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Yemen

Yemen is a country in Western Asia with a tiny portion in East Africa. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast and shares maritime borders with Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia. As of 2021, Yemen had an estimated population of 30.4 million.

Featured Dishes from Yemen

Balela

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.

Beans

Beans

A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes throughout the world. The word "bean" and its Germanic cognates have existed in common use in West Germanic languages since before the 12th century, referring to broad beans, chickpeas, and other pod-borne seeds. This was long before the New World genus Phaseolus was known in Europe. With the Columbian exchange of domestic plants between Europe and the Americas, use of the word was extended to pod-borne seeds of Phaseolus, such as the common bean and the runner bean, and the related genus Vigna. The term has long been applied generally to many other seeds of similar form, such as Old World soybeans, peas, other vetches, and lupins, and even to those with slighter resemblances, such as coffee beans, vanilla beans, castor beans, and cocoa beans. Thus the term "bean" in general usage can refer to a host of different species.

Coffee

Coffee

Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It has the highest sales in the world market for hot drinks. The seeds of the Coffea plant's fruits are separated to produce unroasted green coffee beans. The beans are roasted and then ground into fine particles typically steeped in hot water before being filtered out, producing a cup of coffee. It is usually served hot, although chilled or iced coffee is common. Coffee can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways . Sugar, sugar substitutes, milk, and cream are often added to mask the bitter taste or enhance the flavor.

Eggs

Eggs

Humans and their hominid relatives have consumed eggs for millions of years. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especially chickens. People in Southeast Asia began harvesting chicken eggs for food by 1500 BCE. Eggs of other birds, such as ducks and ostriches, are eaten regularly but much less commonly than those of chickens. People may also eat the eggs of reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Fish eggs consumed as food are known as roe or caviar. Hens and other egg-laying creatures are raised throughout the world, and mass production of chicken eggs is a global industry. In 2009, an estimated 62.1 million metric tons of eggs were produced worldwide from a total laying flock of approximately 6.4 billion hens. There are issues of regional variation in demand and expectation, as well as current debates concerning methods of mass production. In 2012, the European Union banned battery husbandry of chickens.

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Eggs with fresh tomatoes

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.

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Fatta mouz

Torn pieces of flatbread with bananas

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Fatta tamr

Torn pieces of flatbread with dates and honey

Fatteh

Fatteh

Fatteh is an Egyptian and Levantine dish consisting of pieces of fresh, toasted, grilled, or fried flatbread covered with other ingredients that vary according to region. It is also some times referred to as shâmiyât (Arabic: شاميات "Damascene") in the Levant area. Fatteh is an ancient dish found in the Mashriq region of the Arab world, specifically Egypt and the Levant. Fetté dishes include a wide variety of regional and local variations, some of which also have their own distinct names.

Fattoush

Fattoush

Fattoush is a Lebanese salad made from toasted or fried pieces of khubz (Arabic flat bread) combined with mixed greens and other vegetables, such as radishes and tomatoes. Fattoush is popular among communities in the Levant. Fattūsh is derived from the Arabic fatt "crush" and the suffix of Turkic origin -ūsh. Coining words this way was common in Levantine Arabic. Fattoush belongs to the family of dishes known as fattat (plural of fatteh), which use stale flatbread as a base. Fattoush includes vegetables and herbs varying by season and taste. The vegetables are cut into relatively large pieces compared to tabbouleh which requires ingredients to be finely chopped. Sumac is usually used to give fattoush its sour taste, while some recipes also add pomegranate molasses along with the sumac.

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 Egypt and is considered a national dish, especially in the northern cities of Cairo and Gizah.[citation needed] Fava beans can sometimes be also 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).

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Furuga

Fattah with bread, yogurt and milk

Geymar

Geymar

Kaymak, sarshir, or qashta/ashta , is a creamy dairy food similar to clotted cream, made from the milk of water buffalo, cows, sheep, or goats in Central Asia, some Balkan countries, some Caucasus countries, the countries of the Levant, Turkic regions, Iran and Iraq. In Poland, the name kajmak refers to a confection similar to dulce de leche instead. The traditional method of making kaymak is to boil the raw milk slowly, then simmer it for two hours over a very low heat. After the heat source is shut off, the cream is skimmed and left to chill (and mildly ferment) for several hours or days. Kaymak has a high percentage of milk fat, typically about 60%. It has a thick, creamy consistency (not entirely compact, because of milk protein fibers) and a rich taste. The word kaymak has Central Asian Turkic origins, possibly formed from the verb kaymak, which means 'melt' and 'molding of metal' in Turkic. The first written records of the word kaymak is in the Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk of Mahmud al-Kashgari. The word remains as kaylgmak in Mongolian, which refers to a fried clotted cream, and with small variations in Turkic languages as qaymaq in Azerbaijani, qaymoq in Uzbek, қаймақ in Kazakh and Shor, каймак in Kyrgyz, kaymak in Turkish, gaýmak in Turkmen, კაიმაღი (kaimaghi) in Georgian, καϊμάκι (kaïmáki) in Greek, and кајмак (kajmak) in Serbo-Croatian, caimac in Romanian. This dairy food is called sarshir (سَرشیر) 'top of the milk' in Iran. They use this name because after boiling milk, a layer of fat stands on the top of the boiled milk.

