Levantine cuisine

Freekeh (sometimes spelled frikeh) or farik (Arabic: فريكة‎‎ / ALA-LC: farīkah) (pronounced free-kah) is a cereal food made from green durum wheat (Triticum turgidum var. durum) that is roasted and rubbed to create its unique flavor.

Qurabiya (Azerbaijani: قورابیه Qurabiyə, Turkish: Kurabiye, Arabic: غرّيبة‎‎, Albanian: Kurabie, Greek: κουραμπιές, Bulgarian: курабия, Persian: قرابیه‎‎), is a shortbread-type biscuit originating from Iran, usually made with ground almonds.

Tahini /tɑː.ˈhiː.

Ful medames (Arabic: فول مدمس‎‎, fūl midammis IPA: [fuːl meˈdæmmes]; other spellings include ful mudammas and foule mudammes), or simply fūl, is a dish of cooked fava beans served with vegetable oil, cumin, and optionally with chopped parsley, garlic, onion, lemon juice, chili pepper and other vegetable, herb and spice ingredients.

Kebab (also American kabob) is a term in English for several types of food.

Fasolada, fasoulada or sometimes fasolia (Greek: φασολάδα, φασουλάδα or φασόλια) is a Greek and Cypriot soup of dry white beans, olive oil, and vegetables, sometimes called the "national food of the Greeks".

Mujaddara (Arabic: مجدرة‎‎ mujadarah, with alternative spellings in English majadra, mejadra, moujadara, mudardara, and megadarra) consists of cooked lentils together with groats, generally rice, and garnished with sautéed onions.

Biryani (pronounced [bɪr.jaːniː]), also known as biriyani or biriani, is an Indian mixed rice dish with its origins among the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent.

Baba ghanoush (Arabic: بابا غنوج‎‎ bābā ghannūj, also appears as baba ganush, baba ghanouj or baba ghanoug) is a Levantine dish of cooked eggplant mixed with tahina, olive oil and various seasonings.

Fattoush (Arabic: فتوش‎‎, also fattush, fatush, fattoosh, and fattouche) is a Levantine bread salad made from toasted or fried pieces of pita bread (khubz 'arabi) combined with mixed greens and other vegetables, such as radishes and tomatoes.

Kanafah (Arabic: كنافة‎‎ kunāfah, Turkish: künefe, Azerbaijani: ریشته ختایی riştə xətayi, Greek: κανταΐφι kadaïfi/kataïfi, Hebrew: כנאפה‎‎ knafeh), also spelled kunafeh or kunafah is a Middle Eastern cheese pastry soaked in sweet, sugar-based syrup, typical of the regions belonging to the former Ottoman Empire.

Lebanese Cuisine (Arabic: المطبخ اللبناني‎‎) (French: Cuisine Libanaise) includes an abundance of, whole grain, fruits, vegetables, starches, fresh fish and seafood; animal fats are consumed sparingly.

Moussaka (/muːˈsɑːkə/, /ˌmuːsəˈkɑː/ or /ˌmuːsɑːˈkɑː/) is an eggplant- (aubergine) or potato-based dish, often including ground meat, in the cuisines of the countries of the former Ottoman Empire, with many local and regional variations.

Hummus (/ˈhʊ.məs/, /ˈxʊ.mʊs/, or /ˈhʌ.məs/, in full, hummus bi tahini, is a Levantine and Egyptian food dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas or other beans, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. Today, it is popular throughout the Middle East (including Turkey), North Africa (including Morocco), and in Middle Eastern cuisine around the globe. It can be found in most grocery stores in North America.

Meghli, moghli, or karawiyah is a Levantine dessert based on a floured rice pudding and spiced with anise, caraway, and cinnamon.

A gyro or gyros (Greek pronunciation: [ˈʝiros]) (Greek: γύρος, gyros, literally 'turn') is a Greek dish made of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, normally pork, chicken, beef, veal, lamb or mutton, or other alternatives such as feta or haloumi cheese, and usually served wrapped in a flatbread such as pita, with cucumber, tomato, onion, and tzatziki sauce.

