Middle East food

Savor the Richness with must-try Middle Eastern dishes.

Middle East food encompasses an array of traditional dishes, spices, and cooking methods. In this article, you’ll be introduced to the staples and specialties that define this region’s cuisine, paving the way for a deeper appreciation without unnecessary complexity.

Middle Eastern Food in a few words

• Middle Eastern cuisine celebrates diversity with flavors and dishes distinctive to each region, utilizing staple grains, rich spices like za’atar and baharat, and varying preparation methods for meats and legumes.
• Key elements of Middle Eastern dining include the communal meze experience, where assorted small dishes are shared, reflecting the cultural significance of social interaction during meals, and the use of bread as a staple accompaniment.
• Modern Middle Eastern cuisine is experiencing a fusion with global food trends, leading to innovative dishes and the international popularity of traditional street foods, while still maintaining core practices of dining etiquette that emphasize communal eating and hospitality.

Exploring the diversity of Middle Eastern cuisine

The term “Middle Eastern cuisine” encompasses a wide range of dishes originating from countries in Western Asia to parts of North Africa. Each region is defined by its unique flavors, cooking methods, and ingredients, reflecting a culinary diversity as rich as the cultures it represents. The cuisine offers an array of dishes, from Israel’s hummus to the Arab countries’ kofta.

One dish that reflects this diversity is the meze platter, a hallmark of Middle Eastern cuisine that symbolizes the historical integration of various cuisines influenced by local produce and international trade.

Staples of the Middle Eastern kitchen

Grains, especially wheat and rice, form the backbone of Middle Eastern diets and feature prominently in most meals. Some key grains in Middle Eastern cuisine include:

• Wheat
• Rice
• Barley
• Bulgur
• Couscous

Bread, particularly in the form of flatbread, is a staple food that accompanies many dishes, acting as a delicious canvas for the region’s varied flavors, including sheep milk cheese.

The cuisine’s unique flavors owe much to key ingredients such as olive oil and lemon juice, which are showcased in dishes like the classic salad, tabbouleh.

Celebrated meats and alternatives

Middle Eastern cuisine, a key component of the middle eastern diet, is renowned for its expert use of meats, particularly lamb and mutton, prepared in a variety of ways including grilled kebabs and ground meat dishes like kofta. In addition to meats, legumes such as fava beans and chickpeas are staple proteins, often combined with olive oil, parsley, and lemon to create dishes like falafel.

Signature spices and herbs

Middle Eastern cuisine, one of the most diverse and flavorful middle eastern cuisines, is characterized by a harmonious blend of spices and herbs, with dishes frequently featuring blends like za’atar and baharat. Middle Eastern recipes often incorporate ingredients such as:

• sumac
• sesame seeds
• black pepper
• cinnamon

These spices, along with others like cumin, nutmeg, turmeric, and saffron, create the distinctive flavors that make Middle Eastern dishes unique.

The art of Middle Eastern small dishes

The tradition of serving small dishes or “meze” demonstrates the region’s culinary diversity and creativity. Often served as an assortment of small, flavorful appetizers, meze dishes range from the much-loved hummus to falafel, offering a tantalizing introduction to the cuisine’s array of flavors.

The meze experience

Enjoying meze is not just about the food, but also about the social interaction it fosters. Originating as a tradition of sharing culinary specialties with travelers, meze underscores the communal nature of mealtime in Arab culture, where small dishes are shared among diners from a common plate.

Pairing with bread

Pita bread, with its hollow interior or ‘pocket’, is the perfect companion to the various dips and spreads in meze. This traditional accompaniment allows diners to fully appreciate the range of flavors in Middle Eastern cuisine, from hummus to baba ghannouj.

Hearty main courses in a tour of regional specialties

Middle Eastern main courses showcase the region’s culinary diversity as each nation has its own unique specialties. From the beloved street food shawarma, traditionally prepared with spiced meats stacked on a vertical rotisserie, to the skewered chicken dish Shish tawook, popular in Lebanon and Syria, these dishes are the heart and soul of Middle Eastern cuisine.

National dishes

Every Middle Eastern country prides itself on a national middle eastern dish that is a testament to its unique flavors and ingredients. From the sweet-and-sour Fattoush of Syria to Bahrain’s flavorful rice dish Machboos, these national dishes offer a taste of the region’s rich culinary diversity.

Cooking techniques

The culinary expertise of the Middle East is demonstrated not only through its ingredients but also its diverse cooking techniques. From slow-cooked stews to succulent grilled meats, the methods employed vary across the region, each adding a unique touch to the region’s cuisine.

Middle Eastern desserts give a sweet conclusion

Desserts in Middle Eastern cuisine hold a pivotal role, rather than being an afterthought, in the dining experience. From the flaky layers of baklava to the sweet cheese pastry kunafa, Middle Eastern desserts tantalize the palate with their rich flavors, nuts, and distinctive floral scents.

Ingredients for sweetness

Flavors from nuts, including pine nuts, floral waters, and spices are often the primary components in Middle Eastern desserts. Scents from ingredients like rose water and orange blossom water are signature aromas in these sweet treats. The use of phyllo dough creates the beloved crispy and flaky layers found in regional confectioneries like baklava, and the inclusion of nuts between those thin sheets of dough combined with sweet syrup results in a rich flavor profile that is hard to resist.

Dessert customs

Middle Eastern dessert customs revolve around the idea of sharing and celebration. Turkish Delight, for instance, is traditionally served with Turkish coffee, exemplifying the pairing of sweet treats with beverages.

During significant religious events such as Ramadan, desserts like kunafa and qatayef are customary, serving as celebratory foods to break the fast.

The role of beverages in Middle Eastern dining

In Middle Eastern dining, coffee and tea hold a prominent place, signifying the significant role of beverages. From the traditional method of boiling finely ground coffee with water and sugar to the incorporation of mint or other herbs for flavor in tea, these beverages are more than just drinks; they are an integral part of the region’s dining culture.

Non-alcoholic drinks

The history-rich Middle Eastern coffee culture often involves preparing the beverage with a variety of spices like cardamom, served in distinctive small, handle-less cups.

In addition to coffee, Arabic coffee or ‘Gahwa’ is a potent drink typically served with dates or sweets and is sometimes enhanced with saffron or cardamom, reflecting the deep cultural reverence for coffee in social and hospitality traditions.

Alcoholic drinks and etiquette

While alcohol is not prevalent in many Middle Eastern countries due to religious reasons, regions where its consumption is tolerated have their unique drinks and etiquettes. From the Arak of the Levant region to the Shiraz wine of Iran, these beverages offer an often overlooked aspect of Middle Eastern dining culture.