Food & Cuisine in the Middle East
Middle Eastern food is among the world’s most influential and generous, built around shared mezze, charcoal-grilled meats, fragrant rice, flatbreads, and an endless variety of dips and pickles. Every city and region guards its own specialities, from the pistachio-laden sweets of Gaziantep to the herb-heavy stews of Iran and the seafood of the Gulf.
Dining here is social and unhurried. Tables fill with hummus, tabbouleh, kebabs, saffron rice, stuffed vegetables, and slow-cooked lamb, followed by cardamom coffee, mint tea, and honeyed pastries. Street food is a highlight everywhere, whether falafel and shawarma in the Levant, simit and pide in Turkey, or ash and kebab in Iran.
These food cities reward travellers who eat where locals eat, from ancient bazaars to family-run kebab houses. Each carries centuries of trade and migration in its flavours.
