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Sudan

Sudan, in Northeast Africa, straddles the Nile with Khartoum as its capital, a dusty confluence of Arab and African worlds, split by South Sudan’s secession. Known for gum arabic, sorghum, and pyramids of Meroë, its economy staggers on oil, farming, and gold amid Darfur’s strife. Its desert sands and Nubian roots whisper antiquity. Sudan’s fractured resilience holds.

Sudan

Featured Dishes from Sudan

Ful medames

Ful medames

Ful medames , 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 vegetables, herbs, and spices. Ful medames is traditionally made in and served out of a large metal jug. It is notably a staple food in Sudan and Egypt and is considered a national dish, especially in the northern cities of Cairo and Gizah.[citation needed] Fava beans can also sometimes be found in other cuisines in the Middle East, and Africa, though cooked differently. The name of this culinary dish is transcribed fūl medammis, ful medammes, foul mdammes, etc. Some modern dictionaries suggest that its Coptic name is ⲫⲉⲗ phel or fel, but this is a term derived from Arabic (after the Arabization of Egypt). [citation needed]

Laban

Laban

The term Leben, variously laban, liben, lben // ⓘ 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: The yogurt variant for the Levant region and the buttermilk variant for parts of Arabia and North Africa (Maghreb). Leben can be served at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Leben as a drink is traditionally prepared by letting milk ferment for around 24 hours, then churning and removing the butter. The remaining buttermilk can keep for several days at room temperature. In modern times, it is produced industrially.[citation needed] Leben in parts of the Middle East is traditionally prepared by boiling milk, usually whole milk, then adding yogurt (or previously made, left over/store-bought leben), and then cooled overnight.[citation needed]

Shakshouka

Shakshouka

Shakshouka , 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. Shakshouka is a popular dish throughout North Africa and the Middle East. Shakshuka is a word for "mixture" in Algerian Arabic and "mixed" in Tunisian Arabic. The Oxford English Dictionary describes it as being of multiple origins, an onomatopoeic Maghribi Arabic word, related to the verb shakshaka meaning "to bubble, to sizzle, to be mixed up, to be beaten together," and the French word Chakchouka, which was borrowed into English in the nineteenth century. Chakchouka was borrowed into French from Algerian Arabic. Gil Marks, while noting some similarities with the Ottoman dish menemen, suggests that shakshouka evolved from şakşuka which spread to the Maghreb through the influence of the Ottoman Empire. Anthony Buccini noted similarities between a wider range of vegetable stews. He and Noam Sienna conclude that both shakshouka and menemen, among other dishes like piperade and ratatouille, are members of a wider family of vegetable stews of common ancestry appearing throughout the western Mediterranean.

Asida

Asida

Asida iːdə]) is a common dish in the Arab world. It is a lump of dough, obtained by stirring wheat flour into boiling water, sometimes with added butter or honey. Similar in texture to fufu, it is eaten mainly in Middle East and African countries. It is considered one of the most popular desserts and traditional dishes in many Arab countries. Asida is particularly popular in Sudan, Morocco, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Yemen, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and the rest of the Middle East. Often served during religious holidays such as Mawlid and Eid, it is also served during other traditional ceremonies, for example accompanying the birth of child, such as the ‘aqīqah, the cutting of the hair of a newborn seven days after birth. A simple, yet rich dish, often eaten without other complementary dishes, it is traditionally served at breakfast and is also given to women in labor.

Basbousa

Basbousa

Basbousa is a sweet, syrup-soaked semolina dessert that is typically associated with cuisines of Egyptian cuisine, Similar but slightly different dishes are also popular in the wider region. The semolina batter is baked in a sheet pan, then sweetened with sugar syrup and typically cut into diamond (lozenge) shapes or squares. The Oxford Companion to Food (3rd edition) suggests that basbousa might have developed from a dish called ma'mounia, which was created around the 10th century. Ma'mounia was made by cooking rice in fat and syrup. This recipe was later adapted to use semolina, with the batter being cooked first and then soaked in syrup. Another take on its origin suggests that basbousa was first made during the 16th century in the Ottoman Empire, likely in what is modern-day Turkey, to celebrate the conquest of Armenia.

Bassima

Bassima

Basta

Basta

Pastry sheets with a peanut and cinnamon filling, orange syrup and pistachios, similar to baklava

Blancmange

Blancmange

Blancmange is a sweet dessert popular throughout Europe commonly made with milk or cream and sugar, thickened with rice flour, gelatin, corn starch, or Irish moss (a source of carrageenan), and often flavoured with almonds. It is usually set in a mould and served cold. Although traditionally white, blancmanges are frequently given other colours. Blancmange originated at some time during the Middle Ages from the older Middle Eastern muhallebi, and usually consisted of milk or almond milk, rice, and sugar; it was considered to be an ideal food for the sick.[citation needed]

Ghazal al banat

Ghazal al banat

Cotton candy, also known as candy floss and fairy floss, is a spun sugar confection that resembles cotton. It is made by heating and liquefying sugar, and spinning it centrifugally through minute holes, causing it to rapidly cool and re-solidify into fine strands. It usually contains small amounts of flavoring or food coloring. It is often sold at fairs, circuses, carnivals, and festivals, served in a plastic bag, on a stick, or on a paper cone.

Goraasa be semna

Goraasa be semna

Crepes with sultanas or dates, top with melted butter and sugar

Hininy

Hininy

Hininy is a traditional food in Saudi Arabia, especially in Najd. It is a mixture of date paste, wheat flour, milk, ghee, sugar and cardamom, and is common during Ramadan

Jalebi

Jalebi

Jalebi [a] is a popular sweet snack in the Indian subcontinent, West Asia and some parts of Africa. It goes by many names, including jilapi, zelepi, jilebi, jilipi, zulbia, zoolbia, jerry, mushabak, z'labia, or zalabia. The south Asian variety is made by deep-frying maida flour batter in pretzel or circular shapes, which are then soaked in sugar syrup. Jalebi is eaten with curd or rabri (in North India) along with optional other flavors such as kewra (scented water).