Jachnun

Jachnun

Jachnun or Jahnun is a Yemenite Jewish pastry, originating from the Adeni Jews, and traditionally served on Shabbat morning, with resek agvaniyot, hard-boiled eggs, and zhug. Jachnun has become popular in Israeli cuisine, where it is served in homes (usually on Shabbat), as fast food at roadside stalls, and in restaurants, events, and dining halls. Jahnun is prepared from dough which is rolled out thinly and brushed with (traditionally) samneh, which is clarified butter spiced with 'hilbe' (fenugreek) and aged in a smoked vessel, traditionally using smoke from the wood of a specific tree, the דודינה tree (presumably Dodonaea viscosa, sheth in Arabic), though regular clarified butter or shortening can be used. A little honey is sometimes added in addition, whereupon the dough is rolled up before cooking.

Kebab

Kebab

Kebab , kabob (North American), kebap, or kabab (Kashmir) is a variety of roasted meat dishes that originated in the Middle East. Many variants of kebab are popular around the world, including the skewered shish kebab or the doner kebab with bread. Kebabs consist of cut up or ground meat, sometimes with vegetables and various other accompaniments according to the specific recipe. Although kebabs are typically cooked on a skewer over a fire, some kebab dishes are oven-baked in a pan, or prepared as a stew such as tas kebab. The traditional meat for kebabs is most often lamb meat, but regional recipes may include beef, goat, chicken, fish, or even pork (depending on whether or not there are specific religious prohibitions).

Kebda

Kebda

Spiced and fried liver, serve with flatbread, tahini, rice

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Khaliat al nahl

Bread buns filled with kiri cheese, sweetened with syrup, can also have savory fillings

Khameer

Khameer

Yeasted bread, serve with sweet or savory ingredients such as honey, cream cheese, date paste, date syrup, pumpkin purée, cheese, labneh

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Khobz al tawa

Grilled flatbread

Khubz

Khubz

Khubz, alternatively transliterated as khoubz, khobez, khubez, or khubooz,[clarification needed] is the usual word for "bread" in Standard Arabic and in many of the vernaculars. Among the breads popular in Middle Eastern countries are "pocket" pita bread in the Levant and Egypt, and the flat tannur bread in Iraq. The oldest known kind of bread, found by archaeologists in the Syrian Desert , dates back 14,000 years. It was a sort of unleavened flatbread made with several types of wild cereals.

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Kidem

Yeasted wheat flour bread, serve with foul

Kubaneh

Kubaneh

Kubaneh is a traditional Yemenite Jewish yeast bread that is popular in Israel. It is traditionally baked overnight to be served for Shabbat breakfast. The bread is often served alongside haminados (eggs that are baked in their shells along with the bread), and resek agvaniyot (grated tomato). Although a Jewish community existed in Yemen for thousands of years, only a very small community of Jews remains in Yemen today. Yemenite Jews traditionally made their kubaneh from either sorghum flour or cornmeal during the regular weekdays, but used wheat flour on Sabbath days and holidays. Some would add to the dough either sugar, honey or black cumin. Baking was done in a greased pot, tightly sealed, and left to cook overnight. The kubāneh was eaten the following day while it was still hot, and many of the diners have been known to ask for the qaʻeh – the hard and oily lower crust, known for its delicate taste. During the winter months, some were known to insert in the kubāneh the fatty-tail of sheep, or some other piece of meat, which was baked overnight along with the dough. This was considered a delicacy and was served to women after childbirth.

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. 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.

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Lahma mahshoosha

Spiced meat dish

Lahoh

Lahoh

Lahoh or canjeero (𐒋𐒖𐒒𐒃𐒜𐒇𐒙)), is a spongy, flat pancake-like bread. It is a type of flat bread eaten regularly in Somalia, Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia and Yemen. Yemenite Jewish immigrants popularized the dish in Israel. It is called Canjeero/Canjeelo in southern Somalia and also called Laxoox/Lahoh in Somaliland, Djibouti and Yemen respectively. Lahoh is traditionally and typically prepared from a thick batter of sorghum flour (preferred flour for making Laxoox), White cornmeal/cornflour, warm water, yeast, and a pinch of salt. The mixture is beaten by hand until soft and creamy. The batter is then left to ferment overnight to cook and then eat for breakfast. There is a sweet-tasting variety of the dish, one made with eggs, as well as another variety that is spiced and typically eaten in Somali households at breakfast during Eid called Cambaabuur (Ambaabuur). It is traditionally baked on a metallic circular stove called a taawa. Lacking that, it can also be baked in an ordinary pan. Somali laxoox/canjeero is a pancake-like flatbread, i.e., made from a batter comprised typically of legumes or cereals other than wheat, usually due to a scarcity of wheat production. The modern-day production of Somali laxoox/canjeero is relatively homogenous, but recent research revealed two significant divergences: in bread formulation and in the procedure for structure development. These divergences correspond broadly to regional differences in production methods. An original framework of four production styles (“heritage,” “new heritage,” “innovative,” and “global”) illustrates these divergences in detail.

