Skip to main content

LEVANTINE CUISINE

Arabic traditional cuisine. Middle Eastern meze with pita, olives, hummus, stuffed dolma, falafel balls, pickles. Mediterranean appetizer party idea

Healthy, delicious, and on-trend across the globe, the foods of this region (including Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, and Jordan) check multiple boxes for the many dietary wants and needs of today’s diners.

PLANT-BASED

Well-loved dishes like hummus, tabbouleh, fattoush, and muhammara are naturally meat-free and packed with nutrient-rich ingredients like legumes, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs.

SPICE ACCENTS

Use spice blends from this region to transform vegetables, meats, breads, and drinks for pennies per plate. Keep za’atar, baharat, dukkah, harissa, and ras-el-hanout on your radar!

MASH UPS

Marrying Levantine ingredients with other global favorites creates innovative dishes that drive buzz. Think pasta, pizza, grilled meats, salads, and stews.

Diners are increasingly hyper-focused on high-protein and plant-based foods. Alongside all of the new-fangled, lab-based, cell-cultured options out there is the humble bean. A staple food for millenia, beans are being re-examined as a healthy, versatile ingredient worthy of menu inclusion.

  • Retro and heirloom recipes—like Southern succotash, French cassoulet, and Cajun red beans and rice—fit the bill for those in search of authenticity.
  • Most world cuisines incorporate some type of bean in their classic dishes. Think feijoada in Brazil, black beans and rice with plantains in Puerto Rico, and garbanzo beans in Israel. Modern interpretations of these recipes are packed with produce and herbs.
  • The creamy texture of mung beans is proving an ideal substitute for those that are eliminating soy from their diets.