly of finely chopped parsley, with tomatoes, mint, onion, bulgur (soaked, not cooked), and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and sweet pepper.
Tajine North Africa A Maghrebi dish from North Africa, that is named after the special earthenware pot in which it is cooked. A similar dish, known as tavvas, is found in the cuisine of Cyprus. The traditional tajine pot is formed entirely of a heavy clay, which is sometimes painted or glazed. Tajines in Moroccan cuisine are slow-cooked stews braised at low temperatures, resulting in tender meat with aromatic vegetables and sauce.[citation needed]
Toum Levant A garlic sauce as prepared in Lebanon, the Levant, and Egypt similar to the European aioli. It contains garlic, salt, olive oil or vegetable oil, and lemon juice crushed using a wooden mortar and pestle.[9] There is a variation popular in many villages, such as Zgharta, where mint is added, called "Zeit and Toum".[10]
Usban Libya and Tunisia A traditional kind of Tunisian sausage, stuffed with a mixture of rice, herbs, lamb, chopped liver and heart.[11][12] This dish is usually served alongside the main meal of rice or couscous, often on special occasions.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Clifford A. Wright. "Did You Know: Food History - Famous Everyday Dishes from the Medieval Arab World". cliffordawright.com. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  2. ^ Anissa Helou, "Freekeh", in Alan Davidson (editor), The Oxford Companion to Food
  3. ^ A Taste of Challah: A Comprehensive Guide to Challah and Bread Baking, Tamar Ansh, Feldheim Publishers, 2007, p. 150
  4. ^ Sadat, Jehan; Sādāt, Jīhān (February 2002). A Woman of Egypt. ISBN 9780743237086. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  5. ^ Abu-Zahra, Nadia (1999). The Pure and Powerful. ISBN 9780863722691. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  6. ^ Claudia Roden, The new book of Middle Eastern food, p. 168
  7. ^ International Inner Wheel Sfax, Nos recettes de tous les jours et jours de fêtes, p. 115
  8. ^ Marks, Gil (2010). Encyclopedia of Jewish Food. John Wiley and Sons. p. 572. ISBN 978-0-470-39130-3.
  9. ^ "Toum". Allrecipes.com. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  10. ^ Fayed, Saad. "Toum Lebanese Dipping Sauce - Recipe". About.com Food. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  11. ^ Marks, Gil (2010). Encyclopedia of Jewish Food. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-470-39130-3. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  12. ^ Clifford A. Wright (1999). A Mediterranean Feast. New York, New York: William Morrow & Co. pp. 72–73. ISBN 0-688-15305-4. Retrieved February 9, 2012. osban sausage.