Arab cuisine

A selection of Jordanian mezze, appetizers or small dishes, in Petra, Jordan.

Fattoush

Luqmat al-qadi

Arabian cuisine (Arabic: مطبخ عربي) is defined as the various regional cuisines spanning the Arab world, from the Maghreb to the Levant and the Khaleej. The cuisines are often centuries old and resemble and culture of great trading in spices, herbs, and foods. The three main regions, also known as the Maghreb, the Levant, and the Khaleej have many similarities, but also many unique traditions. These kitchens have been influenced by the climate, cultivating possibilities, as well as trading possibilities. The kitchens of the Maghreb and Levant are relatively young kitchens which were developed over the past centuries. The kitchen from the Khaleej region is a very old kitchen. The kitchens can be divided into the urban and rural kitchens.

Diet and foods

The Arabian cuisine uses specific and sometimes unique foods and spices. Some of those foods are:

• Meat: lamb and chicken are the most used, with beef, goat. Other poultry is used in some regions, and fish is used in coastal areas like the Mediterranean sea, Atlantic ocean or the Red sea. Pork is completely prohibited for Muslim Arabs, being both a cultural and religious taboo (Haram) and prohibited under Islamic law, whereas many Christian Arabs do eat and enjoy pork products, especially in Lebanon, where cold cuts of ham are frequently consumed in Christian neighbourhoods.
• Dairy products: dairy products are widely used, especially yogurt, Buttermilk and white cheese. Butter and cream are also used extensively.
• Herbs and spices: The amounts and types used generally varies from region to region. Some of the included herbs and spices are sesame, saffron, Black pepper, Allspice, turmeric, garlic, cumin, cinnamon,Cinnamon, Parsley, Coriander and sumac. Spice mixtures include baharat, Ras el hanout, Za'atar, Harissa.
• Beverages: hot beverages are served more than cold, coffee being on the top of the list in the Middle-eastern countries and tea on top of the Maghreb countries. In Jordan, Some part of Syria, Morocco and Algeria tea is much more important as a beverage. Other Arabian drinks include Andalucian Horchata and Maghrebi avocado smothie.
• Grains: rice is the staple and is used for most dishes; wheat is the main source for bread. Bulgur and semolina are also used extensively.
• Legumes: lentils are widely used in all colours, as well as fava beans, chickpeas (garbanzo beans),scarlet runner beans,green peas, lupini beans, White beans and brown beans.
• vegetables: Arabian cuisine favors vegetables such as carrots, eggplant (aubergine), zucchini (courgette), Artisjokes okra, onions and Olives. Potatoes are also eaten as vegetables in Arabian culture.
• Fruits: Arabian cuisine favors fruits such as Pomegranate, Dates, Figs, oranges, citruses, watermelons, Cantaloupe, Honeydew melon, grapes, peaches and nectarines.
• Nuts: almonds, peanuts, pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts are often included in dishes or eaten as snacks.
• Greens: parsley, Coriander and mint are popular as seasonings in many dishes, while spinach and mulukhiyah (leaves from the plant of the Corchorus genus) are used in cooked dishes.
• Dressings and sauces: the most popular dressings include various combinations of olive oil, lemon juice, parsley or garlic, as well as tahini (sesame paste). Labaneh (thinned yogurt) is often seasoned with mint, onion, or garlic, and served as a sauce with various dishes.

Bedouin kitchen

The Bedouins of the Arabian Peninsula,Middle-East and North-Africa relied on a diet of dates, dried fruit, Nuts, wheat, barley, rice, and meat. The meat existed out of big animals like cows, sheeps and lambs. Dairy like milk, cheese, yoghurt, buttermilk (Labneh). The bedouins would also use many different dried beans like white beans, lentils and chickpeas. Vegetables which were used a lot among the bedouins are variants which could be dried like pumpkins. But also vegetables which are more heat-resistant like aubergines. They would drink a lot of fresh Verbena tea, Arabian tea, Maghrebi mint tea or Arabic coffee. A daily break to freshen up with drinks is a much loved tradition. The bread which is eaten a lot is called Khobz as well in the Khaleej as in the Maghreb regions. Dishes like Marqa, Stews, Tajines were prepared traditionally among the bedouins. Breakfast existed of baked beans, bread, nuts, dried fruits, milk, yoghurt and cheese and tea or coffee. Snacks included nuts and dried fruits.