Kahk

Kahk

Kaak or Kaak el-Eid , is a small circular biscuit that originated in Egypt and is eaten across the Arab world to celebrate Eid al-Fitr. It is covered with powdered sugar and can be stuffed with ʿagameyya (عجمية [ʕæɡæˈmej.jæ], a mixture of honey, nuts, and ghee), lokum, walnuts, pistachios, or dates, or simply served plain. Date-filled kahk are believed to be the origin of maamoul, a similar Eid biscuit eaten in the Levant. This dish also popular in Indonesia and called as kue kaak as result of acculturation between Arabs and Indonesian. Usually served during Mawlid or Eid ul-Fitr. Kaak is an important part of Egyptian and Sudanese culture. In addition to its role in Eid, when it is often served to guests, it is also eaten as part of a wedding feast and is occasionally served at other holiday feasts, namely Mawlid. Baking kaak is a traditional and social activity in the region: women of a village or neighborhood, gather together to bake kaak, chat, and swap stories and recipes. Sometimes, Egyptians will prepare their kaak at home before taking it to a communal or commercial bakery to be baked and cooled. Families typically exchange kaak as gifts, and friendly informal competitions over whose kaak is best are common. The designs stamped on kaak can be elaborate and are sources of pride for Egyptian families. Kaak molds, typically made from wood or ceramic, are often passed down from generation to generation. While bakeries have always sold premade kaak, buying kaak from a bakery has increased in popularity in urban Egypt in recent years. However, store-bought kaak is relatively expensive—reaching £E170 per kilo as of April 2023 (minimum wage £E3000 in 2023)— so many Egyptians, particularly those in rural areas, still bake their own.

Kanafeh

Kanafeh

Knafeh is a traditional Arab dessert made with kadayif (spun pastry dough) layered with cheese and soaked in a sweet, sugar-based syrup called attar. Knafeh is a popular throughout the Arab world, especially in the Levant, and is often served on special occasions and holidays. The most common variant of knafeh in Jordan and Palestine, Knafeh Nabulseyeh, originated in the Palestinian city of Nablus. The English language borrows the word "knafeh" from Levantine and Egyptian Arabic, and widely transliterates it as kanafeh, kenafeh, knafeh, kunafah, kunafeh, konafa, knéfé, kunafa, and similar variations.

Lokma

Lokma

Lokma is a dessert made of leavened and deep fried dough balls, soaked in syrup or honey, sometimes coated with cinnamon or other ingredients. The dish was described as early as the 13th century by al-Baghdadi as luqmat al-qādi , "judge's morsels". The Arabic word luqma (لُقْمَةٌ) (plural luqmāt), means morsel, mouthful, or bite. The dish was known as luqmat al-qādi (لُقْمَةُ ٱلْقَاضِيِ) or "judge's morsels" in 13th-century Arabic cookery books, and the word luqma or loqma by itself has come to refer to it. The Turkish name for the dish, lokma, is derived from the Arabic, as is the Greek name loukoumádes (λουκουμάδες). The recipe for Luqmat al-Qadi, yeast-leavened dough boiled in oil and doused in honey or sugar syrup with rosewater, dates back to at least the early medieval period and the 13th-century Abbasid Caliphate, where it is mentioned in several of the existent cookery books of the time. It is also mentioned in the One Thousand and One Nights, in the story The Porter and the Three Ladies of Baghdad. The explorer and scholar Ibn Battuta in the 14th century encountered the dish he knew as Luqaymat al-Qadi at a dinner in Multan, during his travels in medieval India, where his hosts called it al-Hashimi.

Malban

Malban

Turkish delight, or lokum is a family of confections based on a gel of starch and sugar. Premium varieties consist largely of chopped dates, pistachios, hazelnuts or walnuts bound by the gel; traditional varieties are often flavored with rosewater, mastic gum, bergamot orange, or lemon. Other common flavors include cinnamon and mint. The confection is often packaged and eaten in small cubes dusted with icing sugar, copra, or powdered cream of tartar to prevent clinging. The origin of modern lokum is not precisely known, though the confection is known to have been produced in the Ottoman Empire since the late 18th century.

Meghli

Meghli

Meghli, moghli, meghleh, , or karawiyah, is a Levantine dessert based on a floured rice pudding and spiced with anise, caraway, and cinnamon. The dish is often garnished with dried coconut flakes and various nuts including almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, and pistachios. Meghli is commonly served to celebrate the birth of a child. It is also a popular Christmas dessert in Lebanon as a celebration of the birth of Jesus. The name 'meghli' means “boiled” in Arabic, referring to the long time (up to an hour) it must be continuously stirred while boiling. The dish was traditionally served to celebrate the birth of a male heir, but has now become a dessert to celebrate any newborn. The caraway is thought to assist the new mother in lactating

Mushabak

Mushabak

Zalabiyeh is a fritter or doughnut found in several cuisines across the Arab world, West Asia and some parts of Europe influenced by the former. The fritter version is made from a semi-thin batter of wheat flour which is poured into hot oil and deep-fried. The earliest known recipe for the dish comes from a 10th-century Arabic cookbook and was originally made by pouring the batter through a coconut shell. The earliest known recipes for zalabiya comes from the 10th century Arabic cookbook Kitab al-Tabikh. In the old Al-Baghdadi book of recipes of the Arabs; the dough was poured through a coconut shell. This style of fritter is similar to the Indian jelabi and a 16th-century recipe from German cuisine for strauben made using a funnel.

Om ali

Om ali

Om Ali, Omali, Umm Ali, or Oumm Ali , meaning "Mother of Ali", is a traditional Egyptian dessert, and is a national dessert of Egypt. There are numerous variations with different composition. The dish, which is traced back to as far as Medieval Egypt, is named after the wife of the Sultan of Egypt. It is commonly eaten during Ramadan as part of the iftar or sunset feast. There multiple versions of the origin of the dish. The most often cited version is that it originated as a celebration of the death of Shajar al-Durr, who had been married to Egypt's final Sultan from the Ayyubid dynasty, As-Salih, and subsequently to the first of Egypt's Mamluk Sultans, Izz al-Din Aybak. Shajar al-Durr plotted the murder of Aybak, after which she became ruler of Egypt. Ultimately, she was herself killed in retribution, whereafter Aybak's first wife, who was known as Om Ali, asked to have a dessert prepared in celebration. The dessert was popularised throughout the country, and was named after Om Ali. Another version is that Om Ali celebrated the death of her husband, Aybak, and asked the cooks to come up with the most delicious dessert. The cooks used what was at hand: bread, milk and sugar.

Qatayef

Qatayef

Qatayef or qata'if is an Arabic dessert. It is a type of sweet dumpling filled with cream or nuts, or a folded pancake, similar to a Scottish crumpet. The Arabic word qaṭaːyif (Arabic: قطايف) is derived from the Arabic root q-ṭ-f, meaning to pick up or to pluck. Qatayef is believed to be of Fatimid origin. Some believe that qatayef are the creation of the Fatimid Dynasty, however, their history dates back to the Abbasid Caliphate, 750–1258 CE. Qatayef was mentioned in a tenth century Arabic cookbook dating back to the Abbasid Caliphate by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq called Kitab al-Ṭabīḫ (Arabic: كتاب الطبيخ, The Book of Dishes). The book was later translated by Nawal Nasrallah under the name Annals of the Caliphs' Kitchens. The traditional stuffing of Qatayef, as evident in a number of Medieval Arabic cookbooks, is crushed almond and sugar. In these recipes, once the pancake was stuffed, it would sometimes be fried in walnut oil or baked in the oven. Qatayef was traditionally prepared by street vendors as well as households in Egypt and the Levant. It is usually filled with akkawi cheese, crushed walnuts, as well as crushed pistachios. Diverse fillings, such as Nutella, are also used.

