50 Fun Facts About Middle Eastern Food

Which Levantine dip is mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon juice and garlic?

Its earliest mention is in a 13th-century cookbook attributed to Ibn al-Adim of Aleppo.

Falafel, though now a Levantine staple, originated in which country?

In Egypt it is still usually made from fava beans; the Levant switched to chickpeas.

Which Levantine street food takes its name from the Turkish çevirme, meaning 'turning'?

Thin slices of meat are stacked in an inverted cone and roasted on a slow-turning vertical spit.

Baklava is a layered nut-filled dessert made from which pastry?

The Ottomans spread paper-thin phyllo sweets across the region along with thick coffee.

Tabbouleh is a salad of soaked cracked wheat and which finely chopped herb?

Tomatoes, mint and onion go in too, dressed with olive oil and lemon.

What is tahini made from?

Hulled seeds are the norm; unhulled tahini is more bitter but more nutritious.

Baba ghanoush is a dip made from which roasted vegetable?

Roasting it over an open flame before peeling gives the pulp its smoky taste.

Za'atar is a blend of dried herbs, sesame seeds, salt and which tart red spice?

Lebanese versions lean into its tartness; Palestinian ones may add caraway.

Which Jordanian national dish is meat cooked in fermented dried yogurt and served on rice?

Its name comes from the 'large tray' it is served on; UNESCO listed it in 2022.

Kibbeh is made by pounding spiced ground meat together with which grain?

Aleppo claims at least 17 types; it can be fried, baked in a tray, grilled or eaten raw.

Knafeh Nabulseyeh, the usual variant in Jordan and Palestine, is named for which city?

Nablus set a Guinness record in 2009 with a 74-metre knafeh weighing 1,765 kg.

Mulukhiyah, the Egyptian soup-stew, is made from the leaves of which plant?

Boiled, the leaves give a thick, mucilaginous broth often compared to cooked okra.

Dolma, the family of filled vegetable and leaf dishes, is Turkish for what?

The leaf-wrapped kind is specifically sarma, though most people say dolma for both.

Which Cypriot cheese has a high melting point and a famously 'squeaky' texture?

To carry the name in the EU or US it must be made in Cyprus; the UK is the biggest importer.

Which cold, salted yogurt drink is a Turkish national drink?

In Iran the same drink is called doogh; some versions are carbonated.

What is Egypt's national street dish of pasta, rice, lentils and chickpeas in red sauce?

It is topped with crispy fried onions and a splash of garlic vinegar.

Ful medames, an Egyptian staple, is a stew of which legume?

It is traditionally cooked in and served from a large metal jug, dressed with oil and cumin.

Fattoush is a Levantine salad distinguished by pieces of what?

The name comes from the Arabic fatt, 'crush', with a Turkic suffix.

Shakshouka is eggs poached in a sauce based mainly on what?

The word means 'mixture' in Algerian Arabic; the dish is Maghrebi by origin.

The doner kebab sandwich was popularised in the 1970s in which city?

Kadir Nurman's stand at Zoo Station in 1972 is the version the Turkish döner association credits.

Muhammara, a red dip of walnuts and peppers, comes from which Syrian city?

In western Turkey the same dip is called acuka and served on the meze platter.

Manakish flatbreads were traditionally baked first thing in the morning in what?

Women baked the family's daily bread and set aside smaller pieces of dough for topped breakfast breads.

Maqluba, a Levantine rice dish, is named for how it is served; what does the name mean?

Meat, rice and fried vegetables are cooked in a pot that is flipped over onto the platter.

Lahmacun is nicknamed 'Turkish pizza' though it traditionally has no cheese and no what?

Its Arabic name, lahm bi ajin, means 'meat with dough'.

Freekeh is made from durum wheat harvested at what stage?

The piled grain is sun-dried and set alight so only the chaff burns, then rubbed clean.