Culture

Essential to any cooking in the Arab world is the concept of hospitality and generosity. Meals are generally large family affairs, with much sharing and a great deal of warmth over the dinner table. Formal dinners and celebrations generally involve large quantities of lamb, and every occasion entails large quantities of Arabic coffee or Arabic tea.

Khaleej

Coffee ceremony: In the Khaleej region, a visitor awaits a great table of dried fruits, fresh fruits, nuts and cakes with syrup. Dried fruits include figs, dates, apricots and plums. Fresh fruits include citruses, melons pomegranata. Arabic Coffee is served the most, but Arabic tea is also a great refresher. spices are often added in the coffee or other drinks.

Dinner guests: In the khaleej region, a visitor might expect a dinner consisting of a very large platter, shared commonly, with a vast amount of spiced rice, incorporating cooked spicylamb or chicken, or both, as separate dishes, with various stewed vegetables, heavily spiced, sometimes with a tomato-based sauce. Different types of bread like are served with different toppings specific to the region. Tea would certainly accompany the meal, as it is almost constantly consumed. Coffee would be included in the same manner.

Maghreb

Tea/coffee ceremony: In the Maghrebi region, a visitor might expect a table full of bread-like snacks which include Msemen, Baghrir and other stuffed breads. These are served with honey, rosewater or olive oil. There are also many different cookies and cakes included accompanied by plates with different kinds of nuts. Arabic coffee and Mint tea is often served with it in an traditional Maghrebian teapot.

Dinner guests: In the Maghrebi region, a visitor might expect a table with different kinds of stews, also called Marqa's or Tajine's. Dishes like Couscous or other semolina based dishes are much appreciated as well. These main dishes are accompanied by smaller mezze like plates with salads, sauces and dips. Breads like Msemen and Khobz are used to eat the stews with.

Levant

Coffee/ Tea ceremony: In an average Arabian Levantian household, a visitor might expect a table full of Mezze's, breads topped with spices like Za'atar and nuts. In the levant region, Arabian coffee is a much loved beverage, but Arabian tea is also much loved in Jordan and Palestine.

Dinner guests: In the Levantian region, a visitor might expect a table with different kinds of mezzes, nuts, dips and oils. Mezzes include Hummus, Baba ghanoush, Falafel, Kibbeh, Kafta, smoked vegetables and Tabouli salads. The nuts can differ from almonds to walnuts, with different spice coatings. The dips and oils include hummus and olive oil.

There are many regional differences in the Arabian cuisine. For instance, mujadara in Syria and Lebanon is different from mujadara in Jordan and Palestine. Some dishes, such as mansaf (the national dish of Jordan), are native to certain countries and rarely, if ever, make an appearance in other countries. Unlike in most Western cuisines, cinnamon is used in meat dishes, as well as in sweets such as baklava. Dishes like Tajine and Couscous can differ from Morocco to Libya, with their unique preparations. Other dishes like the arabo-andalucian Bastilla or Albondigas have different traditional spicemixes and fillings in the Maghreb region.

Structure of meals

There are two basic structures for meals in the Arab World, one regular and one specific for the month of Ramadan.

Breakfast

Cafés often serve croissants for breakfast. Breakfast is often a quick meal, consisting of bread and dairy products, with tea and sometimes jam. The most used is labneh and cream (kishta, made of cow's milk; or qaimar, made of domestic buffalo milk). Labneh is served with olives, dried mint, and drizzled with olive oil. Pastries such as manaqeesh, sfiha, fatayer, and kahi are sometimes eaten for breakfast. Flat bread with olive oil and za'atar is also popular. Most Arab families also consume hummus and falafel with pita bread.

