Lebanon
Sayadiya
صيادية
White fish fried and laid on rice cooked in a stock darkened with deeply caramelised onion, topped with toasted pine nuts and a tahini sauce.
western-asia
Palestine
Explore 58 foods connected to Palestine, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.
58 foods12 leading categories1 Essentials guides
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The local shortlist
Palestine Essentials
11 editor-selected foods for understanding the place through what people eat.
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Traditional foods from Palestine.
58 foods in this view. Filter by category, type, rarity, or search every recorded name.
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Israel
Shakshuka
שקשוקה
Eggs poached in a pan of tomatoes, peppers, garlic and cumin, brought to the table in the pan with bread to tear into it.
Palestine
Shatta
شطة
Simple fermented hot sauce made from red or green chili peppers, salt, and sometimes garlic, a Gazan condiment served with every meal.
Lebanon
Shish Barak
شش برك
Tiny meat-filled dumplings simmered in a tangy garlic-and-mint yoghurt sauce, a Lebanese comfort dish of Ottoman origin.
Lebanon
Spinach Triangles
فطاير سبانخ
Triangular pastries filled with spinach, onion and sumac, pinched into three corners and baked.
Lebanon
Strained Yoghurt
لبنة
Yoghurt hung in a cloth until the whey drains and it thickens to a soft, tart cheese, spread on a plate and flooded with olive oil.
Lebanon
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
ملفوف محشي
Cabbage leaves rolled tightly around rice, lamb and spices and packed into a pot with garlic, mint and lemon.
Lebanon
Stuffed Courgettes
كوسا محشي
Small courgettes cored with a special corer and filled with rice, lamb and spices, then cooked in yoghurt or tomato.
Lebanon
Stuffed Pickled Aubergines
مكدوس
Baby aubergines salted, stuffed with walnut, garlic and chilli, and packed under olive oil until they soften and sour.
Hebron, Palestine
Stuffed Turnips
محشي لفت
Turnips stuffed with rice and beef, simmered in sumac and tamarind paste — a traditional dish from Hebron, served with yogurt.
Lebanon
Sumac
سماق
The dried and ground berry of the sumac shrub, deep red-purple and sharply sour, dusted over salads, onions and grilled meat.
Gaza Strip, Palestine
Sumaghiyyeh
سماقية
Beef and chickpea stew flavoured with sumac, tahini, and red peppers, a Gazan specialty with a deep red colour and tangy-savoury flavour.
Palestine
Taboon Bread
خبز طابون
Thick, dimpled flatbread baked directly on hot stones in a clay taboon oven, which leaves pits across the surface.
Israel
Tahini
طحينة
A smooth paste of ground sesame seeds, the backbone of hummus, baba ghanoush, moutabal and many Lebanese dips and sauces.
Nablus, Palestine
Tamriyeh
تمرية
Filo dough wrapped around mastic-flavoured semolina pudding, fried until crisp and dusted with powdered sugar and crushed pistachios — a Nablus specialty.
Lebanon
Thyme Flatbread
منقوشة زعتر
Flat dough spread with a paste of dried thyme, sumac, sesame and olive oil and baked on the floor of a hot oven.
Lebanon
Turkish Coffee
Türk Kahvesi
A method of preparing unfiltered coffee using finely ground beans simmered with water and sugar in a cezve. The result is a strong, aromatic brew with a thick layer of foam, served in small cups with water. UNESCO inscribed Turkish coffee culture on its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013. The grounds are traditionally used for fortune telling.
Lebanon
White Bean Stew
فاصوليا
A Lebanese stew of white beans simmered in tomato sauce with garlic, olive oil and coriander, served warm with bread.
Lebanon
Yoghurt and Chickpea Layers
فتة
Torn fried flatbread under warm chickpeas, covered with garlicky yoghurt and topped with toasted pine nuts and butter.
Jordan
Zarb
زرب
Bedouin pit barbecue: marinated lamb and chicken with vegetables lowered on racks into a sand-covered underground oven and left for hours.
Lebanon
Za’atar
زعتر
A Levantine blend of dried thyme or oregano, sumac, toasted sesame and salt, used on flatbreads, with labneh and as a table seasoning.
Gaza Strip, Palestine
Zibdieh
زبديه
Gazan clay-pot dish of shrimp baked in a stew of olive oil, garlic, hot peppers, and peeled tomatoes, reflecting Gaza's coastal cuisine.