Meze or mezze (/ˈmɛzeɪ/, also spelled mazzeh or mazze; Persian: مزه‎‎; Turkish: meze; Greek: μεζές; Serbian: мезе; Bulgarian: мезе; Arabic: مقبلات‎‎) is a selection of small dishes served to accompany alcoholic drinks in the Near East, the Balkans, and parts of Central Asia.

Börek (Turkish pronunciation: [bøˈɾekʲ]; also burek and other variants) is a family of baked filled pastries made of a thin flaky dough known as phyllo (or yufka), found in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire.

Baklava (/ˈbɑːkləvɑː/, /bɑːkləˈvɑː/, or /bəˈklɑːvə/; [bɑːklɑvɑː]) is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts and sweetened and held together with syrup or honey.

Falafel (/fəˈlɑːfəl/; Arabic: فلافل‎‎, [fæˈlæːfɪl] , dialectal: [fæˈlæːfel]) is a deep-fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both.

Many cuisines feature eggplant salads and appetizers.

Arak or araq (Arabic: عرق‎‎) is a Levantine alcoholic spirit (~40–63% Alc. Vol./~80–126 proof, commonly 50% Alc. Vol./100 proof) in the anis drinks family.

Shawarma or Shawurma (Arabic: شاورما‎‎ / ALA-LC: shāwarmā; Hebrew: שַׁוַארְמָה shava'rmah) is an Arab and Israeli meat preparation, where lamb, chicken, turkey, beef, veal, buffalo meat, or mixed meats are placed on a spit (commonly a vertical spit in restaurants), and may be grilled for as long as a day.

Turkish coffee (Turkish: Türk kahvesi) is a method of preparing unfiltered coffee.

Tabbouleh (Arabic: تبولة‎‎ tabūlah; also tabouleh or tab(b)ouli) is a Middle Eastern vegetarian dish (sometimes considered a salad) traditionally made of tomatoes, finely chopped parsley, mint, bulgur, and onion, and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.

Taboon bread (Arabic: خبز طابون‎‎) is a Middle Eastern flatbread.

Msabbaha (Arabic: مسبحة‎‎, also romanized musabbaha, lit. meaning "swimming") is a variation of hummus popular in the Levant.

Iraqi samoon or Stone samoon is a type of yeast bread that is consumed mainly in Iraq.

Baladi cheese (Arabic: جبنة بلدية or جبنة بلدي‎‎, jibnah baladī) is a soft, white cheese originating in the Middle East.

Qatayef or Katayef (قطايف) is an Arab dessert commonly served during the month of Ramadan, a sort of sweet dumpling filled with cream or nuts.

Sfiha (Arabic: صفيحة‎‎ sfīḥah), is a pizza-like dish originating from the Levant, specifically Baalbek, Lebanon, but it is also known in Turkey as pide.

Markook, also known as Shrak (Arabic: مرقوق، شراك) is a type of unleavened flatbread common in the countries of the Levant.

Phoenicia dessert, is a type of Lebanese cookie.

Tepsi baytinijan (Arabic: التبسي‎‎) is a popular Iraqi casserole dish consisting of aubergine, which are sliced and fried before placing in a baking dish, accompanied with meatballs, tomatoes, onions and garlic.

Khubz, khoubz or khobz (Arabic: خبز‎‎, khubzun), round Arabic bread, forms a staple of the local diet from the Arabian Peninsula to Morocco.

Fatteh (Arabic: فتّة‎‎ meaning crushed or crumbs, also romanized as fette, fetté, fatta or fattah) is a class of southern Levantine dishes consisting of pieces of fresh, toasted, or stale flatbread covered with other ingredients.

Stuffed squash, marrow, or zucchini is a dish of the region of the former Ottoman Empire from the Balkans to the Levant, a kind of dolma.

Sarma is a dish of grape, cabbage, monk's rhubarb or chard leaves rolled around a filling usually based on minced meat, or a sweet dish of filo dough wrapped around a filling often of various kinds of chopped nuts.

Kibbeh, kibbe, kebbah (also kubbeh, kubbah, kubbi) (pronunciation varies with region) (Arabic: كبة‎‎) is a Levantine dish made of bulgur (cracked wheat), minced onions, and finely ground lean beef, lamb, goat, or camel meat with Middle Eastern spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice).