Traditionally, breakfast used to be a much heavier meal, especially for the working class, and included dishes such as lentil soup (shorbat 'adas), or heavy sweets such as knafa. Ful, which is fava beans cooked with chickpeas (garbanzo beans), garlic, lemon, and olive oil, is a popular working class breakfast in the Levant and Egypt. Lablabi is another heavy garbanzo-based stew popular for breakfast in Tunisia.

Lunch

Lunch is considered the main meal of the day, and is traditionally eaten between 1:30pm and 2:30pm. It is the meal for which the family comes together, and when entertaining, it is the meal of choice to invite guests to. Rarely do meals have different courses; however, salads and mezze (an appetizer) are served as side dishes to the main meal. The platter usually consists of a portion of meat, poultry or fish, a portion of rice, lentils, bread or bagel, and a portion of cooked vegetables, in addition to the fresh ones with the mezze and salad. The vegetables and meat are usually cooked together in a sauce (often tomato, although others are also popular) to make maraq, which is served on rice. Most households add bread, whether other grains were available or not. Drinks are not necessarily served with the food; however, there is a very wide variety of drinks such as shineena (or laban), karakaden, Naqe'e Al Zabib, irq soos, tamr Hindi, and fruit juice, as well as other traditional Arab drinks. During the 20th century, carbonated soda and fruit-based drinks, sold by supermarkets, have also become very popular.

Dinner

Small dinner plate in Dubai

Dinner is traditionally the lightest meal, although in modern times, and due to changing lifestyles, dinner has become more important.

Desserts and Ramadan meals

In addition to the two meals mentioned hereafter, sweets are consumed much more than usual during the month of Ramadan; sweets and fresh fruits are served between these two meals. Although most sweets are made all year round such as knafeh, baklava, and basbousa, some are made especially for Ramadan, such as qatayef.

Iftar

Iftar (also called Futuur, or Afur in the Somali language), or fast-breaking, is the meal taken at dusk when the fast is over. The meal consists of three courses: first, they shall eat a date based on Islamic tradition. This is followed by a soup or anything they would like, the most popular being lentil soup, but a wide variety of soups such as chicken, oats, freeka (a soup made from whole wheat and chicken broth), potato, maash, and others are also offered. The third course is the main dish, usually eaten after an interval, when Maghreb prayer is conducted. The main dish is mostly similar to lunch, except that cold drinks are also served.

Sahur

Sahur is the meal eaten just before dawn, when fasting must begin. It is eaten to help the person make it through the day with enough energy until Maghreb time.

