Flavourings and spices

Middle Eastern food is renowned for its use of a wide range of spices and herbs. Parsley, coriander and mint leaves are perhaps the most common herbs, though oregano, dill, tarragon and bay leaves are also used.

Among the spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, coriander seeds, clove, turmeric, cardamom and saffron are used in a myriad of combinations. Subtle rose water, orange-blossom water and even musk are also well-loved.

Mezze

A typical feature of Middle Eastern cuisine is the mezze, which consist of an assortment of (usually cold) dishes and snacks. They can be found all over the Mediterranean (the Spanish tapas and Italian antipasti are similar), but are thought to have originated in Persia.

Mezze can be served at the start of a meal, but can also serve as snacks to be enjoyed during the day, or to make a meal in themselves. Popular mezze dishes are Taramasalata, (a Turkish-Greek fish-roe salad), Baba ghanoush (aubergine puree), hummus (chickpea puree), falafel (chickpea fritters), and Tabbouleh (bulgur wheat salad). They are usually served with flat pitta breads and savoury pastries, as well as olives and relishes such as harissa and zhug.

Soups

Middle Eastern soups tend to be hearty meal-in-a-pot affairs quite similar to stews, and are particularly popular in winter. They are made with pulses, grains, vegetables and meat, and often cooked slowly over many hours.

In many regions, soups are served during the thirty days of Ramadan, at the end of each day’s fast. An example of this is harira, a Moroccan soup made with chickpeas, haricot beans, lentils, tomatoes, turmeric and coriander.

Yogurt soups, both hot and cold, are found throughout the Middle East. Labaneya is an Egyptian spinach soup with yogurt, and tutmaj is an Armenian yogurt soup with eggs and pasta (the eggs stop the yogurt from curdling as it cooks).

Meat

Because of the Islamic ban on pork, and because much of the region is unsuited to cattle, lamb and mutton are the most common sources of meat in Middle Eastern cooking.

The rest of the world is by now quite familiar with typical meat dishes such as kebab, shashlik (skewered meats) and kofta (meat rissoles), as well as stews like the Moroccan tagines (named after the earthenware pots they’re cooked in).

One of the most popular meat dishes in the Arab world is kibbeh: patties made from a paste of meat, finely ground with onions, bulgur wheat or rice, and a variety of spices and herbs. These can be deep-fried, grilled, poached, added to stews or even eaten raw.

Poultry is also extremely popular in Middle Eastern cooking, and chicken is roasted, grilled, boiled and used in stews. The variety of chicken tagine dishes, delicately flavoured with dried fruits and spices, is enormous. Duck, turkey, pigeon and quail are also eaten.

Fish

Fish features heavily on the menu in coastal regions, particularly in the Mediterranean regions of North Africa and the Levant. The long list of species used in the region include red mullet, sea bass, sole, turbot, cod sardines, tuna and John Dory, as well as freshwater fish such as trout and carp and shellfish like mussels and prawns.

Fish is poached, boiled, baked and fried and grilled, and is often marinated before cooking. Chermoula, for example, is a versatile marinade of coriander, parsley, garlic, cumin, olive oil and lemon juice.