Qurabiya

Qurabiya

Qurabiya also ghraybe, ghorayeba, ghoriba, ghribia, ghraïba, gurabija, ghriyyaba,, kurabiye, or kourabiedes (Greek: κουραμπιέδες) and numerous other spellings and pronunciations, is a shortbread-type biscuit, usually made with ground almonds. Versions are found in most Arab, Balkan and Ottoman cuisines, with various different forms and recipes. They are similar to polvorones from Andalusia. In the Maghreb and Egypt, they are often served with Libyan tea, Arabic coffee or Maghrebi mint tea. A recipe for a shortbread cookie similar to ghorayebah but without almonds, called in Arabic khushkanānaj gharīb (exotic cookie), is given in the earliest known Arab cookbook, the 10th-century Kitab al-Ṭabīḫ. Kurabiye appears in the Ottoman cuisine in the 15th century.

Qurabiya

Qurabiya

Qurabiya also ghraybe, ghorayeba, ghoriba, ghribia, ghraïba, gurabija, ghriyyaba,, kurabiye, or kourabiedes (Greek: κουραμπιέδες) and numerous other spellings and pronunciations, is a shortbread-type biscuit, usually made with ground almonds. Versions are found in most Arab, Balkan and Ottoman cuisines, with various different forms and recipes. They are similar to polvorones from Andalusia. In the Maghreb and Egypt, they are often served with Libyan tea, Arabic coffee or Maghrebi mint tea. A recipe for a shortbread cookie similar to ghorayebah but without almonds, called in Arabic khushkanānaj gharīb (exotic cookie), is given in the earliest known Arab cookbook, the 10th-century Kitab al-Ṭabīḫ. Kurabiye appears in the Ottoman cuisine in the 15th century.

Shaaria

Shaaria

Vermicelli noodles with sugar, butter, also may add coconut or sultanas

Tulumba

Tulumba

Tulumba or Bamiyeh is a deep-fried dessert found in Egypt, Turkey and the regional cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire. It is a fried batter soaked in syrup, similar to jalebis or churros. It is made from unleavened choux pastry dough (usually about 3 cm long) piped with a pastry bag using an open star or similar tip. It is first deep-fried to golden colour and then sugar-sweet syrup is poured over it when still hot. It is eaten cold. Tulumba literally means 'pump' in Turkish, deriving from the Italian tromba. The dessert is called pomba in Cypriot Greek and bombacık in Cypriot Turkish. In Armenian cuisine it may be called either pomp or tulumba (Armenian: թուլումբա). Tulumba features in Albanian, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Greek (Greek: τουλούμπα), Azeri (Azerbaijani: Ballıbadı) and Turkish cuisines. The sweet is also found in Persian cuisine as bamiyeh (Persian: باميه), after the vegetable of the same Persian name (okra), due to its shape. In Hejazi it is called ṭurumba (Arabic: طُرُمْبَة) directly from Italian: tromba, but in Egyptian and some Arab cuisines it is called balaḥ ash-Shām (Arabic: بلح الشام), literally "Syrian dates" or "Damascene dates," though the name may have come from "şambali", another Turkish dessert (the "Şam" in "şambali" corresponding to "Shām" in "balaḥ ash-Shām" and both referring to Damascus). In Iraqi cuisine it is known as datli (Arabic: داطلي), directly coming from Turkish word tatlı. It is made from a yogurt[citation needed] and starch based dough, which is fried before being dipped in syrup. It is a special sweet often enjoyed at Iftar in Ramadan. It is also commonly sold alongside jalebi, which is prepared in a similar way, but arranged in a web-like arrangement of strips of dough.

Aradaib fruit juice

Aradaib fruit juice

Tamarind fruit juice

Araqi

Araqi

Araqi is a date-liquor distilled in Sudan. The 1983 introduction of sharia in Sudan prevented licit sales of alcohol, but a black market exists to meet local demand. The drink is made by mixing dates with water and yeast, fermenting the mix, and then distilling it. It is usually drunk neat. During the war in Darfur, a number of southern Sudanese women came to the north as refugees, and found that some of the only professions available to them were prostitution or brewing araqi, the latter being a skill some already had, with a reliable market demand. A 2000 UN report noted that 80% of the women in Khartoum's women's prison were there on charges of prostitution or brewing araqi. Araqi is also popular in South Sudan, which split from Sudan in 2011 and where alcohol is legal.

Beer

Beer

Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize , rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the grain to sugars, which dissolve in water to form wort. Fermentation of the wort by yeast produces ethanol and carbonation in the beer. Beer is one of the oldest alcoholic drinks in the world, the most widely consumed, and the third most popular drink after water and tea. Most modern beer is brewed with hops, which add bitterness and other flavours and act as a natural preservative and stabilising agent. Other flavouring agents, such as gruit, herbs, or fruits, may be included or used instead of hops. In commercial brewing, natural carbonation is often replaced with forced carbonation. Beer is distributed in bottles and cans, and is commonly available on draught in pubs and bars. The brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries. The strength of modern beer is usually around 4% to 6% alcohol by volume (ABV).

Black coffee

Black coffee

Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially available. There are also various coffee substitutes. Typically served hot, coffee has the highest sales in the world market for hot drinks. Coffee production begins when the seeds from coffee cherries are separated to produce unroasted green coffee beans. The "beans" are roasted and then ground into fine particles. Coffee is brewed from the ground roasted beans, which are typically steeped in hot water before being filtered out. It is usually served hot, although chilled or iced coffee is common. Coffee can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways (e.g., espresso, French press, caffè latte, or already-brewed canned coffee). Sugar, sugar substitutes, milk, and cream are often added to mask the bitter taste or enhance the flavor.

Black tea

Black tea

Black tea is a type of tea that is more oxidized than oolong, yellow, white, and green teas. Black tea is generally stronger in flavour than other teas. All five types are made from leaves of the shrub (or small tree) Camellia sinensis, though Camellia taliensis is also rarely used. Two principal varieties of the species are used – the small-leaved Chinese variety plant (C. sinensis var. sinensis), used for most other types of teas, and the large-leaved Assamese plant (C. sinensis var. assamica), which was traditionally mainly used for black tea, although in recent years some green and white teas have been produced.

Coffee

Coffee

Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially available. There are also various coffee substitutes. Typically served hot, coffee has the highest sales in the world market for hot drinks. Coffee production begins when the seeds from coffee cherries are separated to produce unroasted green coffee beans. The "beans" are roasted and then ground into fine particles. Coffee is brewed from the ground roasted beans, which are typically steeped in hot water before being filtered out. It is usually served hot, although chilled or iced coffee is common. Coffee can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways (e.g., espresso, French press, caffè latte, or already-brewed canned coffee). Sugar, sugar substitutes, milk, and cream are often added to mask the bitter taste or enhance the flavor.