Malawach

Malawach

Malawach or Melawwaḥ, , is a Jewish Yemenite flatbread that is traditional in the Yemeni cuisine. It was brought to Israel by Yemenite Jews. Malawach resembles a thick pancake but consists of thin layers of puff pastry brushed with oil or fat and cooked flat in a frying pan. It is traditionally served with hard-boiled eggs, zhug, and a crushed or grated tomato dip. Sometimes it is served with honey. Malawach is made from the same dough as jachnun, a Yemenite Jewish Shabbat bread, and both originated as a variation of puff pastry, brought to Yemen by Jews expelled from Spain. It later became "ajin", an enriched dough only made by the Yemenite Jews, and was not made by the non-Jewish Yemenis, according to Rabbi Gil Marks, a Jewish food historian. Malawach was traditionally prepared at home by the women in the Yemenite Jewish community, and is made out of a laminated dough similar to puff pastry that has been enriched with either butter, Clarified butter, or margarine if pareve; creating a very flaky consistency with many layers, similar to a croissant. The dough is divided into balls, and is rolled out and then commonly placed between wax paper and placed in the freezer. It is then fried in a small amount of oil from a frozen state, as if it is fried fresh the butter or other fat will seep out of the dough, making it harder to work with and not flaky. Freezing the dough helps the butter or other fat remain in solid form once the malawach comes into contact with the hot oil, causing the creation of its signature flaky layers, and causing the bread to rise somewhat. Malawach is typically fried as one large flatbread, though sometimes it is fried in smaller pieces. It is served hot, traditionally with zhoug, resek, and hardboiled egg, although a variety of other pairings and dips are now popular as well such as honey, jam, labneh, shakshouka, baba ghanoush, matbucha, and muhammara, among others.

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Maluj

Leavened Yemeni flatbread

Masoob

Masoob

Masoob is a traditional Yemeni dessert. Masoob is a banana-based pudding made from over-ripe bananas, ground flat bread, cream, cheese, dates, and honey. It is popular in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Masoob is a bread pudding prepared with mashed bananas, honey, and cream along with whole wheat bread. Some versions top with dates, almonds, raisins, and even cheese. The meal provides an ideal combination of richness from the cream, sweetness from the bananas and honey, and earthy nutty flavor from the bread. Masoob is delicious both as a sumptuous dessert and as a wholesome breakfast. Being rich in dietary fiber, healthy fats, and carbohydrates, Masoob is a wholesome breakfast choice. Additionally, it contains bananas that provide good amounts of potassium, which is necessary for controlling fluid balance, nerve impulses, and muscular contractions.

Mutabak

Mutabak

Khobz al tawa bread filled with egg or cheese, a snack

Pastry

Pastry

Pastry refers to a variety of doughs , as well as the sweet and savoury baked goods made from them. These goods are often called pastries as a synecdoche, and the dough may be accordingly called pastry dough for clarity. Sweetened pastries are often described as bakers' confectionery. Common pastry dishes include pies, tarts, quiches, croissants, and pasties. The French word pâtisserie is also used in English (with or without the accent) for many of the same foods, as well as the set of techniques used to make them. Originally, the French word pastisserie referred to anything, such as a meat pie, made in dough (paste, later pâte) and not typically a luxurious or sweet product. This meaning still persisted in the nineteenth century, though by then the term more often referred to the sweet and often ornate confections implied today. The precise definition of the term pastry varies based on location and culture. Common doughs used to make pastries include filo dough, puff pastry, choux pastry, short dough, pâte brisée, pâte sucrée, and other enriched doughs. Pastries tend to have a delicate texture, often flaky or crumbly, and rich flavor—simple breads are thus excluded from the pastry category. Pastries also tend to be baked.

Roasted meats

Roasted meats

Commonly served with bread

Rooti

Rooti

Roti is a round flatbread originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is commonly consumed in many South Asian, Southeast Asian, Caribbean, and Southeast African countries. It is made from stoneground whole wheat flour, traditionally known as gehu ka atta, and water that are combined into a dough. Its defining characteristic is that it is unleavened. Naan from the Indian subcontinent, by contrast, is a yeast-leavened bread, as is kulcha. Like breads around the world, roti is a staple accompaniment to other foods.

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Saluf

Yeasted flatbread

Shakshouka

Shakshouka

Shakshouka 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. The word shakshouka (Arabic: شكشوكة) is a Maghrebi Arabic term for "a mixture". According to Mary Fitzgerald, the word is allegedly believed to come from the Berber languages, although most sources agree on the term's Arabic origin. In Morocco, it is referred to as bīḍ w-maṭiša (بيض ومطيشة "egg and tomato"). The term shakshouka may have derived from "shak", another Arabic word meaning "to combine things together", as the dish combines tomatoes, chilies and eggs. 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.

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Susi

Savory flatbread casserole, made with pieces of flatbread, yogurt, chickpeas, pine nuts, olive oil

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 southwestern 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.

