Food and culture · Guide
Arab Dishes by Country: 24 Classics and Where They Come From
Arab food is a family of regional cuisines that share ingredients, techniques and a strong culture of hospitality. This guide covers 24 classic dishes from the Levant, Egypt, the Gulf and the Maghreb. Filter by country or type, or let the guide surprise you.
Quick answer
Classic Arab dishes include hummus, tabbouleh and kibbeh from the Levant, mansaf from Jordan, musakhan from Palestine, koshari and ful medames from Egypt, kabsa and machboos from the Gulf, and couscous, tagine and harira from the Maghreb. Many dishes are shared across borders, and each country cooks them its own way.
Key takeaways
- Arab cuisine is regional: Levantine mezze, Gulf rice dishes, Egyptian street food and Maghrebi couscous and tagines.
- Many dishes, such as hummus, falafel and kunafa, are shared by several countries, each with its own version.
- UNESCO lists couscous (2020) and Arabic coffee (first inscribed 2015) as intangible cultural heritage.
- Coffee with cardamom in the Gulf and Levant, and mint tea in the Maghreb, are central to welcoming guests.
- Several dishes, like harira, harees and luqaimat, are closely tied to Ramadan.
24 dishes
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Mezze · Vegetarian
Hummus حمص بطحينة
A smooth dip of cooked chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon and garlic, finished with olive oil. It is popular across the Levant and eaten with warm flatbread.
Main ingredients: chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil
Popular in 🇱🇧 Lebanon🇸🇾 Syria🇵🇸 Palestine🇯🇴 Jordan
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Street food · Vegetarian
Falafel فلافل
Crisp fried balls or patties of ground pulses and herbs, often tucked into bread with salad and tahini. In Egypt they are made with fava beans and called taʿmiya; in the Levant chickpeas are more common.
Main ingredients: chickpeas or fava beans, parsley, coriander, onion, garlic, cumin
Popular in 🇪🇬 Egypt🇱🇧 Lebanon🇸🇾 Syria🇵🇸 Palestine🇯🇴 Jordan
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Mezze · Vegetarian
Tabbouleh تبولة
A fresh salad made mostly of finely chopped parsley, with a little bulgur, tomato, mint and onion, dressed with lemon and olive oil. It is widely associated with Lebanon and Syria.
Main ingredients: parsley, bulgur, tomato, mint, onion, lemon, olive oil
Popular in 🇱🇧 Lebanon🇸🇾 Syria🇵🇸 Palestine🇯🇴 Jordan
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Mezze · Vegetarian
Fattoush فتوش
A crunchy salad of mixed vegetables and herbs with pieces of toasted or fried flatbread, dressed with lemon, olive oil and tangy sumac. It is a way of using up day-old bread.
Main ingredients: lettuce, tomato, cucumber, radish, purslane, flatbread, sumac, lemon
Popular in 🇱🇧 Lebanon🇸🇾 Syria🇵🇸 Palestine🇯🇴 Jordan
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Mezze
Kibbeh كبة
A shell of bulgur and finely minced meat, shaped and filled with spiced meat, onions and pine nuts, then fried or baked. Families across the Levant and Iraq have their own versions, including a raw one.
Main ingredients: bulgur, minced lamb or beef, onion, pine nuts, allspice
Popular in 🇱🇧 Lebanon🇸🇾 Syria🇮🇶 Iraq🇵🇸 Palestine🇯🇴 Jordan
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Street food
Shawarma شاورما
Thin slices of marinated meat or chicken shaved from a slowly turning vertical spit, wrapped in flatbread with garlic sauce or tahini and pickles. It is one of the most popular street foods across the Arab world.
Main ingredients: lamb, beef or chicken, spices, flatbread, garlic sauce, tahini, pickles
Popular in 🇱🇧 Lebanon🇸🇾 Syria🇯🇴 Jordan🇵🇸 Palestine🇮🇶 Iraq🇪🇬 Egypt
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Main dishes
Mansaf منسف
Lamb cooked in a sauce of jameed, a dried fermented yogurt, served on a large platter of rice and thin bread and topped with toasted nuts. It is Jordan’s best-known festive dish, shared at weddings and family gatherings.
Main ingredients: lamb, jameed (dried yogurt), rice, shrak bread, almonds, pine nuts
Popular in 🇯🇴 Jordan🇵🇸 Palestine
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Main dishes
Maqluba مقلوبة
Its name means upside down: rice, fried vegetables and meat or chicken are layered in a pot, cooked, then flipped onto a platter in one piece. It is popular across Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq.
Main ingredients: rice, eggplant, cauliflower, potato, chicken or lamb, spices
Popular in 🇵🇸 Palestine🇯🇴 Jordan🇸🇾 Syria🇱🇧 Lebanon🇮🇶 Iraq
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Main dishes
Musakhan مسخّن
Roast chicken laid over taboon bread soaked in olive oil and covered with slow-cooked onions and plenty of sumac. It is widely considered a signature Palestinian dish, often made after the olive harvest.