Coffee

Coffee

Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially available. There are also various coffee substitutes. Typically served hot, coffee has the highest sales in the world market for hot drinks. Coffee production begins when the seeds from coffee cherries are separated to produce unroasted green coffee beans. The "beans" are roasted and then ground into fine particles. Coffee is brewed from the ground roasted beans, which are typically steeped in hot water before being filtered out. It is usually served hot, although chilled or iced coffee is common. Coffee can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways (e.g., espresso, French press, caffè latte, or already-brewed canned coffee). Sugar, sugar substitutes, milk, and cream are often added to mask the bitter taste or enhance the flavor.

Guddaim

Guddaim

Guddaim fruit, commonly made into juice

Hilumur

Hilumur

Bittersweet drink made with corn flour, sugar, honey and spices, common during Ramadan

Jallab

Jallab

Jallab or Jellab is a type of fruit syrup popular in the Middle East made from carob, dates, grape molasses, and rose water. Jallab is very popular in Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt. It is made mainly of grape molasses, grenadine syrup, and rose water, then smoked with Arabic incense. It is usually sold with crushed ice and floating pine nuts and raisins.

Karkade

Karkade

Hibiscus tea is a herbal tea made as an infusion from crimson or deep magenta-colored calyces of the roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) flower. It is consumed both hot and cold and has a tart, cranberry-like flavor. The roselle hibiscus used to make the tea likely originated in Africa. In Africa, hibiscus tea is commonly sold in markets and the dried flowers can be found throughout West and East Africa. Variations on the drink are popular in West Africa and parts of Central Africa. In Senegal, bissap is known as the "national drink of Senegal". Hibiscus tea is often flavored with mint or ginger in West Africa. In Ghana it is known as "sobolo", and "zobo" in Nigeria.

Laban

Laban

The term Leben, variously laban, liben, lben // ⓘ 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: The yogurt variant for the Levant region and the buttermilk variant for parts of Arabia and North Africa (Maghreb). Leben can be served at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Leben as a drink is traditionally prepared by letting milk ferment for around 24 hours, then churning and removing the butter. The remaining buttermilk can keep for several days at room temperature. In modern times, it is produced industrially.[citation needed] Leben in parts of the Middle East is traditionally prepared by boiling milk, usually whole milk, then adding yogurt (or previously made, left over/store-bought leben), and then cooled overnight.[citation needed]

Millet wine

Millet wine

Millet wine is a common wine in East and Southeast Asia. It is also the oldest wine in Taiwan and a traditional beverage of Taiwanese aborigines. It is often used in harvest festivals, as a symbol of harvest. For aboriginal culture, millet wine is a cultural symbol. Millet wine is a key part of aboriginal rituals such as Millet Festival, Black Rice Festival, Harvest Festival and Dwarf Spiritual Sacrifice (Pas-ta'ai). Each aboriginal group in Taiwan has its own god or goddess dedicated to millet and their own name for millet wine. For example, the Atayal tribe call it “Qohozi” and the Puyuma tribe call it "Tinuerau". Libation of millet wine is believed to bring good luck and aid in avoiding evil. Every aboriginal group has developed specific millet wine drinking rites. For instance, the Paiwan tribespeople will tread the ground before drinking millet wine to show their respect to the god in charge of the mountains. On the other hand, Puyuma tribespeople of Taitung County take fresh millet wine to the beach. Priests then chant prayers toward the direction of Orchid Island to present their gratitude for their harvest. Millet wine is made from millet, brewer's yeast and water. In traditional production, tools such as sieves, steamers, pots, pans and jars are used. Millet is immersed in cold water and left to rest during the night. The next morning, the millet is washed with care so as not to squeeze it. The common proportion is about 400 cc per pound of millet. The washed millet is steamed and then mixed with brewer's yeast and cold water which was boiled beforehand. Finally, the mix is put into a container and the opening is sealed. It is left to ferment in a cool place about one month.

Qamar al din

Qamar al din

Qamar al-Din[fn 1] is an apricot fruit leather, which is popularly made into apricot juice or a nectar beverage from Arab cuisine famously consumed during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. It originates from Syria and was first produced in the Ghouta, where the variety of apricots most suitable for qamar al-din was first grown. Qamar al-din is enjoyed across the Middle East and North Africa as well as in Somalia, though Syrian qamar al-din is still believed to be the best because the variety of apricots most suitable for making qamar al-din grows only in Syria and southwestern Turkey. Several theories have been proposed for the origin of qamar al-din's name. One theory holds that it was named for its inventor, a Syrian man named Qamar al-Din. He was said to have been so handsome that he resembled the moon (qamar, Arabic: قمر), hence his name. Another theory holds that apricot season coincided with the sighting of the new moon marking the beginning of Ramadan in the year when qamar al-din was invented. A similar theory, widespread in Egypt, traces the name's origin to a Caliph who was known to celebrate with qamar al-din upon seeing the crescent moon during Ramadan.

Salep

Salep

Salep, also spelled sahlep or sahlab,[note 1] is a flour made from the tubers of the orchid genus Orchis . These tubers contain a nutritious, starchy polysaccharide called glucomannan. Salep flour is consumed in beverages and desserts, especially in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire, notably in the Levant where it is a traditional winter beverage. An increase in consumption is causing local extinctions of orchids in parts of Turkey and Iran. The word salep ultimately comes from Arabic saḥlab (سَحْلَب), through French and Turkish salep in the mid 18th century. The Arabic word is perhaps shortened from ḵuṣā aṯ-ṯaʕlab (Arabic: خُصَى الثَعْلَب, lit. 'fox's testicles'). The Ancient Romans used ground orchid bulbs to make drinks, which they called by a number of names, especially satyrion and priapiscus. As the names indicate, they likewise considered it to be a powerful aphrodisiac. Of salep, Paracelsus wrote: "behold the Satyrion root, is it not formed like the male privy parts? No one can deny this. Accordingly, magic discovered it and revealed that it can restore a man's virility and passion".

Sharbot

Sharbot

Alcohol from dates

Sugarcane juice

Sugarcane juice

Sugarcane juice is the liquid extracted from pressed sugarcane. It is consumed as a beverage in many places, especially where sugarcane is commercially grown, such as Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, North Africa, mainly Egypt, and also in South America, especially Brazil. Sugarcane juice is obtained by crushing peeled sugarcane in a mill and is one of the main precursors of rum. In the United States, where processed sugarcane syrup is used as a sweetener in food and beverage manufacturing, "evaporated cane juice" is considered by the Food and Drug Administration to be a misleading term for "sugar" on product labels because the FDA regards "juice" as a liquid derived from fruits or vegetables; the preferred term is "cane sugar". There are some diseases that can be transmitted by raw sugarcane, such as leptospirosis. In Brazil, sugarcane juice has been linked to cases of Chagas disease, as sugarcane can contain traces of its responsible pathogen, Trypanosoma cruzi, left by infected insects if not properly cleaned.