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Thamool

Crisp, biscuit-like bread, serve with tea, soup, cheese

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 cake that is typically associated with Egyptian cuisine, and is also popular in the wider region. The semolina batter is baked in a sheet pan, then sweetened with orange flower water, rose water or simple 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.

Bint al sahn

Bint al sahn

Bint al-sahn , also known as sabayah, is a Yemeni pastry made from a dough, which is prepared by mixing white flour, eggs, yeast and clarified butter, known as samn (سمن). It is baked in multiple layers and typically served with honey and sprinkled with habbat as sowda (Nigella sativa, black cumin). Bint al-sahn is one of the most popular Yemeni dishes (along with shai haleeb). It is often translated as honey cake into English, but in reality falls more under the category of a rich, flaky pastry with is served with honey and melted ghee. Like most breads, its best when it is fresh and warm. This recipe seems very simple in terms of the ingredients; however, it is not the easiest dish to make. For this reason, it is rarely found in Yemeni restaurants and it is something which is most often made at home. The most important thing is that the layers need to be paper-thin. In order to achieve this, the dough needs to be the right consistency and the dough balls must be allowed to relax so that it becomes easy to toss them out.

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 (the literal English translation of the name is "white eat"), 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 capon or chicken, milk or almond milk, rice, and sugar; it was considered to be an ideal food for the sick.[citation needed]

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Fatta mouz

Torn pieces of flatbread with bananas

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Fatta tamr

Torn pieces of flatbread with dates and honey

Fruit

Fruit

In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering . Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propagated using the movements of humans and other animals in a symbiotic relationship that is the means for seed dispersal for the one group and nutrition for the other; humans and many other animals have become dependent on fruits as a source of food. Consequently, fruits account for a substantial fraction of the world's agricultural output, and some (such as the apple and the pomegranate) have acquired extensive cultural and symbolic meanings.

Halva

Halva

Halva is a type of confectionery originating from Persia (now Iran) and widely spread throughout the Middle East and South Asia. The name is used for a broad variety of recipes, generally a thick paste made from flour, butter, liquid oil, saffron, rosewater, milk, turmeric powder, and sweetened with sugar. The word halva entered the English language between 1840 and 1850 from Romanian, which came from Ottoman Turkish: حلوى, romanized: helva, itself ultimately derived from Arabic: حلوى, romanized: ḥalwā, a sweet confection. The root in Arabic: ح ل و, romanized: ḥ-l-w, means "sweet". The original name for the confection was Persian: روغن خورديگ, romanized: rōγn xwardīg, meaning "oil food".

Kanafeh

Kanafeh

Knafeh is a traditional Arabic dessert, made with spun pastry called kataifi, soaked in a sweet, sugar-based syrup called attar, and typically layered with cheese, or with other ingredients such as clotted cream, pistachio or nuts, depending on the region. It is popular in the Middle East. In Arabic, the name may refer to the string pastry itself, or to the entire dessert dish. In Turkish, the string pastry is known as tel kadayıf, and the cheese-based dessert that uses it as künefe. In Turkey, it is called künefe. In the Balkans, the shredded dough is similarly known as kadaif/cataif, and in Greece as kadaifi, and is the basis of various dishes rolled or layered with it, including dessert pastries with nuts and sweet syrups. 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, also awameh, 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.

Ma'amoul

Ma'amoul

Ma'amoul is a filled butter cookie made with semolina flour. It is popular throughout the Arab world. The filling can be made with dried fruits like figs, dates, or nuts such as pistachios or walnuts, and occasionally almonds. Ma'amoul is usually made during the holidays of Easter, and a few days before Eid (then stored to be served with Arabic coffee and chocolate to guests who come during the holiday). It is popular throughout the Arab world, especially in the Arabian peninsula.

Mahalabia

Mahalabia

Muhallebi is a milk pudding commonly made with rice, sugar, milk and either rice flour, starch or semolina, popular as a dessert in the Middle East. While the dessert is called Muhallebi in Iraq, the Egyptian variant is called mahalabia and the levantine variant is called mahalabiyeh. Legend has it that muhallebi (Arabic: مهلبية) was introduced into Arab cuisine in the late seventh century by a Persian (Iranian) cook from what was then the Sasanian Empire (224–651), who served it to an Arab general by the name of Al-Muhallab ibn Abi Sufra. He liked it so much, he named it after himself. The earliest recipes, dating to the 10th century, featured three versions: milk thickened with ground rice, milk with rice grains and chicken, and an egg custard without rice. Early recipes for muhallabiyya include a work attributed to Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq of Baghdad and two 13th-century Arab cookbooks, one by al-Baghdadi and another from Al Andalus that have a spiced pudding variation made with mutton instead of chicken. The legend of the pudding's supposed Persian origins comes from the Al Andalus cookbook. In the Middle Ages, muhallebi and its European counterpart blancmange were made with shredded chicken. There are records from the Ottoman Empire for two versions of muhallebi: a version with shredded chicken (tavuk göğsü) served during the reign of Mehmed the Conqueror, and a later recipe dating to 1530 for a meatless version flavored with rose water.

