Levantine cuisine

Kebab ( , ), kebap, kabob (alternative North American spelling), kebob, or kabab (Hindi and Kashmiri spelling) is a variety of roasted meat dishes that originated in the Middle East.

Moussaka (, , ; ) is an aubergine (eggplant)- or potato-based dish, often including ground meat, which is common in the Balkans and the Middle East, with many local and regional variations.

coffee brewing method originating from Turkey

Tzatziki ( ), also known as cacık () or tarator, is a class of dip, soup, or sauce found in the cuisines of Southeastern Europe and West Asia. It is made of salted strained yogurt or diluted yogurt mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, red wine vinegar, sometimes with lemon juice, and herbs such as dill, mint, parsley and thyme. It is served as a cold appetiser (meze), a side dish, and as a sauce for souvlaki and gyros sandwiches and other foods.

Tahini (; , or, in Iraq, ) is a Middle Eastern condiment (a seed butter) made from ground sesame seeds. The most common variety comes from hulled seeds, but unhulled ones can also be used; the latter variety is slightly bitter, but more nutritious. The seeds are more commonly roasted than raw. Tahini can be served by itself (as a dip), made into a salad dressing, or used as a major ingredient in hummus, baba ghanoush, or halva.

Dolma is a family of stuffed dishes largely associated with Ottoman cuisine. It mainly includes vegetables and leaves, and occasionally seafood, offal, fruits, and meats, that are hollowed out or wrapped, then filled with a mixture of rice, minced meat, herbs, and spices. The leaf-wrapped type can be specifically known as sarma, but colloquially dolma is used for both.

Pita ( or ; ; ) or pitta (British English), also known as Arabic bread, Arab bread (), Syrian bread, Lebanese bread, and pide (Turkish) is a family of yeast-leavened round flatbreads baked from wheat flour, common in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and neighboring areas. It includes the widely known version with an interior pocket. In the United Kingdom, the term is used for pocket versions such as the Greek pita, used for barbecues as a souvlaki wrap. The Western name pita may sometimes be used to refer to various other types of flatbreads that have different names in their local languages, s

Middle Eastern distilled spirit

thumb|Coarse bulgur

dish of cabbage leaves with a filling

Tabbouleh (), also transcribed tabouleh, tabbouli, tabouli, or taboulah, is a Levantine salad of finely chopped parsley, soaked bulgur, tomatoes, mint, and onion, seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and sweet pepper. Some variations add lettuce, or use semolina instead of bulgur.

Gyros, sometimes anglicized as a gyro (; , ), is meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, then sliced and served wrapped or stuffed in pita bread, along with other ingredients such as tomato, onion, fried potatoes, and tzatziki. In Greece and Cyprus, it is normally made with pork or sometimes with chicken, whilst ground beef and lamb are sometimes used in other countries.

Lahmacun, lahmajun or lahmajo is a Middle Eastern flatbread topped with minced meat (most commonly beef or lamb), minced vegetables, and herbs such as onions, garlic, tomatoes, red peppers, and parsley, flavored with spices such as chili pepper and paprika, then baked. Lahmacun is often wrapped around vegetables, including pickles, tomatoes, peppers, onions, lettuce, parsley, and roasted eggplant.

culinary traditions of Egypt

Maqluba (also attested by a variety of other spellings in English; ) is a traditional Levantine dish, a variety of Pilaf that is popular across Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Iraq. It consists of meat, rice, and fried vegetables placed in a pot which is flipped upside down when served, hence the name.

culinary traditions of Lebanon

'''Za'atar' ( ; , ) is a versatile herb blend and family of wild herbs native to the Levant, central to Middle Eastern cuisine and culture. The term refers both to aromatic plants of the Origanum and Thymbra genera (including Origanum syriacum, known as Bible hyssop) and to the prepared spice mixture of dried herbs (traditionally Origanum syriacum''), toasted sesame seeds, sumac, and salt. With roots stretching back to ancient Egypt and classical antiquity, za'atar has been used for millennia as a seasoning, folk remedy, and cultural symbol.

serving and drinking customs of Arabic coffee

Fattoush (; also fattush, fatush, fattoosh, and fattouche) is a Levantine salad made from toasted or fried pieces of pita combined with mixed greens and other vegetables, such as radishes, cucumber and tomatoes. Fattoush is a common part of meals in communities in the Levant.

Muhallebi ( or ; ) is a milk pudding commonly made with rice, sugar, milk and either rice flour, starch or semolina, popular as a dessert in the Middle East. While the dessert is called muhallebi in Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria, in other countries in the region (Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, and Israel) it is called malabi, mahalabiyeh or mehalabiya.

skewered meat dish

Mansaf ( /‍ˈ‍man‍.‍saf‍‍‍/) is a traditional Jordanian dish made of lamb, cooked in a sauce of fermented dried yogurt and served with rice or bulgur.

