Middle East & North Africa

Morocco, the Levant & the wider region

The Middle East and North Africa is the world’s great crossroads of spice, where trade routes left their mark on every table. It is the slow tagines of Morocco, the mezze and grains of the Levant, and the spiced tomato-and-egg one-pan meals that turn up, in some form, across the whole region.

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Every recipe

17 recipes in this region.

Overhead view of a round hammered copper tray of pistachio baklava on a white marble surface: about two dozen diamond-cut pieces with deep golden, syrup-glossed tops of ruffled paper-thin pastry, scattered unevenly with coarsely ground green pistachio, and two pieces at the front tipped onto their sides so the layered cross-section and the seam of nut through the middle are visible. A rumpled charcoal linen cloth lies to the left, a tall glass of amber tea sits at the top right, and a white cup and saucer, a small bowl of whole pistachios and a cup of dark tea are ranged down the right-hand side, with a few loose pistachios scattered on the marble.

Veg

Gaziantep, south-eastern Anatolia — with living traditions across Greece, the Levant, Armenia and the Balkans · Turkish

Baklava — Gaziantep Pistachio, Clarified Butter and Forty Sheets of Yufka

The best baklava is not the sweetest — it is the crispest. This is the Gaziantep way: a tray of tissue-thin pastry, ground green pistachio, clarified butter and a plain lemon-sharpened sugar syrup, cut before it bakes and drenched hot-on-cold so every layer shatters instead of sagging.

IntermediateSweetsMediterranean

Sliced, charred spiced chicken shawarma piled on flatbread with white garlic sauce, bright pink pickled turnips, tomato and parsley, one wrap rolled and cut to show the filling.

The Levant (Lebanon, Syria, Palestine) · Lebanese

Chicken Shawarma (Levantine Spiced Roast Chicken)

Home-style chicken shawarma: thigh meat marinated in yogurt, garlic and a warm Levantine spice blend, roasted until charred and juicy, then sliced and wrapped in flatbread with garlic sauce, pickles and tomato.

EasyMainsMediterranean

A shallow bowl of stewed brown fava beans, partly mashed and glossy with olive oil pooled in a well, topped with diced red tomato, chopped parsley and a wedge of lemon, warm pita alongside.

Vegan

Egypt (pan-Egyptian) · Egyptian

Ful Medames (Egyptian Stewed Fava Beans)

Egypt's ancient breakfast: fava beans slow-simmered until soft, mashed with garlic, cumin, lemon and olive oil, and finished with tomato and herbs. Scooped with warm bread, it's been fuelling the country for millennia.

EasyBreakfastMediterranean

A terracotta bowl of Persian ghormeh sabzi shot from above — a very dark green herb stew with cubes of tender lamb, whole red kidney beans and wrinkled dried Persian limes, a slick of golden oil pooling on the surface — set on a dark wooden table beside a bowl of saffron-yellow rice, a bowl of plain steamed basmati topped with a piece of crisp tahdig, sliced red onion and a patterned Persian textile.

Iran — a national dish cooked from Tehran and Tabriz to Shiraz, with the herb blend shifting from province to province · Persian

Ghormeh Sabzi (Persian Herb Stew)

Iran's national stew — kilos of parsley, coriander and fenugreek fried down to a near-black green, simmered for hours with lamb, red kidney beans and dried Persian limes until the whole pot turns deep, sour and unmistakably Persian.

IntermediateMainsOne-pot

A bowl of rich red-brown Moroccan harira thick with chickpeas, lentils and herbs, a swirl of steam rising, with lemon wedges, dates and a sticky chebakia pastry on the side.

Morocco (Maghreb) · Moroccan

Harira (Moroccan Chickpea, Lentil and Tomato Soup)

Morocco's beloved soup: a hearty, tangy broth of chickpeas, lentils and tomatoes thickened with a flour-and-water tadouira, fragrant with ginger, turmeric and a flurry of herbs. The traditional dish for breaking the Ramadan fast.

IntermediateMainsMediterranean

A shallow bowl of pale, silky hummus swirled into a well that pools with golden olive oil, dusted with red paprika and topped with whole chickpeas and parsley, warm pita alongside.

Vegan

The Levant (Lebanon, Syria, Palestine) · Lebanese

Hummus (Lebanese Chickpea and Tahini Dip)

Properly smooth, lemony hummus: chickpeas blended with a generous amount of tahini, lemon and garlic into a silky, savoury dip, swirled in a bowl and pooled with good olive oil. The cornerstone of the mezze table.

EasySnacksMediterranean

Whole braised eggplant split open and stuffed with a glossy tangle of sweet onion, garlic and tomato, glistening in olive oil on a plate with parsley and a lemon wedge.

Vegan

Turkey (Ottoman / pan-Turkish) · Turkish

İmam Bayıldı (Turkish Stuffed Eggplant in Olive Oil)

The eggplant dish so good 'the imam fainted': whole eggplant braised soft in olive oil and stuffed with a sweet tangle of onion, garlic and tomato. Served at room temperature, it's the star of the Turkish olive-oil table.

IntermediateMainsMediterranean

A deep bowl of Egyptian koshari layered with rice and brown lentils, macaroni and chickpeas under a red spiced tomato sauce, crowned with a tall heap of golden crispy fried onions.