Main ingredients: chicken, taboon bread, onions, sumac, olive oil, pine nuts
Popular in 🇵🇸 Palestine🇯🇴 Jordan
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Desserts · Vegetarian
Kunafa كنافة
A warm dessert of shredded or semolina pastry layered with soft white cheese or cream, baked until golden and soaked in sugar syrup. The city of Nablus is especially famous for its cheese kunafa.
Main ingredients: kataifi pastry or semolina, white cheese or cream, butter, sugar syrup, pistachios
Popular in 🇵🇸 Palestine🇱🇧 Lebanon🇸🇾 Syria🇯🇴 Jordan🇪🇬 Egypt
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Street food · Vegetarian
Koshari كشري
Egypt’s favourite everyday dish: rice, lentils and macaroni topped with chickpeas, spicy tomato sauce and crispy fried onions. It is sold in dedicated koshari shops all over Cairo.
Main ingredients: rice, brown lentils, macaroni, chickpeas, tomato sauce, fried onions, garlic vinegar
Popular in 🇪🇬 Egypt
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Street food · Vegetarian
Ful medames فول مدمس
Fava beans cooked slowly until soft, then mashed lightly with olive oil, lemon, garlic and cumin. A classic breakfast in Egypt and Sudan, it is also eaten across the Levant.
Main ingredients: fava beans, olive oil, lemon, garlic, cumin
Popular in 🇪🇬 Egypt🇸🇩 Sudan🇱🇧 Lebanon🇸🇾 Syria🇯🇴 Jordan🇵🇸 Palestine
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Soups and stews
Molokhia ملوخية
Jute mallow leaves cooked in broth with garlic and coriander. In Egypt they are chopped fine into a silky green soup served with rice or bread; in the Levant the leaves are often left whole, and Tunisia has its own dark, slow-cooked version.
Main ingredients: jute mallow leaves, chicken or meat broth, garlic, coriander, rice or bread
Popular in 🇪🇬 Egypt🇸🇾 Syria🇱🇧 Lebanon🇵🇸 Palestine🇯🇴 Jordan🇹🇳 Tunisia
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Desserts · Vegetarian
Umm Ali أم علي
An Egyptian baked pudding of flaky pastry or bread soaked in sweetened hot milk, with nuts, raisins and coconut, browned in the oven. It is served warm.
Main ingredients: puff pastry or bread, milk, sugar, nuts, raisins, coconut
Popular in 🇪🇬 Egypt
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Main dishes
Kabsa كبسة
Long-grain rice cooked with meat or chicken, tomato and a warm blend of spices, then served on a large shared platter. It is widely associated with Saudi Arabia and popular across the Gulf.
Main ingredients: rice, chicken or lamb, tomato, onion, cardamom, cinnamon, dried lime
Popular in 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia🇰🇼 Kuwait🇧🇭 Bahrain🇶🇦 Qatar🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
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Main dishes
Machboos مجبوس
Spiced rice cooked with meat, chicken or fish and flavoured with dried black lime (loomi) and baharat. It is a beloved everyday and festive dish in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE.
Main ingredients: rice, chicken, lamb or fish, dried lime, baharat, onion, tomato
Popular in 🇰🇼 Kuwait🇧🇭 Bahrain🇶🇦 Qatar🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates🇴🇲 Oman🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
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Main dishes
Harees هريس
Whole wheat and meat cooked for hours, then beaten into a smooth, porridge-like dish and topped with ghee. In the Gulf it is a fixture of Ramadan, Eid and weddings.
Main ingredients: whole wheat, lamb or chicken, ghee, salt
Popular in 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia🇴🇲 Oman🇶🇦 Qatar🇰🇼 Kuwait🇧🇭 Bahrain
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Desserts · Vegetarian
Luqaimat لقيمات
Small balls of dough fried until crisp outside and soft inside, then drizzled with date syrup or honey and sesame. They are especially popular in the Gulf during Ramadan.
Main ingredients: flour, yeast, cardamom, saffron, date syrup or honey, sesame
Popular in 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia🇰🇼 Kuwait🇧🇭 Bahrain🇶🇦 Qatar🇴🇲 Oman
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Drinks · Vegetarian
Arabic coffee (qahwa) قهوة عربية
Lightly roasted coffee brewed with cardamom, poured from a dallah into small handleless cups and usually served with dates. UNESCO inscribed Arabic coffee as a symbol of generosity in 2015, at the request of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar, and Jordan joined the listing in 2024.
Main ingredients: lightly roasted coffee beans, cardamom, sometimes saffron or cloves, dates on the side
Popular in 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates🇴🇲 Oman🇶🇦 Qatar🇰🇼 Kuwait🇧🇭 Bahrain🇯🇴 Jordan
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Main dishes
Couscous كسكس
Tiny grains of rolled semolina steamed over a simmering stew of vegetables and meat, then served together. In 2020 UNESCO inscribed the knowledge and practices around couscous, a joint nomination by Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.