Tabaldi fruit juice

Tabaldi fruit juice

Adansonia digitata, the African baobab, is the most widespread tree species of the genus Adansonia, the baobabs, and is native to the African continent and the southern Arabian Peninsula . These are long-lived pachycauls; radiocarbon dating has shown some individuals to be over 2,000 years old. They are typically found in dry, hot savannas of sub-Saharan Africa, where they dominate the landscape and reveal the presence of a watercourse from afar. They have traditionally been valued as sources of food, water, health remedies or places of shelter and are a key food source for many animals. They are steeped in legend and superstition. In recent years, many of the largest, oldest trees have died, for unknown reasons. Common names for the baobab include monkey-bread tree, upside-down tree, and cream of tartar tree. African baobabs are trees that often grow as solitary individuals, and are large and distinctive elements of savanna or scrubland vegetation. They grow to a height of 5–25 metres (16–82 feet). The trunk is typically very broad and fluted or cylindrical, often with a buttressed, spreading base. Trunks may reach a diameter of 10–14 m (33–46 ft), and may be made up of multiple stems fused around a hollow core. The hollow core found in many tree species is the result of wood removal, such as decay of the oldest, internal part of the trunk. In baobabs, however, many of the largest and oldest of the trees have a hollow core that is the result of a fused circle of three to eight stems sprouting from roots. The bark is gray and usually smooth. The main branches can be massive. All baobabs are deciduous, losing their leaves in the dry season, and remaining leafless for about eight months of the year. Flowers are large, white and hanging. Fruits are rounded with a thick shell.

Tamarind juice

Tamarind juice

Tamarind is a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is indigenous to tropical Africa and naturalized in Asia. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to the family Fabaceae. The tamarind tree produces brown, pod-like fruits that contain a sweet, tangy pulp, which is used in cuisines around the world. The pulp is also used in traditional medicine and as a metal polish. The tree's wood can be used for woodworking and tamarind seed oil can be extracted from the seeds. Tamarind's tender young leaves are used in South Indian and Filipino cuisine. Because tamarind has multiple uses, it is cultivated around the world in tropical and subtropical zones.

Tea

Tea

Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of Camellia sinensis, an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and northern Myanmar. Tea is also made, but rarely, from the leaves of Camellia taliensis. After plain water, tea is the most widely consumed drink in the world. There are many different types of tea; some have a cooling, slightly bitter, and astringent flavour, while others have profiles that include sweet, nutty, floral, or grassy notes. Tea has a stimulating effect in humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. An early credible record of tea drinking dates to the third century AD, in a medical text written by Chinese physician Hua Tuo. It was popularised as a recreational drink during the Chinese Tang dynasty, and tea drinking subsequently spread to other East Asian countries. Portuguese priests and merchants introduced it to Europe during the 16th century. During the 17th century, drinking tea became fashionable among the English, who started to plant tea on a large scale in British India.

Whiskey

Whiskey

Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from fermented grain mash. Various grains are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, which are typically made of charred white oak. Uncharred white oak casks previously used for the aging of port, rum or sherry are also sometimes used. Whisky is a strictly regulated spirit worldwide with many classes and types. The typical unifying characteristics of the different classes and types are the fermentation of grains, distillation, and aging in wooden barrels.

Asida

Asida

Asida iːdə]) is a common dish in the Arab world. It is a lump of dough, obtained by stirring wheat flour into boiling water, sometimes with added butter or honey. Similar in texture to fufu, it is eaten mainly in Middle East and African countries. It is considered one of the most popular desserts and traditional dishes in many Arab countries. Asida is particularly popular in Sudan, Morocco, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Yemen, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and the rest of the Middle East. Often served during religious holidays such as Mawlid and Eid, it is also served during other traditional ceremonies, for example accompanying the birth of child, such as the ‘aqīqah, the cutting of the hair of a newborn seven days after birth. A simple, yet rich dish, often eaten without other complementary dishes, it is traditionally served at breakfast and is also given to women in labor.

Bamia

Bamia

Bamia is an Arab and Central Asian main dish, a stew made with okra, lamb, and tomatoes as primary ingredients. It is commonly made in the following countries and cultures: Afghani, Albanian, Armenian, Assyrian, Azerbaijani, Egyptian, Greek, Iranian, Iraqi, Kurdish, Lebanese, Palestinian, Romanian, Somali, Sudanese, Syrian, Tanzania, and Turkish. Additional ingredients used can include tomato sauce or tomato paste, onion, garlic, cilantro , pomegranate molasses, vegetable oil, cardamom, salt and pepper. The word "bamia" itself simply means "okra", and it is etymologically an Arabic word. In dish name in Arabic: بامية, romanized: bamia bi-lahm, lit. 'okra stew', or Arabic: البامية باللحم أو شوربة البامية, lit. 'okra with meat'; in Persian: خورش بامیه, romanized: khoresh-e bāmieh, lit. 'okra stew'; in Kurdish: بامێ, romanized: bāmieh; in Greek: μπάμια; and in Turkish: bamya.

Brik

Brik

Brik or burek is the north African version of borek, a stuffed malsouka pastry which is commonly deep fried. The best-known version is the egg brik, a whole egg in a triangular pastry pocket with chopped onion, tuna, harissa and parsley. With a slightly different shape, but with identical ingredients and method of preparation, the brik is known in Algeria and Libya as bourek (بوراك). It is often filled with a raw egg and herbs or tuna, harissa and olives and is sometimes served in a pita. This is also known as a boreeka. It is also widespread in Eastern Algeria in the cities of Annaba and Costantina. Brik pastry is made by slapping a sticky lump of dough onto a hot non-stick surface in overlapping circles to produce the desired size and cooked for a short amount of time. The brik dough sheets are called malsouka or warka. Typical fillings include tuna, ground meat, raw egg, chicken, or anchovies garnished with harissa, capers, or cheese. Although the food's origins are hard to trace directly, it dates back at least 500 years in the past. In addition to its unclear origins, it is also not known by a singular name; across the Middle East even now, the popular food can be referred to as bric, börek, burek, warqa or malsouka. The common ingredients in every brik – regardless of what it is called – include the deep fried pastry crust and proteins (like tuna or egg) encased within the wrapping, such as the common French spin known as brik a l'oeuf.

