Middle East

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 …

Toum is a garlic sauce condiment from Lebanon. The sauce is made from mixing garlic, oil, lemon and salt together. The texture of toum is not very saucy, rather, it’s like a light fluffy paste. The best texture is attained by using fresh garlic rather than canned or previously frozen. Young garlic has a milder …

Hamine, also known as beid hamine or beid haouzi in Egypt, are long-simmered eggs that belong to the Sephardic Jewish cuisine. The eggs are allowed to simmer gradually in their broth till they attain a browned flavour. Unlike traditional hard-boiled eggs that are a little rubbery and dry, hamine eggs are soft and creamy in …

Amba is a fermented mango condiment made from firm unripe mangoes, spices and peppers placed in a jar. A salty brine is poured over the ingredients and the jar is sealed and set aside to ferment for over a week. Once it has fermented sufficiently, the amba is pureed to the desired level of chunkiness. …

Cyprus is an island country situated in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, south of the Anatolian Peninsula. The country is best known for the Limassol carnival, wreck diving, Haloumi cheese and its dessert wine (also known as Commandaria). The population of Cyprus is made up of two major ethnicities, including Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Cypriot …

Palestine is an area in the eastern Mediterranean region, including parts of contemporary Israel, the Palestinian territories of the Gaza Strip (along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea) and the West Bank (west of the Jordan River). The area is considered a holy land in three of the world’s greatest religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism.   …

Yemen is located in the Middle East at the Southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula. On its north is the country of Saudi Arabia and the country of Oman is located to its east. The west and south borders of Yemen are entirely coastal. The climate is dry, hot and humid. Over half of Yemen’s …