The Most Famous Levantine Arab Dishes

posted on: Jul 31, 2020

Many Arab dishes.

By: Tasnim Elnasharty/Arab America Contributing Writer 

A region’s food is as significant in understanding its culture as its architecture, national dress, and traditions. Consequently, trying any Arab dish is a beneficial part of any visit to the Middle East. The food is abundant with a significant number of various flavorful alternatives to engage each palette. Customarily, these dishes are to be shared, which adds to the extraordinary experience guests get to try as a communal event. 

Levantine Dishes to Make Your Mouth Water

Hummus

There’s no mistake that this is a staple dish in Arab cuisine. Hummus a requirement for anyone hoping to be familiar with traditional foods from this region. This basic dish consists of chickpeas, tahini, garlic, salt, and lemon – and it’s very delicious. It’s ideal to order hummus to share and eat it with pita bread, making it one of the most popular shared dishes.  

Fattoush 

This flavorful bread plate of mixed salad is traditional to the Levantine food. It is regular fixture in Arab countries like Lebanon and Syria. Fattoush contains blended greens and little bits of fried pita bread, giving it some crunchiness. It frequently incorporates pomegranates.

This is, again, known as an incredible serving of mixed salad, making the dining experience a method for bringing people together through mouth-watering cuisine.

Tabouleh

Much like hummus and fattoush, tabouleh is a common mezze in the Arab world. Mezze is a well-utilized word that guests will find on menus of Arab cafés—a little dish to share toward the start of a several course meal. The salad’s ingredients are parsley, mint, onion, tomatoes, bulgur, lemon juice, olive oil, dark pepper, and salt. 

Mansaf 

Lamb is a staple meat in Arab cuisine, being a common and traditional dish for commemorative events such as the Eid. Mansaf is a traditional dish of Arab nations, like Palestine and Jordan, as well as others. Mansaf consists of lamb, yogurt, and rice. A requirement particularly for guests going to Jordan, as it is may be the most popular food of the country.

Kibbeh 

This Levantine dish is famous around the world. If you ask anyone about Arab cuisine, the main food that will presumably ring a bell is kibbeh. This is the most loved of tourists visiting the Middle East and can be made with various meats. Although, it’s more commonly made with ground beef, onions, and bulgur. The ingredients are combined and fried in order to make a little hamburger cake that is unbelievably delicious. 

Warak Enab

Also called grape leaves or vine leaves, warak enab is most common to the Lebanese food, in spite of the fact that it tends to be found in a few other Arabic dishes, including in Gulf nations. The cold mezze consists of grape leaves loaded down with rice, which can be blended in with a few different ingredients, for example, onions, tomatoes, and mint. This is a fabulous dish for vegans who still want to try Arab cuisine. 

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