Pan-Arab cuisine

Locusts are Halal in Islam. There is a Hadith which permits locust eating (أحلت لنا ميتتان، ميتة الجراد، وميتة السمك) ("Permitted for us are two dead things, dead locusts, and dead fish."). Locusts are permitted for consumption by Muslims in “Al-Rawd Al-Moraba Fi Sharh Zad Al-Mustaqni” which is a work on Sunni Hanbali fiqh. All four Sunni Madhhab allow consumption of dead locusts. A hadith allowing locust consumption by Muslims was narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar: ( عن عبد الله بن عمر، قال أُحِلَّتْ لنا ميتتان ودمان: الجراد والحِيتان والكَبد وَالطِّحال) ("about Abdullah bin Umar, he said permitted for us are two dead things and two bloods : the locusts, and the whales, and the liver and the spleen"). The Prophet Muhammad was reported to have eaten locusts during a military raid with his companions including Abdullah ibn Abu Aufa who narrated a hadith of this incident: (عن عبدالله بن أبي أَوْفَى رضي الله عنه قال غزَوْنا معَ النبيِّ صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم سَبْعَ غزَواتٍ أو سِتًّا، كُنَّا نأكُلُ معَه الجَرادَ) ("About Abdullah bin Abi Aufa radi Allahu anhu he said : our raiding with the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhi wa Salam, seven raids or six, and we ate with him the locusts."). Peninsular Arabs have proverbs in Arabic encouraging the eating of locusts: (إذا جاء الجراد انثر الدواء، وإذا جاء الفقع صرّ الدواء) ("If the locusts came dispersing the medicine, and if the Terfeziaceae came saving the medicine.") and (إذا جاد الجراد كب الدواء) ("If the locusts appeared dispersing the medicine"). Locusts are eaten in Saudi Arabia, consumption of locusts spiked around Ramadan in the Al-Qassim Region and Ha'il Region in 2014 since Saudis believe they are healthy to eat, however the Saudi Ministry of Health warned that pesticides they used against the locusts made them unsafe. The use of pesticides against locusts led to an advisory for Saudi citizens cautioning them against picking locusts off the ground and eating them issued by the Saudi Ministry of Agriculture. Locusts are eaten in Kuwait. Yemenis were interviewed over whether they would like to eat locusts before a swarm of them was forecasted to enter Yemen in 2007 and said they were willing to do it. ʻAbd al-Salâm Shabînî described a locust recipe from Morocco. 19th century European travellers observed Arabs in Arabia, Egypt, and Morocco selling, cooking, and eating locusts. They reported that in Egypt and Palestine locusts were consumed. They reported that in Palestine, around the river Jordan, in Egypt, in Arabia, and in Morocco that Arabs ate locusts, while Syrian peasants did not eat locusts however in the Haouran region Fellahs (peasants) who were in poverty and suffered from famine ate locusts after removing the guts and head, while locusts were swallowed wholesale by Bedouins. Syrians, Copts, Greeks, Armenians and other Christians and Arabs themselves reported that in Arabia locusts were eaten frequently and one Arab described to a European traveler the different types of locusts which were favored as food by Arabs. Persians use the Anti-Arab racial slur "Arabe malakh-khor" (عرب ملخ خور) (Arab locust eater) against Arabs. The Iranian rap artist Behzad Pax released a song in 2015 called "Arab Kosh" (عرب كش) (Kill Arabs) which was widely reported on the Arab media who claimed that it was released with the approval of the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. One of the lyrics in the song call Arabs as "locust eaters". The Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance denied that it gave approval to the song and condemned it as a product of a "sick mind".

Regional Arab cuisines

Gulf

Arabs believe the flesh of the Houbara bustard (MacQueen's bustard) is an aphrodisiac when consumed and many Arabs from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, including royalty such as princes, travel to Pakistan to hunt the bird which is driving it to extinction in Pakistan since on the Arabian peninsula it has already been endangered by hunting, although scientific tests show no proof of its supposed aphrodisiac qualities. Since on the Arabian peninsula, human hunters have almost wiped out the Houbara bustard, North African nations like Tunisia are being visited instead by Saudi princes for the purpose of hunting the bird for its aphrodisiacal flesh. The Arabs specifically ascribe aphrodisiacal properties to the gizzard of the Bustard. The Arabian oryx has been hunted for food and driven to extinction in the wild, surviving only in captivity before being reintroduced into the wild.

Peninsular Bedouin

The Arab people of the Najd region of Saudi Arabia have different cuisine than the Arabs of other parts of the peninsula like Hejaz. The Uromastyx maliensis lizard, known as "dabb" (ضَبّ) by Najdis, is consumed as food by the people of Najd, like the Bedouin. This monitor lizard is considered a "bedouin delicacy". The Prophet Muhammad was from Hejaz. A Sahih Hadith recorded that when a Najdi lizard was brought to Prophet Muhammad by Hufaida bint al-Harith, Muhammad did not eat the lizard but other Muslims were not prohibited by him from consuming it so Muhammad's companion Khalid bin Walid consumed the lizard. Dried lizard tonic was monopolized by the Hashemites before the Saudi family seized Medina and Mecca from them.

