12 Dishes

Breakfast

Baghrir

Baghrir or beghrir (البغرير), also known as ghrayef or mchahda, is a pancake consumed in the maghreb region. they are small, spongy, and made with semolina or flour; when cooked correctly, they are riddled with tiny holes (which soak up whatever sauce they are served with). the most common way to eat baghrir in algeria and morocco is by dipping them in a honey-butter mixture, but they can also be cut into wedges and served with jam. it is common to add raisins to the pancake as well. baghrir is popular for breakfast, as a snack, and for iftar during ramadan.

Breakfast

Balela

Balila is a levantine dish consisting of chickpeas that have been boiled along with lemon juice, garlic, and various spices. it is served as a hot mezze dish. the name is also used for a different egyptian dish made of wheat, milk, nuts, and raisins.

Breakfast

Bazin

Bazin (arabic: البازين, pronounced [baːˈziːn], is an unleavened bread in the cuisine of libya prepared with barley, water and salt. bazin is prepared by boiling barley flour in water and then beating it to create a dough using a magraf, which is a unique stick designed for this purpose. the dough may then be placed in a pan and allowed time to harden, after which it is baked or steamed. the salt contributes to the hardness of the bazin. bazin may have a paste-like and hardened texture. it may also be prepared using whole wheat flour, olive oil and pepper as ingredients.bazin is typically served with a tomato sauce, eggs, potatoes and mutton. this preparation method involves shaping the dough into the shape of a pyramid or dome, after which it may be served with a tomato-based soup or meat-and-potato stew poured atop or around it and garnished with hard-boiled eggs. a raw egg may also be placed in the hot soup. aseeda is a dish prepared using bazin, honey, date syrup and butter or oil. bazin may also be accompanied with a cooked pumpkin and tomato sauce mixture.when consumed, bazin may be "crumpled and eaten with the fingers." it is typically eaten using the right hand, and may be consumed communally. bazin has been described as a traditional dish and as a national dish of libya.

Breakfast

Bsisa

Bsisa (arabic: بسيسة, berber aḍemmin hebrew: בסיסה) is a typical mediterranean food, based on flour of roasted barley which dates back to roman times.bsisa is a variety of mixtures of roasted cereals ground with fenugreek and aniseed and cumin and sugar. this kind of food is known throughout tunisia and libya. its history goes back a long way, and travellers and nomads used to take bsisa with them on their journeys since it was both full of nutritional value and easy to carry in its ground powder form. the herbs and spices that are added to the mixture can vary, and the mixtures can also be used as a liquid when added to milk or water, creating a strongly floured drink called rowina. the most common use for bsisa is to mix them with olive oil into a paste. this is then typically eaten with dates or figs for a quick meal which is energy-rich and healthy. 'howira' is a similar mixture to bsisa, however of a darker complexion and consists of similar ingredients.it is eaten by tunisian and libyan [[ muslims and jews]] on various occasions, and especially the first day of the hebrew month of nisan as this is the day the mishkan (tabernacle) was erected (in this case, the food is named bsiset el-marquma or simply bsisa). the food is powder that consists of wheat and barley, which represents the mortar used to build the mishkan. additionally, the mother of the household puts her gold ring into the bsisa, recalling the gold that was also used in the building of the mishkan. before eating the bsisa, the father of the household blesses in arabic while he mixes the bsisa using the key to his house with oil, recalling the oil used in the mishkan this symbolizes the "opening" of the 'new year' the father and family recite in turn: ya fetach,bla neftach,arzekna warzek mennaya atai,bla mena!