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. In the production process, soapwort may be used as an emulsifying additive. The origin of lokum is not precisely known, though the confection is known to have been produced in the Ottoman Empire, Greece and Greek populations in Asia Minor and Safavid Azerbaijan since the late 18th century.

Masoob

Masoob

Masoob is a traditional Yemeni dessert. Masoob is a banana-based pudding made from over-ripe bananas, ground flat bread, cream, cheese, dates, and honey. It is popular in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Masoob is a bread pudding prepared with mashed bananas, honey, and cream along with whole wheat bread. Some versions top with dates, almonds, raisins, and even cheese. The meal provides an ideal combination of richness from the cream, sweetness from the bananas and honey, and earthy nutty flavor from the bread. Masoob is delicious both as a sumptuous dessert and as a wholesome breakfast. Being rich in dietary fiber, healthy fats, and carbohydrates, Masoob is a wholesome breakfast choice. Additionally, it contains bananas that provide good amounts of potassium, which is necessary for controlling fluid balance, nerve impulses, and muscular contractions.

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

Mhalabia

Mhalabia

Muhallebi is a milk pudding commonly made with rice, sugar, milk and either rice flour, starch or semolina, popular as a dessert in the Middle East. While the dessert is called Muhallebi in Iraq, the Egyptian variant is called mahalabia and the levantine variant is called mahalabiyeh. Legend has it that muhallebi (Arabic: مهلبية) was introduced into Arab cuisine in the late seventh century by a Persian (Iranian) cook from what was then the Sasanian Empire (224–651), who served it to an Arab general by the name of Al-Muhallab ibn Abi Sufra. He liked it so much, he named it after himself. The earliest recipes, dating to the 10th century, featured three versions: milk thickened with ground rice, milk with rice grains and chicken, and an egg custard without rice. Early recipes for muhallabiyya include a work attributed to Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq of Baghdad and two 13th-century Arab cookbooks, one by al-Baghdadi and another from Al Andalus that have a spiced pudding variation made with mutton instead of chicken. The legend of the pudding's supposed Persian origins comes from the Al Andalus cookbook. In the Middle Ages, muhallebi and its European counterpart blancmange were made with shredded chicken. There are records from the Ottoman Empire for two versions of muhallebi: a version with shredded chicken (tavuk göğsü) served during the reign of Mehmed the Conqueror, and a later recipe dating to 1530 for a meatless version flavored with rose water.

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. Different methods have developed in the preparation of the pastry dessert. According to Muqadassi (10th-century CE), the people in Greater Syria during winter "[would] prepare the unlatticed type of Zalabiya. This would be the deep-fried bread fritter Zalabiya. Some are elongated in shape, similar to crullers, while the smaller ones, sometimes made into balls, are similar to the shape of dumplings." In North Africa, they would give the name Zalabiya to a different type of pastry, namely to the Mushabbak, being a deep-fried lattice-shaped pastry made by looping batter, and drenched in ʻasal (honey) syrup or qatr."

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, it is named after the wife of the Sultan of Egypt, who, according to folklore, asked all Egypt's cooks and women to compete and come up with the most delicious dessert that they could create as a form of celebration. The chosen recipe was later distributed throughout the country to celebrate, and it is a national dish of Egypt and a traditional Egyptian dessert till this day. It is commonly eaten during Ramadan as part of the iftar or sunset feast. The Egyptian dessert is said to have 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. Typically, pastry (bread, pastry or puff pastry) is divided into pieces and blended with pistachios, coconut flakes, raisins and plenty of sugar. Milk, sometimes with cream, is poured over the mixture, which is then sprinkled with cinnamon. Finally, the mixture is baked in the oven until the surface is golden brown.

Qatayef

Qatayef

Qatayef, katayef, 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, 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.

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Tamrieh

Thin pastry dough wrapped around semolina pudding, then fried and coated with powdered sugar

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.

Znoud el sit

Znoud el sit

Deep-fried cream filled phyllo pastries

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Adeni tea

Spiced tea from Aden, Yemen

Arabic coffee

Arabic coffee

Arabic coffee is a version of the brewed coffee of Coffea arabica beans. Most Arab countries throughout the Middle East have developed distinct methods for brewing and preparing coffee. Cardamom is an often-added spice, but it can alternatively be served plain or with sugar. There are several different styles to brewing the coffee depending on the preference of the drinker. Some methods keep the coffee light whereas others can make it dark. Arabic coffee is bitter, and typically no sugar is added. It is usually served in a small cup that is adorned with a decorative pattern, known as a finjān. Culturally, Arabic coffee is served during family gatherings or when receiving guests. Arabic coffee originated in the Middle East, beginning in Yemen and eventually travelling to Mecca , Egypt, the Levant, and then, in the mid-16th century, to Turkey and from there to Europe where coffee eventually became popular as well. Arabic coffee is an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Arab states confirmed by UNESCO.

Arak

Arak

Arak or araq , is a distilled Levantine spirit of the anise drinks family. It is translucent and unsweetened. Arak is traditionally made of grapes and aniseed (the seeds of the anise plant); when crushed, their oil provides arak with a slight licorice taste. Dates, figs, and other fruits are sometimes added.

