Middle Eastern cuisine

Common ingredients include olives and olive oil, pitas, honey, sesame seeds, dates,[1] sumac, chickpeas, mint, rice and parsley, and popular dishes include kebabs, dolmas, falafel, baklava, yogurt, doner kebab, shawarma and mulukhiyah.

[2] Currently, the countries that are considered to comprise the Middle East are: Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Palestine, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, including the various ethnic, cultural, religious and ethno-linguistic groups within these nations.

The Middle East incorporates the Fertile Crescent, including Mesopotamia (Sumer, Akkad, Assyria and Babylonia) where wheat was first cultivated, followed by rye, barley, lentils, beans, pistachios, figs, pomegranates, dates and other regional staples.

550–330 BCE), the foundation was laid for modern Middle-Eastern food when rice, poultry and fruits were incorporated into the local diet.

Assyrian communities in Iraq, Turkey and Syria have long produced their own Wheat Beer, Wine and Arak.

[1][10] Under the Ottoman Empire, sweet pastries of paper-thin phyllo dough and thick coffee were brought and introduced to the region.

Burghul is also used in meat pies and as an ingredient in salads (notably in tabbouleh with chopped parsley, tomato, lemon, and oil).

Also, olive oil is prevalent in Mediterranean coastal areas, where Christians use it during the Lenten and other fasts which disallow meat and dairy products.

Another extensive variety is kofta kebab, made from ground meat mixed with onions and spices, shaped around the skewer like a sausage and grilled.

The most popular kibbeh is made with ground meat (typically lamb) and burghul, worked together into a dough and stuffed with minced meat fried with onion, herbs and sometimes pine nuts, or almonds and raisins, prepared as individual small dumplings (shaped like a torpedo) or sliced like a cake and baked on an oven tray with two layers of stuffed dough.

Baba ghanoush is eggplant roasted over an open fire, mashed and dressed with tahini (sesame paste), lemon juice, garlic, and cumin.

Tomato is the most ubiquitous ingredient in Middle-Eastern cookery, used fresh in salads, cooked in stews and broth, and grilled with kebab.

Dried fava beans are boiled into ful medames, one of the most popular Egyptian domestic and street foods.

Falafel, which is popular in Europe and the United States, was originally made from dried fava beans formed into a rissole with herbs and spices and then fried.

Grape leaves, chard, and cabbage are stuffed with rice, ground meat, pine nuts and spices, and stewed in oil and tomatoes.

It consists of several small dishes (cheese, melon, nuts, salads and dips such as tabbouleh, hummus and mutabbal, and pickles) and more substantial items, such as grilled meat, kibbeh, and sausage.

Oftentimes, peace between families, marriage proposals, and significant life events are initiated by the serving of coffee.

[16] Arak is a distilled, anise-flavored alcoholic drink, usually diluted with water and ice, and served in social gatherings with meze.

[19] Jallab is a fruit syrup made from grape molasses, dates and rose water served over crushed ice, sometimes with raisins or pine nuts.

In some Arab countries, especially in the Persian Gulf region, it is common for diners to take their food from a communal plate in the center of the table.

The end of Ramadan is marked by Eid al-Fitr, featuring a great quantity and variety of sweets and pastries.

An animal (usually a sheep or goat) is slaughtered in every household that can afford it, great banquets are prepared, and food is given to the poor.

[12] The working people of Iraq choose to start the day off with kahi, which is made of thin pastry dough.

In traditional Iranian restaurants, a large, low table lined with Persian rugs and with cushions around the sides is the setting for a meal.

Diners sit cross-legged in a circle and food is served in the center (eaten with cutlery on separate plates).