Qamar al-Din, drunk during Ramadan, is a thick sweet drink made from which fruit?

The fruit is boiled down, sun-dried on wooden planks, then mixed again with water and sugar.

Jallab is a syrup of dates, rose water and the molasses of which fruit, served over crushed ice?

It is sometimes topped with raisins or pine nuts.

Arak, the Levantine spirit served with meze, is flavoured with what?

It is usually diluted with water and ice, which turns it cloudy white.

What is the small long-handled pot used to brew unfiltered Turkish-style coffee called?

The grounds are left in the cup; in the Gulf the Arabic coffee pot is the dallah.

Arabic coffee is typically spiced with what and served without sugar?

In Iraq, serving coffee traditionally opens marriage proposals and peace-making between families.

UNESCO inscribed the coffee culture and tradition of which country on its heritage list?

Ironically, Turks now drink more tea than coffee and Nescafé is the country's top brand.

Turkish delight is based on a gel of sugar and what?

Rosewater, mastic, bergamot and lemon are the classic flavourings; the cubes are dusted with icing sugar.

Sales of Turkish delight rose after the 2005 film of which C. S. Lewis novel?

The White Witch uses the enchanted sweet to win over Edmund Pevensie.

Gaziantep baklava, the first Turkish product with EU protection, uses which nut?

A Syrian chef's recipe reached Gaziantep in 1871 via Çelebi Güllü.

The Ottoman sultan presented trays of baklava to which troops every 15th of Ramadan?

The ceremonial procession was called the Baklava Alayı.

Kabsa, the rice dish regarded as national across the Gulf states, is also called what?

Its origins are disputed: Bedouin cooking, Yemeni mandi, or even Andalusian paella.

Jordan's national lamb-and-yogurt dish was listed by UNESCO in which year?

The state presents it as a Bedouin tradition, though neighbouring Palestinians and Syrians ate it too.

Labneh is yogurt that has been what?

Straining out the whey makes it thicker than Greek yogurt while keeping the sour taste.

Wheat was first cultivated in which region, which takes in Mesopotamia?

Rye, barley, lentils, figs, pomegranates and dates followed, and so did sheep, goats and cattle.

Religious dietary law makes which meat the primary one across the region?

Neither Jews nor Muslims eat pork, though Assyrian, Armenian, Cypriot and Maronite Christians may.

The clarified butter traditionally preferred for cooking in the region is known as what?

Olive oil dominates on the Mediterranean coast, and is used by Christians in Lent and by Jews to keep meat and dairy apart.

Qatir, the syrup poured over many sweets, is boiled from sugar, lemon juice and what?

The proportions vary by dish; it is what makes knafeh and baklava glisten.

In Persian custom, what does the ritual politeness of taarof involve at the table?

Accepting only after repeated offers avoids looking greedy; hosts cook far more than needed for the same reason.

Turkish diners say 'Afiyet olsun' around a meal; what does it mean?

'Elinize sağlik', 'bless your hand', is what you say to the cook afterwards.

Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, lasts how many days?

Every household that can afford it slaughters a sheep or goat and shares food with the poor.

Datassential counted nearly how many Middle Eastern restaurants in the US in 2020?

That was about half a per cent of all American restaurants, and up almost 100 on the year before.

Which chef criticised labels like 'Middle-Eastern' and 'Levantine' as self-orientalising?

He pointed out that northern Algeria and Marseille both get filed under 'Mediterranean' yet share little.

Château Ksara, Chateau Kefraya and Chateau Masaya are wineries in which country?

Château Ksara is also known for its arak; Al-Maza, the country's main brewery, was once the region's only one.

Kofta meatballs range in size from a golf ball up to what?

The earliest recipes, in early Arab cookbooks and Byzantium, call for ground lamb.

Meze, the spread of small dishes, is most often compared with which Spanish tradition?

It may open a multi-course meal or be the whole meal, usually with arak, ouzo or raki alongside.