Kibbeh nayyeh or raw kibbeh (Arabic: كبة نيئة‎‎) is a Lebanese and common Levantine mezze.

Kabsa (Arabic: كبسة‎‎ kabsah) is a family of mixed rice dishes that originates from Saudi Arabia, where it is commonly regarded as a national dish.

Jibneh Arabieh (Arabic: جبنة عربية‎‎) (also jibni) is a soft white cheese found all over the Middle East.

Manakish, also manaqish, manaeesh or manakeesh or in singular form man'ousheh (Arabic: مناقيش‎‎ manāqīsh; sometimes called معجنات mu‘ajjanāt 'pastry') is a popular Levantine food consisting of dough topped with thyme, cheese, or ground meat.

Syrian cuisine is a diffusion of the cultures of civilizations that settled in Syria, particularly during and after the Islamic era beginning with the Arab Umayyad conquest, then the eventual Persian-influenced Abbasids and ending with the strong influences of Turkish cuisine, resulting from the coming of the Ottoman Turks.

Makdous (Arabic: المكدوس‎‎ or sometimes المقدوس) are oil cured eggplants.

Ma'amoul (Arabic: معمول‎‎ ma‘mūl [mɑʕmuːl]) are small shortbread pastries filled with dates, pistachios or walnuts (or occasionally almonds, figs, or other fillings).

Quzi also called Qoozi or Ghozi (Arabic: قوزي‎‎) is a rice based dish popular in Levant countries.

Fatayer (Arabic: فطاير‎‎) is a Middle Eastern meat pie that can alternatively be stuffed with spinach (sabanekh), or cheese (jibnah) such as Feta or A'kawi.

Nabulsi (or naboulsi) is one of a number of Palestinian white brined cheeses made in the Middle East.

Fried cauliflower, also known as zahra mekleyah (Arabic: الارنبيط المقلي, زهره مقليه‎‎), is a Levantine vegetarian dish served cold or hot, consisting of fried cauliflower, often accompanied by tahini sauce, lettuce, parsley and tomatoes, served on pita bread or sliced bread, often grilled or toasted.

Batata harra (Arabic: بطاطا حارة‎‎) (literally "spicy potatoes") is a Lebanese vegetable dish.

Tzatziki (English pronunciation: /tætˈsiːki/, /tsætˈsiːki/, or /tɑːtˈsiːki/; Greek: τζατζίκι [dzaˈdzici] or [dʒaˈdʒici] or in Cypriot Greek: τταλαττούρι) is a Greek sauce served with grilled meats or as a dip.

Stuffed mallow (Turkish: Ebegümeci sarması; Hebrew: עלי חוביזה ממולאים‎, translit. Aley Ḥubeza Memu'layim‎) is a generic name for meals made of mallow leaves, stuffed with meat (lamb) and rice, or more rarely rice only.

Israeli salad (Hebrew: סָלָט יְרָקוֹת יִשְׂרְאֵלִי‎, translit. salat yerakot yisra'eli‎, "Israeli vegetable salad", also known as Arab salad) is a chopped salad of finely diced tomato, onion, cucumber, and bell or chili peppers.

Mulukhiyah, mloukhiya, molokhia, molohiya, mulukhiyya, malukhiyah, or moroheiya (Arabic: ملوخية‎‎) is the leaves of Corchorus olitorius commonly known as Nalta jute and tossa jute.

Shanklish (Arabic: شنكليش‎‎ shanklīsh or شنغليش shanghlīsh), also known as shinklish, shankleesh, sorke, or sürke, is a type of cow's milk or sheep milk cheese in Levantine cuisine.

There are numerous different kinds of Syrian cheese.

Mansaf (Arabic: منسف‎‎) is a traditional Levantine dish made of lamb cooked in a sauce of fermented dried yogurt and served with rice or bulgur.

Semeç Masgûf (Iraqi Arabic: سمچ مسگوف), or simply masgûf, is a Mesopotamian dish consisting of seasoned, grilled carp; it is often considered the national dish of Iraq.

Arab salad is any of a variety of salad dishes that form part of Arab cuisine.

Jalebi, also known as Zulbia, is a sweet popular in countries of South Asia, West Asia, North Africa, and East Africa.