Bussaara

Bussaara

Chicken schnitzel

Chicken schnitzel

Schnitzel is a thin slice of meat. The meat is usually thinned by pounding with a meat tenderizer. Most commonly, the meat is breaded before frying. Breaded schnitzel is popular in many countries and is made using veal, pork, chicken, mutton, beef, or turkey. Schnitzel originated as wiener schnitzel and is very similar to other breaded meat dishes. The German word das schnitzel (Middle High German: snitzel) is a diminutive of sniz, 'slice'. The name Wiener schnitzel is first attested in 1845.

Dajaj mashwi

Dajaj mashwi

Grilled chicken

Dama be potaatas

Dama be potaatas

Stewed beef and vegetables, serve with gorraasa flatbread

Djaj mahshi

Djaj mahshi

Whole chicken stuffed with a rice, vegetable and spice filling

Elmussalammiya

Elmussalammiya

Stewed liver, dates and spices

Fasoulia

Fasoulia

Fasolada or fasoulada (Greek: φασουλάδα) is a Greek, Mediterranean, and Cypriot soup of dry white beans, olive oil, and vegetables. It is sometimes called the "national food of the Greeks". Fasolada is made by simmering beans with tomatoes and other vegetables such as carrots, onion, parsley, thyme, celery, and bay leaf. Lima beans are sometimes used instead of white beans. Recipes vary considerably, often including meat like bastırma and olive oil. Its counterparts are Italian fagiolata, the Portuguese and Brazilian feijoada, Romanian fasole, Albanian fasule, and Spanish fabada. A similar dish in Turkish cuisine is called kuru fasulye. The Arabic version is called fasoulia (Arabic: فاصوليا) and is found in Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

Fesikh

Fesikh

Fesikh is a traditional celebratory ancient Egyptian dish. It is eaten by Egyptians during the Sham el-Nessim festival in Egypt, which is a spring celebration from ancient Egyptian times and is a national festival in Egypt. Fesikh consists of salted pickled fermented and dried gray mullet of the genus Mugil, a saltwater fish that lives in both the Mediterranean and the Red Seas; in Western Egypt, whitefish is used as an alternative. Each year, reports of a few cases of food poisoning involving incorrectly prepared fesikh appear in Egyptian periodicals, especially during the Sham el-Nessim festival, when the Egyptians consume this traditional pickled fish. In April 2012, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued recalls for whole fesikh mullet, cut up fesikh mullet in oil, and whole fesikh shad that were sold from a store in Toronto. There were three reported illnesses associated with the consumption of the products, which may have been contaminated with Clostridium botulinum bacteria.

Fesikh

Fesikh

Fesikh is a traditional celebratory ancient Egyptian dish. It is eaten by Egyptians during the Sham el-Nessim festival in Egypt, which is a spring celebration from ancient Egyptian times and is a national festival in Egypt. Fesikh consists of salted pickled fermented and dried gray mullet of the genus Mugil, a saltwater fish that lives in both the Mediterranean and the Red Seas; in Western Egypt, whitefish is used as an alternative. Each year, reports of a few cases of food poisoning involving incorrectly prepared fesikh appear in Egyptian periodicals, especially during the Sham el-Nessim festival, when the Egyptians consume this traditional pickled fish. In April 2012, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued recalls for whole fesikh mullet, cut up fesikh mullet in oil, and whole fesikh shad that were sold from a store in Toronto. There were three reported illnesses associated with the consumption of the products, which may have been contaminated with Clostridium botulinum bacteria.

Fettat adis

Fettat adis

Stewed lentils and vegetables with bread pieces added

Fish

Fish

Smoked or deep-fried, serve with a chili relish

Fish casserole

Fish casserole

Fish and vegetables in a tomato sauce with apricots, tamarind, raisins

Goraasa be dama

Goraasa be dama

Stewed beef and vegetables, serve with gorraasa flatbread

Kabsa

Kabsa

Kabsa or makbūs/machbūs (مكبوس/مچبوس Gulf pron.: [mɑtʃˈbuːs]) is an Arabian mixed rice dish that originates from Saudi Arabia or Yemen. It is commonly regarded as a national dish in all the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council. It can also be found in regions such as southern Iran and Gaza in Palestine. Historically, kabsa was prepared by Bedouin tribes who roamed the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula. They relied on simple ingredients that were readily available: rice, meat (usually lamb or chicken), and a blend of spices. Over time, as trade routes expanded and new ingredients became accessible, variations of kabsa began to emerge.

Kajaik

Kajaik

Stew made with dried fish

Kamounia

Kamounia

Kamounia , sometimes spelled Kamouneya, is a beef and liver stew prepared with cumin. It is a part of Sudanese, Egyptian and Tunisian cuisines. Lamb is also sometimes used as a primary ingredient, and additional spices are sometimes used. It is sometimes served with or atop cooked rice. Additional basic ingredients can include broth, garlic, olive oil and parsley.

Kawari

Kawari

Stewed cow's trotters

Khoodra mafrooka

Khoodra mafrooka

Stewed mulukhiyah leaves (molohiya, mulukhiya, mulukiyah, mouloukhiya) with beef or chicken, vegetables

Kissra be omregayga

Kissra be omregayga

Fried beef or chicken with an onion and wayka (okra powder) sauce

Kofta

Kofta

Kofta is a family of meatball or meatloaf dishes found in South Asian, Central Asian, Balkan, Middle Eastern, North African, and South Caucasian cuisines. In the simplest form, koftas consist of balls of minced meat—usually beef, chicken, pork, lamb or mutton, camel or a mixture—mixed with spices and sometimes other ingredients. The earliest known recipes are found in early Arab cookbooks and call for ground lamb. There are many national and regional variations. There are also vegetable and uncooked versions. Shapes vary and include balls, patties, and cylinders. Sizes typically vary from that of a golf ball to that of an orange.

Koshari

Koshari

Koshary, kushari or koshari is Egypt's national dish and a widely popular street food. It is a traditional Egyptian staple, mixing pasta, Egyptian fried rice, vermicelli and brown lentils, and topped with chickpeas, a garlicky tomato sauce, garlic vinegar, and crispy fried onions. Sprinklings of garlic vinegar and hot sauce are optional. In the Egyptian Books of Genesis, the Ancient Egyptian term "Koshir" meant "Food of the rites of the Gods", the Koshir was a breakfast dish that consisted of lentils, wheat, chickpeas, garlic and onions cooked together in clay pots. It has been claimed that the original account of the book goes back to Manetho. However, in the collected works of Manetho, no mention of Koshir could be found. The word is not related to the Jewish dietary laws known as Kosher [citation needed]. A priest from Heliopolis described it as a food to eat after fasting on the 11th day of Pachons, a month in the ancient Egyptian calendar. Koshary is known as "The food of the Poor"; it consists of fried onions, lentils, rice, macaroni and a red sauce. It is somewhat related to Mediterranean cuisine, but the Egyptian dish has different ingredients and flavors, especially the local Egyptian lemon sauce, which gives it the unique taste for which the dish is popular. In 1853, in his book "Journey to Egypt and the Hijaz", explorer Richard Burton documented koshary as the breakfast meal of the people of Suez. It consisted of Egyptian lentils, rice, butter, onions and pickled lemons.

