Middle Eastern Cuisine

Middle Eastern Cuisine are the foods that come out of the countries in the region where Africa, Europe, and Asia come together. The “Middle East” is really a loosely defined conglomerate of countries, distinguished in modern times for convenience.

The Middle East as it is known as today was formerly referred to as the Near East. The lands bordering the eastern and southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from Morocco to the Arabian Peninsula and Iran and, by some definitions, even beyond.

Technically, with the exception of Egypt, which is part of Africa, and Turkey, which is a part of the landmass of Europe, the “Middle East” is otherwise part of Asia.That distinction acknowledged, most people today think of the Middle East as being its own region. And Middle Eastern cuisine has its own distinctive qualities that distinguish it considerably from European, Asian, and African cuisines.

(Photo Attributed to Author: Alpha)

And Middle Eastern cuisine is a very healthy diet. In fact, many nutritionist and dietitians consider Middle Eastern cuisine (sometimes referred to as Mediterranean cuisine) as the healthiest diet of all cultures, the world over. For a post on this claim and why it is so healthy, click here.

Certainly, even though Middle Eastern cuisine is its own homogenized and unique style, there are obvious strong influences from the cuisines of Asia, Europe, and Africa. The use of flat breads (pita bread) with meals, and the use of spicy hot peppers – which is very African. European influence is seen with the use of many of their vegetables: olives, tomatoes, eggplant, etc. And from Asia the inclusion of dumplings, and Indian spices, such as curry, garlic, and turmeric.

These are just to mention just a small amount of the many influences on Middle Eastern cuisine. And yet, the cuisine of the Middle East has evolved into something unmistakably its own.

This page, and those parented by it, are dedicated to providing you some of the very best, authentic and traditional recipes from the countries of the Middle East. The list below is where you can click on the country of your choice and be taken to a page devoted to that particular national cuisine within the region.

This page is our newest, and is still under construction, so come back soon and often. More countries will soon be hyperlinked, more countries added to the list, and many more recipes will be added over the next few weeks.

Now enjoy your journey into the very tasty and very healthy world of …

Ethnic Foods R Us

Middle Eastern Cuisine!

Egypt

Iran

Israel

Lebanon

Turkey