Middle East

Dondurma, also called Maraş ice cream, refers to all types of Turkish ice cream that include ingredients such as salep (ground-up tuber of an orchid), cream, mastic (plant resin), whipped cream and sugar. What makes Dondurma unique is its resistance to melting as well as its solid, stretchy texture – famously allowing vendors to play …

Sigara böreği is a crispy Turkish pastry made with a fried phyllo dough crust and stuffed with crumbled Turkish white cheese and parsley. It is often enjoyed as an appetizer or party food and has a wide range of regional variations to its recipe, such as using feta and mozzarella or adding chives or minced …

Börek (also known as Burek, Byrek or Boureki) covers a range of pastry dishes made by layering thin phyllo dough, with fillings such as cheese, minced meat, spinach and seasonings, along with a creamy egg yogurt mixture which is baked into a crispy and flaky pie-like dish. Börek is commonly associated with Turkey but it …

Pogača is a yeast free bread, popular throughout Turkey, which usually contains some sort of savory filling. The dough which is made from wheat flour, contains yogurt. Pieces of dough are filled and pinched shut. Before placing in the oven, the bread is brushed with egg yolk then sprinkled with seeds or herbs. The egg …

Turkish Delight is a type of soft, chewy sweet made from syrup and cornflour, flavored with rosewater and dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Turkish delight may contain nuts, such as pistachios or hazelnuts, or dates which are suspended within the gel-like structure.  The Turkish name for Turkish Delight is “lokum” which translates to morsel or mouthful. …

Qatayef, also spelled katayef, is a kind of sweet dumpling that is stuffed with cream or nuts (typically a mixture of hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, pistachios and raisins). Other ingredients include unsalted cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon. This Arab delicacy is typically consumed during the month of Ramadan and is most popular in Egypt, …

Knafeh is a Palestinian dessert made of phyllo pastry filled with cream cheese and topped with a sweet syrup.  Akawi cheese is traditionally used to fill knafeh, this is a popular cheese in the Middle East with a consistency similar to mozzarella. The akawi is soaked in water before the dessert is made to remove …

Gondi is a Persian stew consisting of dumplings made from chicken and chickpeas which are served in chicken broth or soup. To make the dumplings, chickpea flour or ground chickpeas, ground chicken, onions and spices are mixed into a dough. The dough is allowed to rest while the broth is prepared. The dough is divided …

Sahlab, also spelled sahlep or salep, is a flour prepared using the tubers of the orchid genus Orchis (including species Orchis mascula and Orchis militaris). Sahlab is served in several drinks and sweet dishes, particularly in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire, especially in the Levant, where it is a traditional winter drink. However, …

Bahrain is an island country situated in Western Asia (on the Persian Gulf) located between Qatar and the north-eastern coast of Saudi Arabia. The country is famous for its lush copses of date palms. They have been used for trade purposes and have also been considered a source of natural resources for the neighboring areas …

Malawach, also known as Melawwaḥ, is a traditional Yemenite Jewish flatbread. This bread is similar to a thick pancake but contains thin layers of puff pastry brushed with oil. It is traditionally consumed with hard-boiled eggs, zhug, and a crushed or grated tomato dip. Occasionally, people also consume it with honey. Origin & Cultural Significance …

Tulumba, also known as bamiyeh, is a deep-fried dessert prepared using an unleavened dough lump, which is shaped as a small ovoid and includes ridges lengthways. It is shaped with the help of a pastry bag or cookie press, which has a fitting end part. It is initially deep-fried which gives it a golden colour, …

Ashta is a sweet cream product often compared to clotted cream that is popular in Lebanon and many other countries in the Middle East. The traditional method of making Ashta is by cooking milk until it curdles and separates. The milk is then drained so that the lumpy curds can be collected. The curds are …

Arayes are a Lebanese dish of grilled pitas stuffed with meat. Meat choices are typically lamb or beef, flavored with herbs and spices. The pita bread is sliced and the meat is stuffed into its pocket, then the pita is placed on the grill to cook the meat, where it develops a toasty crust. Lamb …

Oman is an Arab country located in Western Asia on the Arabian Peninsula. The country is bordered by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, while sharing maritime borders with Iran and Pakistan.  The countries’ southern and eastern sides are bordered by the Arabian Sea. Like its neighbors, Oman’s climate is dry and hot. …

Kuwait is a small Middle Eastern country wedged between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. On the eastern side of the country is the Persian Gulf, which is part of the Indian Ocean. Across the gulf is the country of Iran. It takes approximately 5 hours to cross the gulf via boat commuting between the two countries. …

Musakhan is a chicken and onion dish served on a flat bread. Traditionally an entire chicken would be roasted then broken down to make Mushakan. The chicken is flavored with spices, with sumac being the predominant one. As the chicken roasts, sliced onions are cooked in the same spices as the chicken. Taboon bread is …

Zereshk Polo (or Zereshk Polow) is a saffron flavored rice dish topped with barberries, popular in Iran. The rice is cooked in a pot, letting the bottom develop a crust. This crispy layer is called tahdig. The rice is then carefully flipped onto a plate keeping its shape intact. The top of the rice is …