12 top Middle Eastern foods: Which is the best

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(World News) 6 years ago

Fresh, wholesome, healthy, rich, aromatic -- it's no wonder that the past decade has seen Middle Eastern cuisine's global profile skyrocketing.

While everyone has their favorite dish, we hit up Lebanese-American food blogger Bethany Kehdy of dirtykitchensecrets.com for her take.

Her favorite dishes are simple and rustic, such as m'jadarrah. That's a lentil stew (also known as poor man's stew) consisting of slow-cooked lentils with a sprinkling of burghul and caramelized onions and served with a side of zesty cabbage salad.

Or kishik -- a porridge made from burghul fermented with yogurt and dried in the sun on rooftops over seven days during the fall before being ground into fine powder.

"It's soul-soothing, wholesome food in a jiffy, although an acquired taste, I'll admit," says the power blogger.

So what is your favorite Mideast dish?

Along with Kehdy's takes, we rounded up 12 of our favorite Middle Eastern dishes to get you started :

1. Hummus
.

The big daddy chickpea spread can be slathered on anything from a burger or baked potato to the traditional hot pita bread.

Veteran preference: more garlic, more better.

2. Manakeesh
.

The pizza of the Arabic world, manakeesh is a round bread sprinkled with either cheese, ground meat or herbs (zaatar). It's ideal for breakfast or lunch. Varieties come from both fancy Levantine restaurants or street vendors.

3. Grilled halloumi
.

These mini-slabs of chewy goodness are made from goat and sheep milk. Unlike other cheeses, no acid or bacteria is used during processing.

4. Foul meddamas
.

Made of fava beans, olive oil, parsley, onion, garlic and lemon, this dish doesn't have the most appetizing of presentations -- blobby brown mush is about the best we can say of it. Taste and texture make up for it.

5. Falafel
.

You may consider fried chickpeas with herbs as simply a great snack. Or tasty pita filler. For Middle Easterners, however, the origins of falafel are a matter of patriotic interest.

The "New York TImes" has reported how the dish's provenance sparks fierce debates, but we're happy to sit on the sidelines and remain addicted to the taste.

6. Tabouleh
.

You don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy this magical combination of bulgur, parsley, mint, onion and tomatoes. But watch out, you just might be tempted to switch teams after a steady diet of this popular salad.

7. Moutabal/baba ghanoush
.

Just when you're ready to declare hummus the best dip on the planet, you find moutabal. Similar to baba ghanoush, the dip offers a similar consistency with an eggplant kick. Spiced up with chili, it delivers a zing.

8. Fattoush
.

This tangy salad is one of the Middle East's greatest contributions to world culture. Crispy lettuce, crunchy fried squares of pita, diced tomatoes, cucumbers and onion, garlic, lemon, olive oil and mint make for a refreshing addiction.

9. Shanklish

This cow or sheep milk cheese is usually fashioned into golf ball-sized bites and rolled in zaatar herbs or chili flakes (the latter version favored in Syria). Also often enjoyed with diced tomato, onion and olive oil.

10. Shawarma

No, shawarma wasn't invented as a hangover cure. But the tender bits of skewered chicken, garlic puree and salad wrapped in pita have made it a beloved post-session snack the world over. One more, please.

11. Shish tawook

Served with pure garlic paste, this simple skewered chicken dish is hugely popular in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iraq and the Gulf region. Dishes are served with fries and pita bread.

12. Knafeh

This delicious cheesecake uses Nabusi cheese, which is common to Palestine, Syria and Lebanon. The blush coloring comes from orange blossom water or rose water.

1. Hummus.

2. Manakeesh.

3. Grilled halloumi.

4. Foul meddamas.

5. Falafel.

6. Tabouleh.

7. Moutabal/baba ghanoush.

8. Fattoush.