The Sahih Muslim Hadith on lizard says - 'Abdullah b. 'Abbas reported that Khalid b. Walid who is called the Sword of Allah had informed him that he visited Maimuna, the wife of Allah's Apostle (ﷺ), in the company of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), and she was the sister of his mother (that of Khalid) and that of 'Ibn Abbas, and he found with her a roasted lizard which her sister Hufaida the daughter of al-Harith had brought from Najd, and she presented that lizard to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). It was rare that some food was presented to the Prophet (ﷺ) and it was not mentioned or named. While Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was about to stretch forth his hand towards the lizard, a woman from amongst the women present there informed the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) what they had presented to him. They said: Messenger of Allah, it is a lizard. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) withdrew his hand, whereupon Khalid b. Walid said: Messenger of Allah, is a lizard forbidden? There opon he said: No, but it is not found in the land of my people, and I feel that I have no liking for it. Khalid said: I then chewed and ate it, and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was looking at me and he did not forbid (me to eat it). (وَحَدَّثَنِي أَبُو الطَّاهِرِ، وَحَرْمَلَةُ، جَمِيعًا عَنِ ابْنِ وَهْبٍ، قَالَ حَرْمَلَةُ أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي يُونُسُ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ بْنِ سَهْلِ بْنِ حُنَيْفٍ الأَنْصَارِيِّ، أَنَّ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ، بْنَ عَبَّاسٍ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ خَالِدَ بْنَ الْوَلِيدِ الَّذِي يُقَالُ لَهُ سَيْفُ اللَّهِ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّهُ، دَخَلَ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى مَيْمُونَةَ زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهِيَ خَالَتُهُ وَخَالَةُ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فَوَجَدَ عِنْدَهَا ضَبًّا مَحْنُوذًا قَدِمَتْ بِهِ أُخْتُهَا حُفَيْدَةُ بِنْتُ الْحَارِثِ مِنْ نَجْدٍ فَقَدَّمَتِ الضَّبَّ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَكَانَ قَلَّمَا يُقَدَّمُ إِلَيْهِ طَعَامٌ حَتَّى يُحَدَّثَ بِهِ وَيُسَمَّى لَهُ فَأَهْوَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَدَهُ إِلَى الضَّبِّ فَقَالَتِ امْرَأَةٌ مِنَ النِّسْوَةِ الْحُضُورِ أَخْبِرْنَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِمَا قَدَّمْتُنَّ لَهُ . قُلْنَ هُوَ الضَّبُّ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ . فَرَفَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَدَهُ فَقَالَ خَالِدُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ أَحَرَامٌ الضَّبُّ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ " لاَ وَلَكِنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ بِأَرْضِ قَوْمِي فَأَجِدُنِي أَعَافُهُ " . قَالَ خَالِدٌ فَاجْتَرَرْتُهُ فَأَكَلْتُهُ وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَنْظُرُ فَلَمْ يَنْهَنِي .)

One stereotype Persians have of Arabs is that they eat lizards. Persians use the racial slur "soosmar-khor" (سوسمار خور) ("lizard eater") against Arabs and the Sunni Muslim Persian poet Ferdowsi included a derogatory insulting verse against Arabs in his Shahnameh poem (زشیر شتر خوردن و سوسمار عرب را به جایی رسیده ست کار که فر کیانی کند آرزو تفو بر تو ای چرخ گردون تفو) (zasheer shatar khordan va soosmar) which is translated into Arabic as (مِن شُرب لبن الابل وأكل الضب بلغ العرب مبلغاً أن يطمحوا في تاج الملك؟ فتباً لك أيها الزمان وسحقا) or (ثم قال: أعلمنى بما أنت عليه من دينك، و رسمك و آيينك. و أخبرنى مَن سلطانك و بمن اعتضادك و اعتصامك. فقد جئت فى عساكر حفاة عراة بلا ثقل و لا رحل و لا فيل و لا تخت. ثم بلغ بكم الأمر من شربكم ألبان الإبل و أكلكم أضباب القيعان إلى تمنى أسرّة الملوك العجم أرباب التخوت و التيجان.), with the verse attributed to the Persian commander Rostam Farrokhzād as insulting the Arabs as camel milk drinkers and lizard eaters during the Muslim conquest of Persia. Some historians believed another Persian in the Medieval ages inserted the line about lizards and camels milk and that Ferdowsi did not write it. Richard F. Burton translated the line as "Hath the Arabs daring performed such feat, Fed on camel’s milk and the lizard's meat, That he cast on Kayánian crown his eye? Fie, O whirling world! on thy faith and fie!"

