page_title: Levantine cuisine
section_title: Levantine dishes
hierarchical_section_title: Levantine cuisine / Levantine dishes
caption_attribution_description: Rows of falafels, lebanese fried patties made of chickpeas
context_page_description: Levantine cuisine is the traditional cuisine of the Levant, known in Arabic as the Bilad al-Sham and Mashriq, which covers a large area of the Eastern Mediterranean. It continues to carry an influentially mainstream character in a majority of the dishes today. It is found in the modern states of Cyprus, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Syria, and parts of southern Turkey near Adana, Gaziantep, and Antakya. Conversely, some of the dishes listed below may have early origins in neighboring regions, but have long since become traditions in the Levant.
  Perhaps the most distinctive aspect of Levantine cuisine is meze including tabbouleh, hummus and baba ghanoush.
context_section_description: Levantine salad : A salad of diced tomato, cucumber, onion, and sometimes parsley, dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. Other famous salads include: Artichoke salad, Beet salad, Avocado salad, Fattoush and Tabouli.
  Arak (عرق): A clear, colourless alcoholic spirit.
  Awameh (عوامة): is a kind of fried-dough Levantine pastry similar to doughnut holes, made of deep fried dough, soaked in sugar syrup or honey and cinnamon, and sometimes sprinkled with sesame.
  Baba ghanoush (بابا غنوج): A dip made from baked, mashed eggplant mixed with lemon, garlic, olive oil and various seasonings.
  Baklava (البقلاوة): A dessert made of phyllo pastry filled with chopped nuts and soaked in syrup.
  Bamia (بامية): A stew prepared with chunks of lamb meat with okra in a tomato-based sauce, served over rice.
  Basbousa (بسبوسة): A Middle Eastern small, sweet cake of cooked semolina soaked in rose water syrup, topped with almonds or walnuts.
  Couscous (كُسْكُس‎): Steamed balls of crushed durum wheat semolina or other cereals traditionally served with a stew spooned on top.
  Dolma (محشي): Various vegetables, typically aubergines, courgettes, onions, peppers and/or tomatoes stuffed with minced meat and rice.
  Falafel (الفلافل): Spiced mashed chickpeas formed into balls or fritters and deep-fried, usually eaten with or in pita bread and hummus.
  Fasoulia (فاصوليا): A stew prepared with dry white beans and meat served over rice.
  Fatteh (فتّة): Chicken over rice, topped with yogurt and pita bread.
  Fattoush (فتوش): A salad consisting of chopped cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, and other vegetables together with fried or toasted pita bread.
  Ful medames  (فول مدمس): Ground fava beans and olive oil.
  Ful medames salad (سلطة فول مدمس): It typically consists of fava beans, chopped tomatoes, onion, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, pepper and salt.
  Freekeh (فريكة): A cereal food made from green durum wheat that is roasted and rubbed to create its flavour, then served with cumin, cinnamon, and fresh lamb tail fat.
  Halva (حلاوة) : A flour or nut-based confection including fruit or nuts.
  Hummus (الحمص): A thick paste or spread made from ground chickpeas and olive oil, lemon, and garlic; also common in Egypt.
  Hummus salad (سلطة حمص): is an Arab salad. It typically consists of dry chickpea, soda carbonate, lemon juice, garlic, tahini, salt, olive oil, and cumin.
  Ka'ak (كعك): A type of biscuit/cookie shaped into a ring, occasionally sprinkled with sesame seeds.
  Kabsa (كبسة): A rice-based dish commonly eaten with meat, lamb or chicken, cooked in a variety of spices and topped with nuts over rice.
  Kanafeh (كنافة): A dessert made with shredded filo and melted cheese soaked in a sugary syrup.
  Kebab (كباب): A dish consisting of ground beef or lamb grilled or roasted on a skewer.
  Kebab karaz (كباب كرز): A type of kebab consisting of lamb meatballs in a cherry-based broth with pine nuts and sour cherries over pita bread.
  Kibbeh (كبة): A dumpling-like dish of ground lamb with bulgur wheat or rice and seasonings, eaten cooked or raw.
  Kibbeh nayyeh (كبة نيئة): A mezze consisting of minced raw meat mixed with fine bulgur and various seasonings.
  Labneh (لبنة): Yogurt that has been strained to remove its whey. Most popular as a breakfast food.
  Lentil soup (شوربة عدس): A soup based on lentils; it may be vegetarian or include meat, and may use brown, red, yellow or black lentils, with or without the husk.
  Limonana (ليمون نعناع): type of lemonade made from freshly-squeezed lemon juice and mint leaves.
  Ma'amoul (معمول): Semolina cookies filled with dates or walnuts, commonly sprinkled with sugar.
  Makdous (مكدوس): Stuffed oil-cured baby aubergines, said to increase appetite.
  Manakish (مناقيش): A pizza-like flatbread garnished with minced meat, thyme and/or za'atar. Commonly eaten during breakfast and dinner.
  Mansaf (المنسف): Lamb or chicken cooked in a sauce of fermented dried yogurt and served over rice.
  Malfouf salad (سلطة ملفوف): is a salad of Arab salads, typically consists of juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and a healthy dose of fresh dried mint.
  Kousa Mahshi (كوسا محشي): Courgettes baked
caption: Falafel
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