Main ingredients: semolina, lamb or chicken, carrots, zucchini, turnips, chickpeas, spices
Popular in 🇲🇦 Morocco🇩🇿 Algeria🇹🇳 Tunisia🇱🇾 Libya🇲🇷 Mauritania
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Main dishes
Tagine طاجين
A slow-cooked stew named after the conical clay pot it is made in. Classic Moroccan versions include chicken with preserved lemon and olives, and lamb with prunes and almonds. (In Tunisia, tajine means a baked egg dish.)
Main ingredients: lamb or chicken, onion, preserved lemon, olives, prunes, ginger, saffron
Popular in 🇲🇦 Morocco🇩🇿 Algeria
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Soups and stews
Harira حريرة
A hearty soup of tomatoes, lentils and chickpeas with a little meat, fresh herbs and spices, thickened at the end. In Morocco it is the traditional soup for breaking the fast in Ramadan, often with dates.
Main ingredients: tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas, lamb, celery, coriander, parsley, flour
Popular in 🇲🇦 Morocco🇩🇿 Algeria
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Main dishes · Vegetarian
Shakshuka شكشوكة
Eggs gently poached in a sauce of tomatoes, peppers and onions, spiced with cumin and chilli and brought to the table in the pan. It is widely associated with Tunisia and popular across the Maghreb.
Main ingredients: eggs, tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, cumin, harissa or chilli
Popular in 🇹🇳 Tunisia🇱🇾 Libya🇩🇿 Algeria🇲🇦 Morocco
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Drinks · Vegetarian
Mint tea أتاي بالنعناع
Green tea brewed with a large bunch of fresh mint and plenty of sugar, then poured from a height into small glasses to make a light foam. Across the Maghreb it is the everyday drink of welcome.
Main ingredients: green tea, fresh mint, sugar
Popular in 🇲🇦 Morocco🇩🇿 Algeria🇹🇳 Tunisia🇱🇾 Libya🇲🇷 Mauritania
A shared table with regional accents
From Morocco to Iraq, Arab cooking draws on a common pantry of wheat, rice, chickpeas, lentils, olive oil, yogurt, dates, lamb and spices. Centuries of trade, migration and shared history mean that the same dish often appears in several countries, with a different name, spice or technique in each.
That is why this guide lists more than one country for many dishes. Where a dish is strongly tied to one place, such as mansaf in Jordan or koshari in Egypt, we say so.
Four big regional styles
The Levant (Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan) is known for mezze: many small plates such as hummus, tabbouleh and kibbeh, shared at the start of a meal. The Gulf and Arabian Peninsula favour spiced rice dishes like kabsa and machboos, served on large platters.
Egypt has a strong tradition of filling, mostly meat-free street food, from ful medames to koshari. In the Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania), couscous and slow-cooked tagines are at the heart of the table.
Hospitality, coffee and tea
Across the region, feeding guests generously is a point of honour. In the Gulf and much of the Levant, visitors are welcomed with cardamom-scented Arabic coffee and dates. In the Maghreb, sweet mint tea plays the same role.
UNESCO recognised Arabic coffee as a symbol of generosity in 2015 and couscous in 2020, a sign of how closely these foods are tied to daily life and identity.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most famous Arab dish?
There is no single answer, because the Arab world has several distinct regional cuisines. Internationally, hummus, falafel and shawarma are probably the best known. Within the region, many people would point to their own national dishes, such as mansaf in Jordan, kabsa in Saudi Arabia, koshari in Egypt or couscous in the Maghreb.
Is hummus Lebanese, Palestinian or Syrian?
Hummus is popular across the Levant, and its exact origin is not documented well enough to credit a single country. Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian and Jordanian cooks all make it, with small differences in texture and toppings. This guide lists it under all four.
What is the difference between kabsa and machboos?
Both are spiced rice dishes cooked with meat, chicken or fish and served on large platters. Kabsa is most associated with Saudi Arabia, while machboos is the usual name in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE, where dried black lime (loomi) is a key flavour. Recipes vary from family to family.
Which Arab dishes are vegetarian?
Many everyday dishes are naturally meat-free, including hummus, falafel, tabbouleh, fattoush, koshari, ful medames and shakshuka. Desserts such as kunafa and umm ali are vegetarian too. Use the vegetarian filter to see them all.
How is Arabic coffee served?
Arabic coffee is lightly roasted, brewed with cardamom and poured from a dallah into small cups without handles, usually alongside dates. Hosts often serve guests first, and in many places shaking the cup gently shows you have had enough. UNESCO describes it as a symbol of generosity.
Sources
- UNESCO: Arabic coffee, a symbol of generosity
- UNESCO: Knowledge, know-how and practices pertaining to the production and consumption of couscous
- Arab cuisine (Wikipedia)
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