Hejaz

Bukhari rice (روز البخاري) (Ruz al Bukhari) is a dish eaten in the Hejaz, Saudi Arabia, which was introduced from Bukhara, Uzbekistan.

Eastern Arabia

Main article: Arab cuisine of the Persian Gulf

The cuisine of Eastern Arabia today is the result of a combination of richly diverse cuisines, incorporating, Levantine, Yemeni, and Indian cuisine. Dishes likeharees, fattah, and many other dishes are originally from the Persian Gulf.

Yemen

Main article: Yemeni cuisine

Saltah is considered the national dish of Yemen

The cuisine of Yemen is rather distinct from other Arab cuisines. Like most other Arab cuisines, chicken, goat, and lamb are eaten more often than beef. Fish is eaten mostly in coastal areas. However, unlike most Arab countries, cheese, butter, and other dairy products are less common, especially in the cities and other urban areas. As with other Arab cuisines, the most widespread beverages are tea and coffee; tea is usually flavored with cardamom, clove, or mint, and coffee with cardamom. Karakaden, Naqe'e Al Zabib, and diba’a are the most widespread cold beverages.

Although each region has their own variation, Saltah (سلتة) is considered the national dish of Yemen. The base is a brown meat stew believed to be of Turkish origin called maraq (مرق), a dollop of fenugreek froth, and sahawiq (سحاوق) or sahowqa (a mixture of chili peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and herbs ground into a salsa. Rice, potatoes, scrambled eggs, and vegetables are common additions to saltah. It is eaten with flat bread, which serves as a utensil to scoop up the food. Other dishes widely known in Yemen include: Aseedah, aseed, fahsa, thareed, Samak Mofa, mandi, fattah, shakshouka, shafut, Bint Al-Sahn, kabsa, and jachnun. Nasi kebuli Harees Hyderabadi haleem. Hadhrami restaurants can be found in Malaysia.

Iraq

Main article: Iraqi cuisine

Iraqi Cuisine mainly consists of meat, rather than appetizers. In Iraqi cuisine, the most common meats are Chicken and Lamb. The national dish of Iraq is the Masgouf fish, usually enjoyed with grilled tomatoes and onions.

Sheep brain is eaten in Iraq.

The Levant

Sfiha, originated in Baalbek and spread throughout the region.

Main article: Levantine cuisine

See also: Lebanese cuisine, Syrian cuisine, Jordanian cuisine, and Palestinian cuisine

Levantine cuisine is the traditional cuisine of the Levant, Mashriq, or Greater Syria area. Although now divided into Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Palestine, the region has historically been more united, and shares most of the same culinary traditions. Although almost identical, there is some regional variation within the Levantine area.

Dishes include olive oil, za'atar, and garlic, and common dishes include a wide array of mezze or bread dips, stuffings, and side dishes such as hummus, falafel, ful, tabouleh, labaneh, and baba ghanoush.

It also includes copious amounts of garlic and olive oil, often seasoned with lemon juice—almost no meal goes by without including these ingredients. Most often foods are either grilled, baked, fried, or sautéed in olive oil; butter and cream are rarely used, other than in a few desserts. Vegetables are often eaten raw or pickled, as well as cooked. While the cuisine does not boast a multitude of sauces, it focuses on herbs, spices, and the freshness of ingredients.

Maqluba, in Palestinian cuisine, is an upside-down rice and eggplant casserole, sometimes made with fried cauliflower instead of eggplant, and usually includes meat, often braised lamb.

Iraqi cuisine utilizes more spices than most Arab cuisines. Iraq's main food crops include wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, and dates. Vegetables include eggplant, okra, potatoes, and tomatoes. Pulses such as chickpeas and lentils are also quite common. Common meats in Iraqi cooking are lamb and beef;fish and poultry are also used.

Soups and stews are often prepared and served with rice and vegetables. Biryani, although influenced by Indian cuisine, is milder with a different mixture of spices, and a wider variety of vegetables, including potatoes, pea's, carrot's, and onion's. Dolma is also one of the most popular dishes.