Breakfast

Coffee

Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans, the seeds of berries from certain flowering plants in the coffea genus. from the coffee fruit, the seeds are separated to produce a stable, raw product: unroasted green coffee. the seeds are then roasted, a process which transforms them into a consumable product: roasted coffee, which is ground into fine particles that are typically steeped in hot water before being filtered out, producing a cup of coffee. coffee is darkly colored, bitter, slightly acidic and has a stimulating effect in humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. it is one of the most popular drinks in the world and can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways (e.g., espresso, french press, caffè latte, or already-brewed canned coffee). it is usually served hot, although chilled or iced coffee is common. sugar, sugar substitutes, milk or cream are often used to lessen the bitter taste or enhance the flavor. it may be served with coffee cake or another sweet dessert, like doughnuts. a commercial establishment that sells prepared coffee beverages is known as a coffeehouse or coffee shop (not to be confused with dutch coffeeshops selling cannabis). clinical research indicates that moderate coffee consumption is benign or mildly beneficial as a stimulant in healthy adults, with continuing research on whether long-term consumption has positive or negative effects.though coffee is now a global commodity, it has a long history tied closely to food traditions around the red sea. the earliest credible evidence of the drinking of coffee in the form of the modern beverage appears in modern-day yemen from the mid-15th century in sufi shrines, where coffee seeds were first roasted and brewed in a manner similar to current methods. the yemenis procured the coffee beans from the ethiopian highlands via coastal somali intermediaries and began cultivation. by the 16th century, the drink had reached the rest of the middle east and north africa, later spreading to europe. in the 20th century, coffee became a much more global commodity, creating different coffee cultures around the world. the two most commonly grown coffee bean types are c. arabica and c. robusta. coffee plants are cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in the equatorial regions of the americas, southeast asia, the indian subcontinent, and africa. as of 2018, brazil was the leading grower of coffee beans, producing 35% of the world total. coffee is a major export commodity as the leading legal agricultural export for numerous countries. it is one of the most valuable commodities exported by developing countries. green, unroasted coffee is the most traded agricultural commodity and one of the most traded commodities overall, second only to petroleum. despite the sales of coffee reaching billions of dollars, those actually producing the beans are disproportionately living in poverty. critics also point to the coffee industry's negative impact on the environment and the clearing of land for coffee-growing and water use. the environmental costs and wage disparity of farmers are causing the market for fair trade and organic coffee to expand.

Breakfast

Dates

Fruit from the date palm. a common snack, dessert.

Breakfast

Ful medames

Ful medames (arabic: فول مدمس, fūl mudammas ipa: [fuːl mudammas]; other spellings include ful mudammas and foule mudammes), or simply fūl, is a stew of cooked fava beans served with olive oil, cumin, and optionally with chopped parsley, garlic, onion, lemon juice, chili pepper, and other vegetable, herb, and spice ingredients. ful medames is traditionally made in and served out of a large metal jug. it is notably a staple food in egypt and is considered a national dish, especially in the northern cities of cairo and gizah. ful medames is also a common part of the cuisines of many arab, middle eastern, and north african cuisines.

Breakfast

Kebda

Spiced and fried liver (beef, lamb, goat), serve with flatbread, tahini, rice

Breakfast

Laban

The term leben, variously laban, liben, lben (listen) (arabic: لبن) in the middle east and north africa, refers to a food or beverage of fermented milk. generally, there are two main products known as leben: in the levant region and parts of arabia, yogurt; and in arabia and north africa (maghreb), buttermilk. leben can be served at breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Breakfast

Manakish

Manakish (arabic: مناقيش, romanized: manāqīsh), or in singular form man'ousheh, or other spellings, sometimes called arabic: فَطَايِر, romanized: faṭāyir, is a popular levantine food consisting of dough topped with thyme, cheese, or ground meat. similar to a pizza, it can be sliced or folded, and it can be served either for breakfast or lunch. traditionally, women would bake dough in a communal oven in the morning, to provide their family with their daily bread needs, and would prepare smaller portions of dough with different toppings for breakfast at this time.manakish are popular across the levant, and can also be found in neighboring regions, and centers of levantine emigration.

Breakfast

Sfinz

Sfenj (from the arabic word arabic: السفنج, romanized: safanj, meaning sponge) is a maghrebi doughnut: a light, spongy ring of dough fried in oil. sfenj is eaten plain, sprinkled with sugar, or soaked in honey. it is a well-known dish in the maghreb and is traditionally made and sold early in the morning for breakfast or in the late afternoon accompanied by tea—usually maghrebi mint tea—or coffee. the term sfenj is used in algeria and other parts of the maghreb. it is called bambalouni in tunisia, and sfinz in libya. in morocco, the term "sfenj" is used, also sometimes nicknamed in the literature "moroccan doughnuts". it is also called khfaf or ftayr in algeria, and is sometimes also dubbed as the "algerian doughnut".outside the maghreb, sfenj is often eaten by moroccan jews and other sephardim in israel and elsewhere for hanukkah. sfenj and other doughnuts are eaten for hanukkah because they are fried in oil, commemorating the hanukkah miracle wherein the oil that was supposed to light the lamp in the temple in jerusalem for only one day lasted for eight. though sfenj can be made at home, as it usually is in israel, moroccans almost always opt to purchase it from street vendors or bakeries, where they are commonly strung on palm fronds.

Breakfast

Shakshouka

Shakshouka (arabic: شكشوكة, also spelled shakshuka or chakchouka) is a maghrebi dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, onion and garlic, commonly spiced with cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper. according to joan nathan, shakshouka originated in ottoman north africa in the mid-16th century after tomatoes were introduced to the region by hernan cortés as part of the columbian exchange.

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