Lamb chops

Lamb chops

A meat chop is a cut of meat cut perpendicular to the spine, and usually containing a rib or riblet part of a vertebra and served as an individual portion. The most common kinds of meat chops are pork and lamb. A thin boneless chop, or one with only the rib bone, may be called a cutlet, though the difference is not always clear. The term "chop" is not usually used for beef, but a T-bone steak is essentially a loin chop, a rib steak and a rib cutlet. Chops are generally cut from pork, lamb, veal, or mutton, but also from game, such as venison. They are cut perpendicular to the spine, and usually include a rib and a section of spine. They are typically cut from 10–50 mm thick. In United States markets, pork chops are classified as "center-cut" or "shoulder". Lamb chops are classified as shoulder, blade, rib, loin or kidney, and leg or sirloin chops. The rib chops are narrower and fattier, while the loin chops are broader and leaner. Lamb chops are sometimes cut with an attached piece of kidney.

Lamb shank

Lamb shank

A meat shank or shin is the portion of meat around the tibia of the animal, the leg bone beneath the knee and shoulder. Lamb shanks are often braised whole; veal shanks are typically cross-cut. Some dishes made using shank include:

Lamb stew

Lamb stew

Stew made with lamb, onions and dried okra, serve with asida (porridge)

Mahshi

Mahshi

Dolma is a family of stuffed dishes associated with Ottoman cuisine, typically made with a filling of rice, minced meat, offal, seafood, fruit, or any combination of these inside a vegetable or a leaf wrapping. Wrapped dolma, specifically, are known as sarma, made by rolling grape, cabbage, or other leaves around the filling. Dolma can be served warm or at room temperature and are common in modern cuisines of regions and nations that once were part of the Ottoman Empire. Stuffed vegetable dishes have been a part of West Asian Cuisine for centuries.[better source needed] Recipes for stuffed eggplant have been found in Medieval Arabic cookbooks and, in Ancient Greek cuisine, fig leaves stuffed with sweetened cheese were called thrion. The word dolma, of Turkish origin, means "something stuffed" or "filled". (A Turkish share taxi is called a dolmuş for similar reasons). In some of the former Ottoman countries, native names have been retained or have blended with Turkish language terms, for example, in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf and Damascus, stuffed leaves are called mahshi yabraq or mahshi brag, a combination of the Turkish word for leaf (yaprak) and the Arabic term for stuffed (mahshi). The origins of dolma, as suggested by The Oxford Companion to Food, likely stem from Armenian culinary traditions before becoming integrated into Turkish cuisine. William Pokhlebkin, a specialist on culinary history and cookbook author, contends that the dish's inception traces back to Armenian culinary heritage: Several dolma recipes were recorded in 19th-century Iran by Naser al-Din Shah Qajar's chef, including stuffed vine leaves, cabbage leaves, cucumbers, eggplants, apples, and quinces, with varied fillings prepared with ground meat, sauteed mint leaves, rice and saffron. Iraqi Jewish families have a version of dolma with sweet and sour flavors that were not found in other versions. Dolma are part of cuisine of the Sephardic Jews as well. Jews in the Ottoman Empire used locally grown grape leaves and adopted the Turkish name of the dish.

Malleh

Malleh

Preserved fish, fish such as kingfish and tuna are salted and dried for preservation, then rehydrated, stewed, cooked in a biryani (mixed rice dish) with spices, preserved black limes

Méchoui

Méchoui

Méchoui or Meshwi is a whole sheep or lamb spit-roasted on a barbecue in Maghrebi cuisine. The word comes from the Arabic word šawā (شواء, "grilling, roasting"). This dish is very popular in North Africa. In Algeria and Morocco, the term méchoui "refers to the method of cooking a lamb or a sheep cooked whole on the spit".

Muhammar

Muhammar

Muhammar is a traditional dish from Bahrain. It is a sweet rice dish seasoned with spices and date molasses, and is usually eaten with fried or grilled fish. The rice is parboiled and then steamed.

Mulukhiyah

Mulukhiyah

Mulukhiyah , also known as mulukhiyya , molokhiyya, melokhiyya, or ewédú, is a type of jute plant and a dish made from the leaves of Corchorus olitorius, commonly known in English as jute, jute leaves, jute mallow, nalta jute, or tossa jute. It is used as a vegetable and is mainly eaten in Egypt, the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan), Sudan, Cyprus, Libya, Tunisia and Algeria. It is called saluyot in the Philippines. Mulukhiyah is rather bitter, and when boiled, the resulting liquid is a thick, highly mucilaginous broth; it is often described as "slimy", rather like cooked okra. Mulukhiyah is generally eaten cooked, not raw, and it is either eaten chopped and sautéed in oil, garlic and cilantro like in Syria or turned into a kind of soup or stew like in Egypt, typically bearing the same name as the vegetable in the local language. Traditionally, mulukhiyah is cooked with chicken or at least chicken stock for flavor and is served with white rice, accompanied with lemon or lime. In Tunisia, the dish is prepared with jute powder instead of the leaves and cooked with lamb or beef to be served with bread. In Haiti, a dish prepared from jute leaves is called lalo. Most scholars are of the opinion that mulukhiyah's origins lie in Ancient Egypt, namely Corchorus capsularis, which is used for food as well as for fiber.

Naeamia be dakwa

Naeamia be dakwa

Stewed onions and tomatoes with yogurt and dakwa (peanut butter)

Naeamia be wayka

Naeamia be wayka

Stewed onions and tomatoes with yogurt and wayka (okra powder)

Nyaba

Nyaba

Stewed greens and peanut butter with chicken stock, serve with bread

Pasta bake

Pasta bake

Baked pasta casserole, pasta baked with cheese, tomato paste, ketchup, butter, salt and pepper

Perch

Perch

Perch is a common name for freshwater fish from the genus Perca, which belongs to the family Percidae of the large order Perciformes. The name comes from Greek: πέρκη, romanized: perke, meaning the type species of this genus, the European perch . Many species of freshwater game fish more or less resemble perch, but belong to different genera. In fact, the exclusively saltwater-dwelling red drum (which belong to a different order Acanthuriformes) is often referred to as a "red perch", though by definition perch are freshwater species. Though many fish are referred to as perch as a common name, to be considered a true perch, the fish must be of the family Percidae.

Ras koruf

Ras koruf

Lamb's head soup

Rijla

Rijla

Red lentils and purslane stewed with onions, tomato paste, lamb

Sabaroag stew

Sabaroag stew

Sabaroag is a traditional Sudanese stew made primarily from dried meat, dried onions, spices, and peanut butter, with optional additions like milk and yogurt. It is typically served with a type of flatbread called kisra or porridge.