The Iraqi cuisine is famous for its extremely tender kebab, as well as its tikka. A wide variety of spices, pickles, and amba are also extensively used.

In Filistine and Jordan, the population has a cooking style of their own, involved in roasting various meats, baking flat breads, and cooking thick yogurt-like pastes from goat's milk.

Musakhan is a common main dish, famous in northern Jordan, the city of Jerusalem, and northern West Bank. The main component is taboon bread, which is topped with pieces of cooked sweet onions, sumac, saffron, and allspice. For large dinners, it can be topped by one or two roasted chickens on a single large taboon bread.

The primary cheese of the Palestinian mezze is Ackawi cheese, which is a semi-hard cheese with a mild, salty taste and sparsely filled with roasted sesame seeds.

Maqluba is another popular meal in Jordan and central Palestine. Mujaddara, another food of the West Bank, as well as in the Levant in general, consists of cooked green lentils, with bulghur sauteed in olive oil. Mansaf is a traditional meal, and the national dish of Jordan, having roots in the Bedouin population of the country. It is mostly cooked on special occasions such as Ramadan, Eid ul-Fitr, a birth, or a large dinner gathering. Mansaf is a leg of lamb or large pieces of mutton, on top of a markook bread that has been topped with yellow rice. A type of thick dried yogurt made from goat's milk, called jameed, is poured on top of the lamb and rice to give it its distinct flavor and taste. The dish is garnished with cooked pine nuts and almonds.

Levantine cuisine is also famous for its wide range of cheeses like Shanklish, Halloum, and Arisheh. Kishk is also a famous Syrian soup, alongside many soups made of lentils. Lebanese food also has a wide range of dips like Hummous, Baba Ghannouj, and Labneh, and also caters many raw meat dishes. Syrian food could be either extremely vegetarian or a meat lover's paradise. Lemon, oregano, za'atar, paprika, and various other Mediterranean spices and herbs are used in Syrian cuisine.

To top it off, Levantine cuisine also incorporates wines made in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine and the Levantine equivalent of the Greek Ouzo, known as Arak.

Egypt

Main article: Egyptian cuisine

Kushari served at an Egyptian restaurant in Cairo.

Egyptian cuisine is a very rich cuisine that has many unique customs. These customs may also vary within Egypt itself, for example, in the coastal areas, like the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and Canal, the diet of the people relies heavily on fish. In the more agricultural areas, the reliance on farm products is much heavier. Duck, geese, chicken, and river fish are the main animal protein sources. Unlike the surrounding Arab cuisines, which place heavy emphasis on meat, Egyptian cuisine is rich in vegetarian dishes; three national dishes of Egypt; ful medames, ta'amia (also known in other countries as falafel), and kushari, are generally vegetarian. Fruits are also greatly appreciated in Egypt: mangoes, grapes, bananas, apples, sycamore, guavas, and peaches are very popular, especially because they are all domestically produced and are available in relatively low prices. Another famous dessert from Egypt is called Om or Um Ali, which is similar to a bread and butter pudding made traditionally with puff pastry, milk, and nuts. It is served all across the Middle East and is also made on special occasions such as Eid. Egyptian breads include Aish baladi (عيش البلدي). Cow brain is eaten in Egypt. Egyptians also eat sheep brains.

Libya

Main article: Libyan cuisine

The Libyan Arabian dishes exist of unique dishes and dishes which are broadly used all over the Maghreb region. The dishes include many different spices and herbs, and the Libyan kitchen also includes hot spiced like Tunesia.