Vegan

Egypt (Cairo) · Egyptian

Koshari (Egyptian Rice, Lentils, Pasta and Crispy Onions)

Egypt's national dish and ultimate comfort food: a glorious carb-on-carb layering of rice, brown lentils and macaroni topped with chickpeas, a garlicky-spiced tomato sauce, a sharp vinegar daqqa, and a mountain of crispy fried onions.

IntermediateMainsMediterranean

A small two-handled pan of menemen — soft eggs cooked into a thick red sauce of tomato and green peppers, dusted with red pepper flakes and parsley, with crusty bread alongside.

Veg

Aegean Turkey (Menemen, İzmir) · Turkish

Menemen (Turkish Eggs with Tomato and Peppers)

Turkey's beloved breakfast: eggs cooked soft and creamy in a simmer of tomatoes, green peppers and olive oil, gently spiced and eaten straight from the pan with plenty of bread. Quick, cheap and deeply comforting.

EasyBreakfastMediterranean

A traditional conical clay tagine open to reveal golden saffron-stained chicken pieces in a rich onion sauce, topped with slices of preserved lemon, green olives, and fresh coriander.

Keto

Morocco · Moroccan

Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon and Olives

The classic of the Moroccan table: chicken slow-cooked with preserved lemon, green olives, ginger, and saffron until the meat slips off the bone in a golden, deeply savoury sauce. Aromatic, gently spiced, and far easier than it looks.

IntermediateMainsMediterranean

A large platter mounded with pale fluffy couscous crowned with carrots, turnip, golden squash, courgette and chickpeas in a fragrant broth, steam rising, a bowl of red harissa beside it.

Vegan

Morocco (Maghreb) · Moroccan

Moroccan Vegetable Couscous (Seven-Vegetable Couscous)

The Friday couscous: fluffy steamed semolina mounded under a fragrant broth of seven vegetables — carrots, turnip, squash, courgette, chickpeas and more — gently spiced and slow-simmered. A celebratory one-pot for the table.

IntermediateMainsMediterranean

A platter of mujaddara — fluffy rice flecked with brown lentils — crowned with a generous heap of deeply caramelized, crispy dark-brown onions, with a bowl of white yogurt and lemon wedges to the side.

Vegan

The Levant (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine) · Middle Eastern

Mujaddara (Lentils and Rice with Crispy Caramelized Onions)

The Levantine dish of lentils, rice, and deeply caramelized onions — humble, ancient, and quietly luxurious. A handful of ingredients turned into something far greater than their cost, crowned with onions fried until almost black and sweet.

EasyMainsBeginner-friendly

A cast-iron skillet of shakshuka — eggs with runny yolks nestled in a bubbling red tomato-and-pepper sauce, topped with crumbled white feta and chopped green coriander, with bread alongside.

Veg

Maghreb & the Levant · Levantine / North African

Shakshuka (Eggs Poached in Spiced Tomato and Pepper Sauce)

The great brunch of the eastern Mediterranean and North Africa: eggs gently poached in a simmering sauce of tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and warm spices, served bubbling from the pan with bread for scooping. One skillet, endlessly satisfying.

EasyBreakfastOne-pan

A plate of Egyptian ta'ameya — sesame-crusted golden fava-bean falafel patties, one split open to show a vivid green herby interior, with a bowl of tahini sauce, tomato and pickles alongside.

Vegan

Egypt (Cairo & the Delta) · Egyptian

Ta'ameya (Egyptian Fava Bean Falafel)

Egypt's own falafel: split dried fava beans blitzed with herbs, leeks and garlic into a vivid green batter, formed into patties and fried until shatteringly crisp outside and fluffy-green within. Lighter and herbier than its chickpea cousin.

IntermediateSnacksMediterranean

A vivid green bowl of tabbouleh — finely chopped parsley and mint flecked with red diced tomato and pale bulgur, glistening with olive oil and lemon, crisp romaine leaves tucked at the side.

Vegan

The Levant (Lebanon & Syria) · Lebanese

Tabbouleh (Lebanese Parsley and Bulgur Salad)

The real Lebanese tabbouleh: a vivid green salad that's mostly finely chopped parsley and mint, with just a little fine bulgur, sweet tomato and a sharp lemon-and-olive-oil dressing. Fresh, herby and nothing like the grain-heavy imitations.

EasySidesMediterranean

Charred oval Turkish köfte on a platter with grilled green peppers and tomatoes, a sumac-dusted onion salad and a bowl of yogurt, warm flatbread tucked alongside.

Turkey (pan-Turkish) · Turkish

Turkish Köfte (Spiced Grilled Meatballs)

Turkey's everyday favourite: ground meat kneaded with onion, garlic and cumin, shaped into little ovals and grilled or pan-fried until charred outside and juicy within. Served with flatbread, grilled peppers and a cooling salad.

EasyMainsMediterranean

A shallow dish of jammy red-brown Moroccan zaalouk made of mashed smoky eggplant and tomato flecked with green coriander, glossy with olive oil, crusty bread alongside for scooping.

Vegan

Morocco (Maghreb) · Moroccan

Zaalouk (Moroccan Smoky Eggplant and Tomato Salad)

A Moroccan cooked salad to love: charred eggplant and tomato melted down with garlic, cumin, paprika and coriander into a smoky, jammy dip. Scooped with bread, warm or at room temperature, on every Moroccan table.

EasySidesMediterranean