Levantine cuisine facts for kids
Levantine cuisine is the traditional food from a region in the Middle East called the Levant. This area includes countries like Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and Israel. It's known for its fresh ingredients and delicious flavors.
One of the most special parts of Levantine cuisine is meze. These are small dishes, like appetizers, that people share. Think of them as tasty snacks you eat before or with your main meal. Some famous meze dishes include tabbouleh, hummus, and baba ghanoush.
Popular Levantine Dishes
Fattoush is a fresh salad with pita bread and mixed vegetables
Kibbeh nayyeh is a dish made from raw meat and bulgur wheat
Makdous are small eggplants stuffed and preserved in oil
Manakish is a flatbread often topped with thyme or meat
Mujaddara is a simple dish of lentils and rice
Falafel are deep-fried balls made from chickpeas
- Arabic coffee (قهوة عربية)—A strong coffee made with cardamom.
- Awameh (عوامة)—Sweet, deep-fried dough balls, like doughnut holes, often soaked in syrup.
- Baba ghanoush (بابا غنوج)—A creamy dip made from mashed, baked eggplant, lemon, and olive oil.
- Baklava (البقلاوة)—A sweet pastry with thin layers of dough, chopped nuts, and sweet syrup.
- Bamia (بامية)—A stew with lamb meat and okra in a tomato sauce, served with rice.
- Basbousa (بسبوسة)—A sweet cake made from semolina, soaked in rose water syrup.
- Challah (חלה)—A special braided egg-bread, often eaten on Jewish holidays.
- Dolma (محشي)—Vegetables like eggplants or zucchini stuffed with minced meat and rice.
- Falafel (الفلافل)—Spiced, deep-fried balls made from mashed chickpeas, often eaten in pita bread.
- Fasoulia (فاصوليا)—A stew made with white beans and meat, served over rice.
- Fatteh (فتّة)—A dish with chicken over rice, topped with yogurt and pita bread.
- Fattoush (فتوش)—A fresh salad with chopped vegetables and pieces of fried or toasted pita bread.
- Freekeh (فريكة)—A cereal made from roasted green wheat, often served with lamb.
- Ful medames (فول مدمس)—A simple dish of cooked fava beans and olive oil.
- Ful medames salad (سلطة فول مدمس)—A salad with fava beans, tomatoes, onions, and lemon juice.
- Halva (حلاوة)—A sweet candy-like treat, often made from nuts or flour.
- Hamin—A slow-cooked Jewish stew with beef, chickpeas, and beans.
- Hummus (الحمص)—A popular thick spread made from ground chickpeas, olive oil, and lemon.
- Hummus salad (سلطة حمص)—A salad made with cooked chickpeas, lemon juice, and tahini.
- Jerusalem mixed grill (מעורב ירושלמי)—A mix of grilled chicken hearts, livers, and spleens with spices.
- Ka'ak (كعك)—A ring-shaped biscuit or cookie, sometimes with sesame seeds.
- Kabsa (كبسة)—A rice dish with meat (lamb or chicken) cooked with various spices and topped with nuts.
- Kanafeh (كنافة)—A sweet dessert with shredded pastry and melted cheese, soaked in sugary syrup.
- Kebab (كباب)—Grilled or roasted pieces of ground beef or lamb on a skewer.
- Kebab karaz (كباب كرز)—Lamb meatballs cooked in a cherry sauce.
- Kibbeh (كبة)—A dumpling-like dish of ground lamb mixed with bulgur wheat. It can be cooked or eaten raw.
- Kibbeh nayyeh (كبة نيئة)—A mezze dish of minced raw meat mixed with fine bulgur.
- Kousa mahshi (كوسا محشي)—Courgettes (zucchini) baked and stuffed with minced meat and rice.
- Labneh (لبنة)—Yogurt that has been strained to make it thicker, often eaten for breakfast.
- Lentil soup (شوربة عدس)—A warm soup made from lentils, which can be vegetarian or include meat.
- Levantine salad—A simple salad of diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions, dressed with lemon and olive oil.