Dishes

Bazin (center) served with a stew and whole hard-boiled eggs

• Bazin – Libyan bread
• Bsisa
• Couscous
• Harissa
• Hassaa
• Lebrak – Filled grapeleaves with rice and minced meat
• Libyan Aseedah
• Libyan Boureek
• Libyan summer salad
• Marqa or Tajine
• Mbatten
• Mbekbka – a unique Libyan soup with pasta or spaghetti. Instead of the European way of boiling pasta or spaghetti in water and then throwing the water away (with all the goodness it contains), the Libyans boil pasta with the sauce, which adds a real pasta flavour to the sauce. You can make it with any type of pasta, and the simplest dish involves frying onions in oil, throwing in the tomato puree, chili powder, turmeric, then adding water and salt and leave to boil, before adding the pasta. But the proper way to do it is to add some lamb chops, chickpeas and garlic to the sauce. Serve hot with a sprinkle of extra virgin olive oil, lemon, fresh chili and crusty bread (optional). You can also add other vegetable like pumpkin, potato and green pepper
• Shakshouka
• Sherba – Libyan soup
• Shorba Arabia
• Usban
• Zumita

Desserts

• Ghreyba
• Maghrood
• Mhalbiya

Morocco

• Baghrir
• Bastilla
• Chebakia
• Couscous
• Harira
• Msemen
• Tajine
• Taktouka
• Zaalouk

Morrocan Spice mixes

• Chermoula
• Ras el Hanout

Somalia

Gashaato, a very popular coconut-based confection, set here to a backdrop of the Somali national flag.

Main article: Somali cuisine

Somali cuisine varies from region to region, and consists of an exotic mixture of native Somali, Ethiopian, Yemeni, and Italian culinary influences. It is the product of Somalia's rich tradition of trade and commerce.

Among the favorite Somali dishes include xalwo (halva), a sweet hardened jelly; soor, a soft cornmeal mashed with fresh milk, butter, and sugar, and served with maraq (stew); and sambuusa, a small fried pastry with a filling of meat and vegetables.

Sudan

Main article: Sudanese cuisine

In comparison to its North African and Levantine neighbors, the cuisine of Sudan tends to be generous with spices. The Sudanese cuisine has a rich variety in ingredients and creativity. Simple everyday vegetables are used to create stews and omelettes that are healthy yet nutritious, and full of energy and flair. These stews are called mullah. One could have a zucchini mullah, spinach "Riglah" mullah, etc. Sudanese food inspired the origins of Egyptian cuisine and Ethiopian cuisine, both of which are very popular in the Western world. Popular dishes include Ful medames, Shahan ful, Hummus, Bamya (a stew made from ground, sun dried okra), and Gurasa (pancake), as well as different types of salads and sweets.

• 
  Shahan ful presented alongside olive oil, berbere, various vegetables, and a roll of bread

Dishes

Name	Image	Description
Basbousa بسبوسة
Dolma ضولمة
Ful Medames فول مدمس		An Egyptian dish of cooked and mashed fava beans served with vegetable oil, cumin, and optionally with chopped parsley, onion, garlic, lemon juice, and chili pepper.
Kleeja كليجا
Maqluba مقلوبه
Mutabbaq مطبق		A stuffed pancake or pan-fried bread, which is commonly found in Saudi Arabia (especially the Tihamah and the Hejaz regions), Yemen, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Thailand.
Pickled lemon ليمون مخلل
Shish kebab كباب
Tharida		A soup prepared with broth, stewed meat and bread crumbs

• 
  Lahm Ba'ajeen لحم بعجين
• 
  Manakish مناقيش
• 
  Kabsa كبسة
• 
  Kebbeh كبة-كبيبة
• 
  Matboha مطبوخة
• 
  Baba Ghanoush بابا غانوج
• 
  Hummus حمصية
• 
  Waraq Enab ورق عنب - ملفوف
• 
  Labneh لبنة
• 
  Ka'ak كعك - كحك
• 
  Coffee قهوة
• 
  Hibiscus tea كركديه - عنآب
• 
  Halva حلاوة
• Qatayef القطائف
  Qatayef القطائف
• 
  Shish taouk شيش طاوك
• 
  Toum تومية
• 
  Falafel فلافل - طعمية
• 
  Kleicha الكليجة - كعب الغزال

See also

• Moroccan cuisine
• Algerian cuisine
• Tunisian cuisine
• Libyan cuisine
• Egyptian cuisine
• Palestinian cuisine
• Syrian cuisine
• Yemeni cuisine
• Omani cuisine
• Jordanian cuisine
• Lebanese cuisine

External links

• Media related to Arabic cuisine at Wikimedia Commons