Banana flavored milk

Banana flavored milk

Banana Flavored Milk is a South Korean milk beverage produced by Binggrae in Korea. The name "Banana Mat Uyu" (Korean: 바나나맛 우유) in Korean translates as Banana Flavored Milk. The beverage consists of 80 percent milk. It contains just a hint of banana flavor. Other regular flavors include strawberry, melon, banana light, and coffee. Lychee, peach, mandarin, mulberry, and pumpkin-sweet potato were or are currently seasonal flavors.

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.

Buttermilk

Buttermilk

Buttermilk is a fermented dairy drink. Traditionally, it was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cultured cream. As most modern butter in Western countries is not made with cultured cream but uncultured sweet cream, most modern buttermilk in Western countries is cultured separately. It is common in warm climates where unrefrigerated milk sours quickly. Buttermilk can be drank straight, and it can also be used in cooking. In making soda bread, the acid in buttermilk reacts with the raising agent, sodium bicarbonate, to produce carbon dioxide which acts as the leavening agent. Buttermilk is also used in marination, especially of chicken and pork. Originally, buttermilk referred to the thin liquid left over from churning butter from cultured or fermented cream. Traditionally, before the advent of homogenization, the milk was left to sit for a period of time to allow the cream and milk to separate. During this time, naturally occurring lactic acid-producing bacteria in the milk fermented it. This facilitates the butter churning process, since fat from cream with a lower pH coalesces more readily than that of fresh cream. The acidic environment also helps prevent potentially harmful microorganisms from growing, increasing shelf life.

Caffè mocha

Caffè mocha

A caffè mocha , also called mocaccino ( Italian: [mokatˈtʃiːno]), is a chocolate-flavoured warm beverage that is a variant of a caffè latte, commonly served in a glass rather than a mug. Other commonly used spellings are mochaccino and also mochachino. The name is derived from the city of Mokha, Taiz Governorate, Yemen, which was one of the centres of early coffee trade. Like latte, the name is commonly shortened to just mocha. The name "mocha" is derived from the Yemeni port of Mokha, which was a port well-known for its coffee trade from the 15th to 17th century, and where small quantities of fine coffee grown in the hills nearby was exported. When coffee drinking culture spread to Europe, Europeans referred to coffee imports from Arabia as Mochas, even though coffee from Yemen itself was uncommon and frequently mixed with beans from Abyssinia, and later coffee from Malabar or the West Indies were also marketed as Mocha coffee. The coffee drink today called "mocha," however, is made by adding chocolate, and some believe that this is the result of confusion caused by the chocolate flavor that may sometimes be found in Yemeni coffee. Chocolate has been combined with coffee after chocolate drink was introduced to Italy in the 17th century; in Turin, chocolate was mixed with coffee and cream to produce bavareisa, which evolved in the 18th century into bicerin served in small clear glass where its components may be observed as three separate layers. However, prior to 1900s, Mocha referred to Yemeni coffee, and its meaning began to change around the turn of the 20th century, and recipes for food such as cakes that combined chocolate and coffee that referenced mocha began to appear. In 1920, a recipe for a "Chilled Mocha" was published with milk, coffee and cocoa as ingredients.

Coffee

Coffee

Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It has the highest sales in the world market for hot drinks. The seeds of the Coffea plant's fruits are separated to produce unroasted green coffee beans. The beans are roasted and then ground into fine particles typically steeped in hot water before being filtered out, producing a cup of coffee. It is usually served hot, although chilled or iced coffee is common. Coffee can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways . Sugar, sugar substitutes, milk, and cream are often added to mask the bitter taste or enhance the flavor.

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Easir almutazawijin

Thick juice made from mango, banana, dates, nuts, raisins, coconut

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Ginger juice

Guava juice

Guava juice

Guava is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava Psidium guajava (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. The name guava is also given to some other species in the genus Psidium such as strawberry guava (Psidium cattleyanum) and to the pineapple guava, Feijoa sellowiana. In 2019, 55 million tonnes of guavas were produced worldwide, led by India with 45% of the total. Botanically, guavas are berries. The term guava appears to have been in use since the mid-16th century. The name derived from the Taíno, a language of the Arawaks as guayabo for guava tree via the Spanish for guayaba. It has been adapted in many European and Asian languages, having a similar form. Guavas originated from an area thought to extend from Mexico, Central America or northern South America throughout the Caribbean region. Archaeological sites in Peru yielded evidence of guava cultivation as early as 2500 BC.

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.

Karak

Karak

Masala chai is a popular beverage throughout South Asia, originating in India. It is made by brewing black tea (usually crush, tear, curl) in milk and water, and then by sweetening with sugar. Adding aromatic herbs and spices creates masala chai, although chai is often prepared unspiced. The term chai originated from the Chinese word for tea, cha (see Etymology of tea) via the Hindi chai (चाय). In English, this spiced tea is commonly referred to as chai tea, or simply chai. Originating in India, the beverage has gained worldwide popularity, becoming a feature in many coffee and tea houses, with many using the term chai latte or chai tea latte for their version to indicate that it is made with steamed milk, much like that used to make a caffè latte but mixed with a spiced tea concentrate instead of espresso.

