Makdous (المكدوس)

Makdous is a dish you probably won’t find unless you visit the Levant region (Syria in particular). It consists of eggplants bathed in oil, stuffed with chopped red peppers, walnuts, garlic, then sprinkled with olive oil, salt and chili powder to taste. The eggplants are tangy and bite-size — a perfect first course!

Syrian makdous (Photo: Paul Joseph, Flikr Commons)

Kibbeh (كبة)

To my surprise, there are many types of kibbeh: Middle Eastern, Kurdish, and even Brazilian. Before I visited the Middle East, though, I did not even know what the word meant. But when my Lebanese friend introduced me to this croquette, it quickly became my favorite Middle Eastern snack! The Arab kind, which is actually pronounced koubba,  is a torpedo-shaped appetizer made of bulgur, stuffed with minced beef and then deep fried until brown. It is an essential part of mezze in the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine/West Bank, Israel), Egypt (koubeiba), Iraq, Iran, Cyprus (koupes), and Arabia.

Opened kibbeh (Photo: Ernesto Andrade, VirtualErn on Flikr)

Baba ghanoush (بابا غنوج)

I did not like eggplant until I tried this garlic-infused side dish at the hole-in-the-wall restaurant Taza in Dokki, Cairo. The recipe is simple: Roast, peel and mash some eggplants; then blend them with tahini, garlic, salt, vinegar, lemon juice, finely-chopped onions, tomatoes, and top it all off with an extra dash of cumin and chili powder. This flavorful mezze may be eaten cold as a salad or slightly warm as a pita dip. An insider’s tip? Spread baba ghanoush on your lamb kebab (my personal favorite)!

delicous baba ghanoush, garnished with nuts and olive oil

Kushari (كشرى)

Kushari is one of Egypt’s signature dishes. At first sight, it looks like several leftovers mixed together in one plate. Don’t let its looks fool you, though: Once you take a bite, you are in heaven. This flavorful dish consists of macaroni, rice, lentils, fried onions, garbanzo beans, vinegar, garlic and hot sauce. The best part? Kushari stands can be found all over Cairo and it is one of the cheapest meals you can buy in the country. The most infamous locations to try this staple Egyptian dish, though, are Koshary Abou Tarek (16 Maarouf St., Champollion, Cairo) and Koshary El Tahrir (12, Youssef El Gendy St. , off of Bab El Louk St.). Backpackers galore!

Never judge a book by its cover! (Photo: SirJman, Wiki Commons)

Kabsa (كبسة)

I’m not a big fan of rice, but the aromatic, flavorful Middle Eastern spices changed all that. Kabsa is the dish that best exemplifies this fact! Typically known as Saudi Arabia’s national dish, its origins may actually trace back to Yemen. However, it is eaten in most Gulf countries. My favorite thing about kabsa, though? Its endless possibilities! Bay leaves, black lime, cinnamon, saffron, nutmeg, raisins, pine nuts…you name the spice and garnish to top it all off. As long as it is made with basmati rice, mixed vegetables, Middle Eastern spices, meats and/or seafood, it is fair game. Thus, recipes and spice mixes may vary greatly from country to country, household to household. Chances are, two kabsas will never be the same.

sumptuous kabsa!

In addition to impressive desert landscapes and extensive history, you have yet another reason to visit the Middle East: It’s delicious food!

Traveling Through Middle Eastern Food is a post from Art of Backpacking

Although it’s not a large country, Jordan is rich in both its history and culture. As I learned traveling around this exciting country, food is at the center of everything. Luckily for the budget traveler, there are plenty of inexpensive and delicious foods that will satisfy any appetite.

Hummus

The Chickpea is very important in Jordanian cuisine and at the heart of its use is the everyday staple, hummus. For the uninitiated, hummus is made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. It is enjoyed with any of the wonderful types of bread for which Jordan is famous and is found on tables for every meal. A large bowl (we’re talking family size) will run 1 JD, or about $1.50 US.

Falafel

Another vegetarian friendly snack or meal is falafel, a deep fried ball made from ground chickpeas. In Jordan, small falafel balls are typically part of a lunch comprised of several small plate dishes and cooked fresh and hot to order. One of the best places to enjoy these deep fried balls of goodness is at Hashem in Amman‘s Old City. Just ask for 1 JD worth and you’ll receive a heaping plateful.

Bread

Just as chickpeas are important in Jordan, so is bread. There is a rich variety of different Arabian bread types, the most common of which is a pita-style bread, but is much larger than an American pita. They pita rounds are cooked fresh every day for the consumer and are pretty cheap – one round costs about $0.30. To give you an idea of how important bread is in Jordan though, it’s not sold by the round, it’s sold by the kilo. They mean business here. Not as common a bread type is one with which I fell madly in love, shraak. Shraak is a very thin, whole-wheat bread that is best enjoyed still hot. It’s easily made though, and is a common household meal accompaniment. Given it’s thin, pliable consistency, it’s the perfect bread to enjoy with hummus or ful. The bread prices are shockingly low. 1 JD will get you five bags of bread, which is a lot!

Ful

Ful was completely new to me, I had never heard of it nor eaten anything remotely similar, yet it’s found throughout Jordan. In it’s most basic form, ful is a hummus-style dip made from fava beans, which are mashed with oil, pepper, cumin and perhaps an onion. It’s also delicious, and I soon found myself lapping it up every morning with my freshly made bread. Ful is also cheap, a large bowl of it is only 1 JD.

Knafeh

I don’t have a lot of confidence in world deserts – they’re usually not very sweet and, in some cases, stray too far into the land of the savory for my taste. That’s why I was a little reluctant when we stopped for some knafeh. Knafeh is made using very fine vermicelli-like pastry, which is heated with butter then a soft, white cheese is spread over it, more pastry added, and so on. The dessert is then topped with a sticky syrup and some crushed pistachios. I carefully bit into the sweet cheese and doughy concoction, and it was instant love. It was warm, filling and just delicious. That was the only time I had truly great knafeh in Jordan, and I think about it a lot. I may have to return for that alone. All this goodness is available for only 3.5 to 4 JD ($5 US) for a kilo.

Five Tasty Cheap Eats in Jordan is a post from Art of Backpacking

Iraq alone is off the beaten track and these guys took it a step further. Watch the video as they take a journey into a small village and try to communicate to get to a mountain with snow. Do they get to ski in Iraq? Watch the video and find out.

Film Feature: Skiing in Iraq is a post from Art of Backpacking