Traditional Palestinian Food

Mezze: Mezze is big part of the dining experience in Palestine.  A selection of small dishes is served for sharing, either with drinks as appetizers or as a main meal. Traditionally eaten with the fingers and scooped up with pieces of pitta bread (using the right hand only), mezze can include a wide variety of nuts, olives, salads, dips, pickles and cheeses. Mezze dishes include:

Falafel: These are patties made from ground-dried chickpeas, deep-fried and usually served in a fresh pitta bread sandwich with salad. Falafel can also be purchased separately. These patties are typically round but can be finger shaped and stuffed with onion and sumac (a tangy, lemony spice).

Hummus: A smooth paste of chickpeas, tahini, spices, garlic, lemon and olive oil. This can be served with falafel or meat or simply eaten as a dip with pitta bread.

Ful: Stewed fava beans mashed to a smooth paste and served warm with lemon, garlic and olive oil.

Baba Ghanoush: Baked or grilled aubergine, pureed and mixed with tahini, lemon, salt, garlic and olive oil.

Salata Turkiya: Spiced salad of tomato paste, hot pepper puree, parsley and onion.

Labaneh: A delightful cream cheese, made by salting yogurt and allowing it to drain overnight in a fine cotton cloth. It can be served alone or with olive oil, green olives or cucumber.

Tabbouleh: A refreshing, vegetarian salad made with bulgur wheat, mixed with chopped parsley, mint, onions, tomatoes, cucumber, olive oil and lemon. It should be lemony!

Baqdounsia: Ultra-creamy tahini sauce with finely chopped parsley, delicious on grilled meats and vegetables or as a salad dressing.

Zeitoun: A selection of green and black olives – plain, marinated or stuffed with hot pepper.

Shawerma: Paper-thin slices of crisp roast meat – lamb, beef or turkey – that have been cooked on one large skewer. They are usually served in pitta bread with a variety of salads (mainly onion, sumac, tahini cream and pickles) or as a main course with hummus and salads.

Kebab or Kofta: Spicy meatballs, shaped and grilled on skewers (can also be made from paneer or vegetables, for a vegetarian alternative) – served with yogurt, finely chopped onions, parsley and salad or in a pitta bread sandwich. Lamb is the preferred meat, but beef or a mixture of both can be used.

Kibbeh: Minced meat cooked with onion and encased in cracked wheat. They can be served raw, grilled or fried, and are similar to fried croquettes or patties.

Sambousek: A savoury pastry, typically a half-circled shaped pie, stuffed with meat or cheese filling. Variations include a three-cornered pie stuffed with spinach.

Sfeeha: A type of pizza with a minced meat topping, which contains chopped tomatoes, green pepper, onions and parsley.