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. 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.

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Leem

Sweet lime juice

Lemon juice

Lemon juice

The lemon is a species of small evergreen tree in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar, and China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world, primarily for its juice, which has both culinary and cleaning uses. The pulp and rind are also used in cooking and baking. The juice of the lemon is about 5–6% citric acid, with a pH of around 2.2, giving it a sour taste. The distinctive sour taste of lemon juice, derived from the citric acid, makes it a key ingredient in drinks and foods such as lemonade and lemon meringue pie.

Lime juice

Lime juice

A lime is a citrus fruit, which is typically round, green in color, 3–6 centimetres in diameter, and contains acidic juice vesicles. There are several species of citrus trees whose fruits are called limes, including the Key lime (Citrus aurantiifolia), Persian lime, Makrut lime, finger limes, blood limes, and desert lime. Limes are a rich source of vitamin C, are sour, and are often used to accent the flavours of foods and beverages. They are grown year-round. Plants with fruit called "limes" have diverse genetic origins; limes do not form a monophyletic group. The term lime originated in other languages (from French lime, from Arabic līma, from Persian līmū, "lemon"). The difficulty in identifying exactly which species of fruit are called lime in different parts of the English-speaking world (and the same problem applies to synonyms in other European languages) is increased by the botanical complexity of the Citrus genus itself, to which the majority of limes belong. Species of this genus hybridise readily; only recently have genetic studies started to shed light on the structure of the genus. The majority of cultivated species are in reality hybrids, produced from the citron (Citrus medica), the mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata), the pomelo (Citrus maxima) and in particular with many lime varieties, the micrantha (Citrus hystrix var. micrantha).

Mango juice

Mango juice

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Naqe'e al zabib

Naqe'e Al Zabib is a Yemeni raisin beverage. Naqe'e Al Zabib is served fresh, and as the name implies (zabīb means "raisins") it is made of grapes. It is similar to nabidh, an infusion that is made mildly alcoholic from the fermentation of sugars and was consumed widely in the pre-Islamic age. As alcohol (khamr) is considered haram in Islam, both nabidh and naqe'e al zabib are fermented for a certain time before it is converted to alcohol. Raisins have high levels of vitamin C and other anti-oxidants, are important sources of phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and copper, and help to prevent tooth decay. To prepare the infusion the raisins are thoroughly washed, covered in hot water, and then left to soak for three hours before being pressed through a sieve to extract the juice. Other recipes recommend boiling the raisins and/or soaking the raisins in the refrigerator overnight before squeezing out the juice. Sometimes the raisins are boiled a second time after the overnight soaking.

Qahwa

Qahwa

Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It has the highest sales in the world market for hot drinks. The seeds of the Coffea plant's fruits are separated to produce unroasted green coffee beans. The beans are roasted and then ground into fine particles typically steeped in hot water before being filtered out, producing a cup of coffee. It is usually served hot, although chilled or iced coffee is common. Coffee can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways . Sugar, sugar substitutes, milk, and cream are often added to mask the bitter taste or enhance the flavor.

Qishr

Qishr

Qishr is a Yemeni traditional hot drink made of spiced coffee husks, ginger, and sometimes cinnamon. In Yemen, it is usually drunk as an alternative to coffee because it doesn't need to be roasted. Coffee arrived in Yemen from across the Red Sea into the Arabian Peninsula into the region that is now Yemen, where Muslim dervishes began cultivating the shrub in their gardens. At first, Yemenis made wine from the pulp of the fermented coffee berries. This beverage was known as qishr and was used during religious ceremonies. "Ginger coffee is the universal drink and the cup is always filled, a guest being given two cups at once... Qishr, an infusion made from the husks of coffee berries, is also drunk, particularly in the Tihamat al 'Asir."

Raisin wine

Raisin wine

Straw wine, or raisin wine, is a wine made from grapes that have been dried off the vine to concentrate their juice. Under the classic method, after a careful hand harvest, selected bunches of ripe grapes will be laid out on mats in full sun. . This drying will probably be done on well exposed terraces somewhere near the wine press and the drying process will take around a week or longer. Small scale productions were laid out on flat roofs; however, if this still happens, it is extremely rare nowadays. Under less labour-intensive versions of the technique, easily portable racks might be used instead of mats or nets, or the grapes are left lying on the ground beneath the vines, or even left hanging on the vine with the vine-arm cut or the stem twisted. Technically speaking the grapes must be cut off from the vine in order for the wine to be a 'straw wine'. If the grapes are just left to over-ripen before being harvested, even if this is to the point of raisining, this is a 'late harvest' wine.

