What are the Types of Middle Eastern Food?

Middle Eastern cuisine is West Asian cuisine to be precise. It includes a wide range of Armenian, Arabic, Assyrian, Azerbaijani, Egyptian, Cypriot, Iranian, Georgian, Israeli, Iraqi, Lebanese, Kurdish, Turkish, and Palestinian food types. The common ingredients that are used include honey, dates, sesame seeds, olives, olive oil, sumac, pitas, mint, chickpeas, parsley, rice, and popular dishes including dolmas, kebabs, falafel, yogurt, shawarma, and mulukhiyah.  

Whenever one talks of healthy, fresh, rich, wholesome, and aromatic, it has to be something middle eastern. There’s no doubt that the past decade has witnessed the skyrocketing global profile of Middle Eastern foods. 

In our Middle Eastern Restaurant, we observe that everyone has their favorite dish. Everything depends on the preferences of our guests. Also, most of the favorite dishes of food connoisseurs across the globe are simple and rustic, when it comes to these West Asian foods.  

For example, there’s a dish known as m’jadarrah, which is a lentil stew. Many food bloggers jokingly call it the poor man’s stew as it comprises slow-cooked lentils with a sprinkling of burghul and caramelized onions and is served with a side of zesty cabbage salad. 

Another preparation is kishik, which is a porridge made from burghul brewed with yogurt and dried in the sun, mostly on rooftops for over a week during the fall before being ground into fine powder. This middle eastern food is a perfect soul-soothing, a wholesome dish prepared faster, despite an acquired taste. 

In this article, we have cited a few examples of the top 10 Middle Eastern dishes that have gained global popularity. We hope that the list will be enough to get you started. The dishes are as follows- 

Foul Meddamas 

Comprising olive oil, fava beans, parsley, onion, garlic, and lemon, this dish does lack the most appetizing of presentations. The best we can say about it is blobby brown mash. Taste and texture make up for it. 

Manakeesh 

More popular as the pizza of the Arabic world, manakeesh is a round bread sprinkled with cheese, ground meat, or herbs, also known as zaatar. It will be a perfect beginning of your day if you have it for breakfast. You can enjoy it during lunch hours too. Varieties are from, fancy Levantine restaurants or street vendors. 

Grilled Halloumi 

These mini-slabs of chewy goodness are derived from goat and sheep milk. Dissimilar to other cheeses, no acid or bacteria is applied during processing.  

Hummus 

Also known as the big daddy chickpea spread, hummus can be smeared on anything from a burger or baked potato to conventional hot pita bread. If you add more garlic, then it tastes even much better. 

Tabouleh 

You need not have to be a vegetarian to enjoy this outstanding mixture of mint, bulgur, parsley, onion, and tomatoes. However, you need to be cautious as you just might be allured to switch teams after a steady diet of this popular salad. 

Falafel 

You may feel that fried chickpeas with herbs as simply a magical snack. Or tasty pita filler. But for Middle Easterners, the sources of falafel are a matter of patriotic interest. 

We have witnessed that the dish’s provenance sparks fierce debates. However, many of our guests remain satisfied being on the sidelines and staying addicted to the taste. 

Fattoush 

This bitter salad happens to be one of the Middle East’s greatest contributions to global culture. Diced tomatoes, crunchy fried squares of pita, crispy lettuce, cucumbers, onion, garlic, lemon, olive oil, and mint combine to develop a refreshing addiction. 

Shanklish 

Generally, this cow or sheep milk cheese is made into golf ball-sized bites and rolled in zaatar herbs or chili flakes. It is often enjoyed with onion, diced tomato, and olive oil. 

Moutabal/ Baba Ghanoush 

If you feel that hummus is the best dip on the planet, you find moutabal. Like baba ghanoush, the dip provides you with a similar consistency with an eggplant kick. You can spice it up with chili to enhance your appetite. 

Umm Ali 

Egyptian bread pudding, or Umm Ali, is a mouthwatering pastry prepared in milk and cream. Different versions are cooked with raisins, croissant pieces, vanilla, pistachios, and condensed milk. 

Conclusion 

We hope that this was enough to boost your appetite. Aren’t they mouth-watering enough to be tried at least once? So, let us know about your favorite dish from the Mideast. Visit one of our best fancy restaurants to have more authentic Middle Eastern dishes that would be a perfect treat for your tastebuds.