Samosa

Samosa

A samosa (listenⓘ) ( Persian: سمبوسه) from the Persian word sambosag (سنبوسگ) (meaning 'triangular pastry') is a fried South Asian and West Asian snack. It is a pastry with a savory filling, mostly vegetables, spiced potatoes, onions, and peas, but also meat or fish. It is made in different shapes, including triangular, cone, or crescent, depending on the region. Samosas are often accompanied by chutney, and have origins in medieval times or earlier. Sweet versions are also made. Samosas are a popular entrée, appetizer, or snack in the cuisines of India, South Asia, West Asia, Central Asia, Portugal, East Africa and their South Asian diasporas. The English word samosa derives from the Hindustani word samosa (Urdu: سموسہ, Hindi: समोसा), traceable to the Middle Persian word sanbosag (سنبوسگ) 'triangular pastry'. Similar pastries are called sambusak in Arabic from Persian; medieval Arabic recipe books sometimes spell it sambusaj, which are all borrowed from Persian sanbosag.

Sharmout abiyad

Sharmout abiyad

Stew made with dried meat, onions and okra

Shish taouk

Shish taouk

Shish taouk or shish tawook is a traditional marinated chicken shish kebab of Ottoman cuisine that later became part of Middle Eastern cuisine. It is widely eaten in the Middle East and Caucasus. A similar dish in Persian cuisine is the traditional jujeh kabab. It is also served in kebab houses in many cities around the world. Shish in Syrian-Arabic dialects or şiş in Turkish means skewer. Some scholars assert that it is itself a Persian loanword from sikh,[citation needed] others say that it comes from the root "sı" in old Turkish meaning "to cut". It has been adopted in Egyptian Arabic, Lebanese-Arabic and Syrian-Arabic dialects. Tavuk ( pronounced [taˈvuk]) comes from old Turkic takagu and means chicken. The dish consists of cubes of chicken that are marinated, then skewered and grilled. Common marinades are based upon yogurt and lemon juice or tomato puree, though there are other variations.

Shorbat adas

Shorbat adas

Shurba

Shurba

Chorba [a] or shorba (/ˈʃɔːrbə/ SHOR-bə; Azerbaijani: [ʃoɾˈbɑ])[b] is a broad class of stews or rich soups found in national cuisines across the Middle East, Maghreb, Iran, Turkey, Southeast Europe, Central Asia, East Africa and South Asia. It is often prepared with added ingredients but is also served alone as a broth or with bread. The word chorba in English and in many Balkan languages is a loan from the Ottoman Turkish چوربا çorba, which itself is a loan from Persian شوربا šōrbā. The spelling shorba could be a direct loan into English from Persian or through a Central or South Asian intermediary. The word is ultimately a compound of شور šōr meaning 'salty, brackish' and با bā meaning 'stew, gruel, spoon-meat'. The former is from Parthian 𐫢𐫇𐫡 šōr meaning 'salty', and the latter from Middle Persian *-bāg meaning 'gruel, spoon-meat'.

Tagalia

Tagalia

Stewed minced meat with onions, garlic, tomato paste, okra powder (wayka), serve with asida

Vegetable soup

Vegetable soup

Vegetable soup is a common soup prepared using vegetables and leaf vegetables as primary ingredients. It dates to ancient history, and is a mass-produced food product in contemporary times. Vegetable soup is prepared using vegetables, leafy greens, mushrooms, and roots as the main ingredients. Some fruits, such as tomato and squash, are considered vegetables in such a context. Vegetable soup can be prepared as a stock- or cream-based soup. Basic ingredients in addition to vegetables can include beef, fish, beans and legumes, grains, tofu, noodles and pasta, vegetable broth or stock, milk, cream, water, olive or vegetable oil, seasonings, salt and pepper, among myriad others. Some vegetable soups are pureed and run through a sieve, straining them to create a smooth texture. It is typically served hot, although some, such as gazpacho, are typically served cold. Vegetable soup is sometimes served as a starter or appetizer dish. Vegetable soup is mass-produced in canned, frozen, dried, powdered, and instant varieties.

Waykaab

Waykaab

Milk cooked with okra powder (wayka), serve with kisra

Aish baladi

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Aish baladi

Al aswad salad

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Al aswad salad

Fried and mashed eggplant with peanut butter, lemon juice, spices, may also add yogurt (zabadi)

Baharat

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Baharat

Bahārāt is a spice mixture or blend used in Middle Eastern cuisines. The mixture of finely ground spices is often used to season lamb and mutton, fish, chicken, beef, anise, and soups, and may also be used as a condiment. Bahārāt is the Arabic word for "spices" (the plural form of bahār, 'spice'). The word originates from the Persian word bahār. Composition depends on the region the spice mix is from. Typical ingredients of baharat may include:

Dakwa

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Dakwa

Spicy peanut butter and vegetable salad, made with peanut butter, tomatoes, onions, chili peppers, lemon or lime juice and seasonings, may include meat, serve with rice

Domiati

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Domiati

Domiati cheese, also referred to as white cheese , is a soft white salty cheese made primarily in Egypt, but also in Sudan and other Middle Eastern countries. Typically made from buffalo milk, cow milk, or a mixture, it can also be made from other milks, such as sheep, goat or camel milk. It is the most common Egyptian cheese. Unlike feta and other white cheeses, salt is added directly to the milk, before rennet is added. It is named after the seaport city of Damietta (دمياط). Domiati production involves pasteurizing milk briefly, then salting a portion of it before adding rennet. This method results in a high-moisture, salty cheese, distinct from feta due to its pre-rennet salting. Domiati can be enjoyed fresh or aged in brine for a few months, enhancing its pickled flavor.

Dukkah

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Dukkah

Duqqa,[spelling 1] du'ah, do'a, or dukkah is an Egyptian and Middle Eastern condiment consisting of a mixture of herbs, nuts (usually hazelnut), and spices. It is typically used as a dip with bread or fresh vegetables for an hors d'œuvre. Pre-made versions of duqqa can be bought in the spice markets of Cairo, where they are sold in paper cones, with the simplest version being crushed mint, salt, and pepper. The packaged variety that is found in markets is composed of parched wheat flour mixed with cumin and caraway. In the Hejaz region, it has been part of the regional cuisine for decades. The word is derived from the Arabic for "to pound" since the mixture of spices and nuts is pounded together after being dry roasted to a texture that is neither powdered nor paste-like. The actual composition of the spice mix can vary from family to family, vendor to vendor though there are common ingredients, such as sesame, coriander, cumin, salt and black pepper. Reference to a 19th-century text lists marjoram, mint, zaatar and chickpeas as further ingredients that can be used in the mixture. A report from 1978 indicates that even further ingredients can be used, such as nigella, millet flour and dried cheese. Some modern variants include pine nuts, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.

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