- Limonana (ليمون نعناع)—A refreshing lemonade made with fresh mint leaves.
- Ma'amoul (معمول)—Sweet semolina cookies filled with dates or walnuts.
- Makdous (مكدوس)—Small eggplants that are stuffed and preserved in oil.
- Malfouf salad (سلطة ملفوف)—A salad made with cabbage, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic.
- Manakish (مناقيش)—A flatbread, like a pizza, often topped with minced meat or thyme.
- Mansaf (المنسف)—Lamb or chicken cooked in a sauce made from dried yogurt, served over rice.
- Maqluba (مقلوبة)—A rice casserole with meat and fried vegetables. It's flipped upside down when served.
- Markook (مرقوق)—A very thin, unleavened flatbread baked on a special griddle.
- Mfarakeh (مفركة)—An Arab dish made of potatoes, eggs, and spices.
- Muhammara (محمرة)—A spicy dip made from hot peppers, breadcrumbs, and walnuts.
- Mujaddara (مجدرة)—Cooked lentils with rice, often topped with sautéed onions.
- Mulukhiyah (ملوخية)—A stew made with mallow leaves, often cooked with chicken.
- Musakhan (مسخّن)—A Palestinian dish with roasted chicken, onions, and spices, served over flatbread.
- Pita (خبز عربي)—A soft, flatbread made from wheat flour, often used for sandwiches or dips.
- Ptitim (פתיתים)—Small, toasted pasta shaped like rice grains, developed in Israel.
- Qamar al-Din (قمر الدين)—A thick, cold apricot drink, popular during the month of Ramadan.
- Qarymutah (القريموطة)—Bulgur cooked with vegetables and wrapped in grape leaves.
- Qatayef (قطايف)—A sweet dumpling filled with cream or nuts, often eaten during Ramadan.
- Qidreh (قدرة)—A lamb stew with chickpeas and spices, usually served over rice.
- Quzi (قوزي)—A hearty dish of roasted lamb with raisins and nuts over rice.
- Raheb (سلطة راهب)—A salad with eggplants and tomatoes.
- Sabich (סביח)—An Israeli sandwich in pita bread, filled with eggplant, hard-boiled eggs, and salads.
- Sambusac (سمبوسك)—A triangular pastry fried with spiced vegetables or meat.
- Sfiha (صفيحة)—Open-faced meat pies made with ground lamb or beef.
- Shanklish (شنكليش)—Cheese balls rolled in spices, then aged and dried.
- Shashlik (شاشليك)—Cubes of meat grilled on skewers.
- Shawarma (الشاورما)—Roasted meat cooked on a spinning spit, shaved and served in sandwiches.
- Shish kebab (شيش كباب)—Grilled chunks of meat on a skewer, often served with flatbread or rice.
- Sumaghiyyeh (السماقية)—A dish with sumac, tahini, chard, beef, and chickpeas.
- Tabbouleh (تبولة)—A salad of bulgur wheat mixed with finely chopped parsley, onions, and tomatoes.
- Tahini (طحينة)—A paste made from ground sesame seeds, used in baba ghanoush and hummus.
- Tepsi (التبسي)—A baked casserole with minced meat, eggplant, potatoes, and tomatoes.
- Toum (التوم)—A strong garlic paste used as a dip.
- Warbat (وربات)—A sweet pastry with thin layers of dough filled with custard.
- Za'atar (زَعْتَر)—A spice mix of dried herbs, sesame seeds, and sumac.
- Zalabia (زلابية)—A fried dough pastry, often dipped in sweet syrup.
- Zibdieh (زبدية)—A shrimp dish baked in a clay pot with olive oil, garlic, and tomatoes.
Where is Levantine Cuisine Popular?
Levantine cuisine is enjoyed across many countries and cultures in the Middle East. It has influenced and been influenced by the food traditions of its neighbors. Here are some of the places where you'll find similar and delicious dishes:
See also
In Spanish: Gastronomía levantina para niños
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Levantine cuisine Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.