Red tea

Red tea

Black tea with cardamom and cloves

Rose water

Rose water

Rose water is a flavoured water made by steeping rose petals in water. It is the hydrosol portion of the distillate of rose petals, a by-product of the production of rose oil for use in perfume. Rose water is also used to flavour food, as a component in some cosmetic and medical preparations, and for religious purposes throughout Eurasia. Rose syrup is a syrup made from rose water, with sugar added. Gulkand in South Asia is a syrupy mashed rose mixture. Central Iran is home to the annual Golabgiri festival each spring. Thousands of tourists visit the area to celebrate the rose harvest for the production of rosewater. Iran accounts for 90% of world production of rose water.

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".

Shahi haleeb

Shahi haleeb

Shahi haleeb, shai haleeb, haleeb shai, shai Adeni, or shai mulaban is a Yemeni milk tea. It is made from black tea powder brewed in condensed or evaporated milk. Cardamom pods and cloves are usually added to the tea, some recipes include added sugar. The tea has a very sweet taste and is popular in Yemen and parts of the Arabian Peninsula.

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 southwestern 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.

Vimto

Vimto

Vimto is a British mixed fruit soft drink containing the juice of grapes, raspberries and blackcurrants, flavoured with herbs and spices. Originating in Manchester, northern England, it was first manufactured as a health tonic in cordial form then decades later as a carbonated drink, and the recipe was invented in 1908 by John Noel Nichols of Blackburn. Produced domestically by Nichols plc, it is available in cans and bottles in carbonated, still and cordial forms, and it has also been made into a sweet, ice lolly and other items. Vimto is traditionally most popular in the north of England and is also sold globally under license, and enjoys high popularity in the Persian Gulf countries and in The Gambia and Senegal. Vimto was created in 1908 in Manchester by John Noel Nichols (1883–1966), a wholesaler of herbs, spices and medicines. He saw the market opening for soft drinks due to the temperance movement and the passage of the 1908 Licensing Act. It was originally sold under the name Vim Tonic, which Nichols shortened to 'Vimto' in 1912. Vimto was originally registered as a health tonic or medicine, which was then re-registered in 1913 as a cordial.

Biryani

Biryani

Biryani is a mixed rice dish, mainly popular in South Asia. It is made with rice, some type of meat (chicken, goat, lamb, beef, prawn, or fish) and spices. To cater to vegetarians, in some cases, it is prepared by substituting vegetables or paneer for the meat. Sometimes eggs and/or potatoes are also added. Biryani is one of the most popular dishes in South Asia and among the South Asian diaspora, although the dish is often associated with the region's Muslim population in particular. Similar dishes are also prepared in other parts of the world such as in Iran, Iraq, Myanmar, Thailand, and Malaysia. Biryani is the single most-ordered dish on Indian online food ordering and delivery services, and has been labelled as the most popular dish overall in India.

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's 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.

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Chicken galaba

Stir fried chicken and vegetables

Couscous

Couscous

Couscous is a traditional North African dish of small[a] steamed granules of rolled semolina that is often served with a stew spooned on top. Pearl millet, sorghum, bulgur, and other cereals are sometimes cooked in a similar way in other regions, and the resulting dishes are also sometimes called couscous.: 18 Couscous is a staple food throughout the Maghrebi cuisines of Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Morocco, and Libya.: 250 It was integrated into French and European cuisine at the beginning of the twentieth century, through the French colonial empire and the Pieds-Noirs of Algeria.

Eggah

Eggah

Eggah is an egg-based dish in Egyptian cuisine that is similar to a frittata. It is also known as Egyptian omelet. Eggah is commonly seasoned with spices such as pepper, cinnamon, cumin, coriander seeds, turmeric, nutmeg and fresh herbs. It is generally thick, commonly filled with vegetables and sometimes meat and cooked until completely firm. It is usually circle-shaped and served sliced into rectangles or wedges, sometimes hot and sometimes cold. Eggah can be served as an appetizer, main course or side dish. Variations of the eggah can include fillings such as; parsley, onion, tomato, bell pepper, and leek. There is a similar dish in Indonesia called martabak, which involves creating an egg skin (or sometimes a thin dough) to cook it from within; it is also served with a dipping sauce. Eggah is also similar to a frittata, Spanish omelette, Persian kuku or a French-style omelette.

Fahsa

Fahsa

Fahsa is a Yemeni stew. It is made of lamb cutlets with lamb broth. Spices and hilbah (a dip made with fenugreek) are added after cooking.

Falafel

Falafel

Falafel is a deep-fried ball or patty-shaped fritter of Egyptian origin, featuring in Middle Eastern cuisine, particularly Levantine cuisines, and is made from broad beans, ground chickpeas, or both.

Fasolada

Fasolada

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.

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.

Fatteh

Fatteh

Fatteh is an Egyptian and Levantine dish consisting of pieces of fresh, toasted, grilled, or fried flatbread covered with other ingredients that vary according to region. It is also some times referred to as shâmiyât (Arabic: شاميات "Damascene") in the Levant area. Fatteh is an ancient dish found in the Mashriq region of the Arab world, specifically Egypt and the Levant. Fetté dishes include a wide variety of regional and local variations, some of which also have their own distinct names.

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 Egypt and is considered a national dish, especially in the northern cities of Cairo and Gizah.[citation needed] Fava beans can sometimes be also 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).

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