'''Ma'amoul''' ( ) is a filled butter cookie made with semolina flour. Originating in the Arab world, the filling can be made with dried fruits like figs, dates, or nuts such as pistachios or walnuts, and occasionally almonds or cheese.

culinary traditions of Iraq

culinary traditions of Palestine

thumb|right|Za'atar bread Manakish (; singular '''man'ousheh''') is a popular Levantine pastry, consisting of dough topped with za'atar (), cheese (), or ground meat. It can be sliced or folded, and it can be served either for breakfast or lunch.

cabbage, vine leaf, or other leaf roll

cuisine of the Kurdish people

dish involving filling the cavities of a pepper with other food

Mujaddara ( mujaddarah, with alternative spellings in English majadra, mejadra, moujadara, mudardara, and megadarra) is a dish consisting of cooked lentils together with groats, generally rice, and garnished with sautéed onions. It is especially popular in the Levant.

culinary traditions of Syria

Harees, haresa, hareesa, arizah, harise, jarish, jareesh, (), harisa (), or korkot () is a dish of boiled, cracked, or coarsely-ground cracked wheat or bulgur, mixed with meat and seasoned. Its consistency varies between a porridge and a gruel. Harees is known throughout Armenia where it is served on Easter, and the Arab world, where it is commonly eaten in Arab states of the Persian Gulf in the month of Ramadan, and in Iraq, Lebanon and Bahrain during Ashura by Shia Muslims.

Khubz () is the usual word for "bread" in Standard Arabic and in many of the vernaculars. Among the breads popular in Middle Eastern countries are "pocket" pita bread in the Levant and Egypt, and the flat tannur bread in Iraq.

The muhammara or mhammara () is a dip made of walnuts, red bell peppers, pomegranate molasses, and breadcrumbs. While commonly associated with Syria, muhammara can also be found in Western Armenian cuisine. In western Turkey, muhammara is referred to as acuka and is served as part of the mezze platter appetizer course.

type of bread

thumb|right|100px|A small jar of homemade Gulf-style baharat

bread made in a tandoor

culinary traditions of Jordan

Salsat toum (Arabic for ), also known as toumiya () or simply toum ( ), is a garlic sauce common to the Levant. It is similar to the Provençal aioli. There are many variations; a common one contains garlic, salt, olive oil or vegetable oil, and lemon juice, traditionally crushed together using a wooden mortar and pestle. There is also a popular variation in Lebanon where mint is added; it is called ().

Jallab or jellab () is a type of fruit syrup popular in the Levant made from carob, dates, grape molasses, and rose water.

Palestinian white brined sheep and goat's milk cheese

cuisine of the Eastern Mediterranean

thumb|A Syrian meal, with makdous at the lower left of center. Continuing clockwise are a salad, hummus, haloumi and baba ganouj, with pita bread partially visible at the upper right corner. Makdous ( or sometimes ) is a dish of oil-cured aubergines. Part of Levantine cuisine (Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine), they are miniature, tangy eggplants stuffed with walnuts, red pepper, garlic, olive oil, and salt. Sometimes chilli powder is added.

Salad dishes within Arabic cuisine

thumb|A dish of booza topped with pistachios served at the Bakdash (ice cream parlor)|Bakdash ice cream shop in [[Damascus|alt=]] Booza () is a frozen dairy dessert. It is traditionally made through a process of pounding and stretching in a freezer drum, instead of the more usual churning method used in other ice creams, leading to a creamy yet dense texture. Orange flower water or rose water are sometimes added for flavoring. The firmness of booza allows it to be shaped into a roll, which is a popular traditional serving method.

Masgouf (), is a Mesopotamian dish consisting of seasoned, grilled carp; it is often considered the national dish of Iraq.

Smen (from also called sman, semn, semneh, or sminn) is a salted, fermented butter native to North African cuisine (Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia), as well as a traditional Yemeni dish. In countries like Jordan and Lebanon, samneh is a type of butter similar to clarified butter, while north African smen is a type of fermented butter similar to ghee.

Shanklish ( shanklīsh or shanghlīsh), also known as chancliche, shinklish, shankleesh, sorke, sürke, or eddesh, is a type of cow or sheep milk cheese in Levantine cuisine.

dish common in the former Ottoman Empire

Quzi (), also spelled as qoozi or ghoozi, is a popular rice-based dish and is considered one of Iraq's national dishes. It is served with very slowly cooked lamb, roasted nuts, and raisins served over rice. The dish can also be found in some Arab states of the Persian Gulf.

Turkish dessert

milk product

Musabbaḥa (), also known as msabbaḥa, mashausha (), is a runnier variation of hummus made up of whole garbanzo beans and tahini. It is popular in the Levant.

regional cuisine

a middle eastern condiment made from boiled down pomegranate juice

Vegetable salad made in Israel.

traditional Syrian dessert

Middle Eastern sauce made either from walnuts (Turkey) or tahini (Levant)