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Home » Travel » Random Food Pictures From Our Middle East Vacation

Random Food Pictures From Our Middle East Vacation

July 11, 2011 by Faith 41 Comments

Can you spot the floating glass?  :)

I had the chance to organize a few more of my pictures from our Middle East vacation and I wanted to share some random food pictures with you.  It truly is a feast for the eyes.

Hospitality and generosity play a huge role in Middle Eastern culture.  When guests come over they are served the best of everything in an endless process of food and drink.  Nuts are almost always part of a visit, since they’re something to snack on and keep your hands busy while talking.

They have so many different varieties of nuts…some roasted, some salted, some coated, some with unusual flavorings, some made from things you would never expect to get a nut from (like watermelon seeds, which are roasted and eaten the same way that pumpkin seeds are…except they’re much harder to get out :) ).  Nuts can vary a great deal in quality and price, and I’ve heard it said that a person’s generosity is demonstrated in the type of nuts he serves his guests.

(Above) Roasted Watermelon Seeds

(Above) Tissiyeh (Fetteh bil Humous) is a chickpea, bread, yogurt, and tahini casserole.  It’s inexpensive, unpretentious, hearty, and satisfying.  This was made by my brother-in-law, a fantastic chef.

(Above) Fried Kibbeh

(Above) Shawarma!

(Above) Frying Falafel, Washing Mint, & Falafel Fixings…in Damascus, falafel sandwiches are one of the best meals on the go.  Fresh mint and pomegranate molasses are my two favorite secret ingredients. 

Just about any kind of veggie is pickled and can be added to sandwiches or mazza platters, which are platters full of small plates of different dishes.  Mazza platters are typically served for breakfast and/or dinner (the smaller meals), since lunch is the largest meal of the day.

(Above) Grape Leaves (For stuffing!)

Of course, the best is for last –Middle Eastern sweets!  Each is a masterpiece in and of itself.

(Above) Atayef, which I first had when my sister-in-law made it a few years ago during Ramadan, is my favorite Middle Eastern sweet.  It is pancake-like dough that is filled with either cheese (my favorite!), thick cream, or walnuts, then deep fried and soaked in orange blossom-scented sugar syrup.  Truly blissful.

(Above) Syrian Harissa, which is a lovely cake made from semolina flour and occasionally coconut, is sweetened with sugar syrup.  (You’ll also see this cake called Basbousa or Namoura, depending on where you are or who you’re talking to.)

(Above) Warbat bil Ashta

Filed Under: Travel Tagged: Arabic Sweets, Atayef, Basbousa, Damascus, Falafel, Grape Leaves, Harissa, Kibbeh, Middle Eastern Food, Namoura, Nuts, Pickles, Semolina Cake, Shawarma, Syria, Tissiyeh/Fetteh bil Humous, Travel, Vacation, Warbat bil Ashta

Comments

  1. LeQuan says

    July 27, 2011 at 12:54 am

    Haha. If you didn’t mention the floating glass, I totally would’ve missed it. Wow! Look at all this. Definitely a feast for the eyes indeed. Pancake-like dough stuffed with cheese? YES PLEASE!

    Reply
  2. nancy at good food matters says

    July 18, 2011 at 7:38 am

    wonderful post–I am especially drawn to that semolina cake. I hope that some of these delicacies will find their way into your cookbook!

    Reply
  3. Betty @ scrambled hen fruit says

    July 14, 2011 at 3:22 pm

    Fabulous photos! I spotted the glass- I’d love to know more about that picture! What a gorgeous array of beautiful food- I love traveling vicariously through my blogging friends. :)

    Reply
  4. Anna Johnston says

    July 13, 2011 at 6:32 pm

    How incredibly incrediable. The food just looks so tasty and colorful too. Thanks for the mini break from my desk, looks like a wonderful experience. Can’t wait to see more from this trip.

    Reply
  5. Krista says

    July 13, 2011 at 3:03 pm

    WOW! All these eats look so tempting! :)

    Reply
  6. shooting star says

    July 13, 2011 at 11:38 am

    some really yumm pics!!!

    Reply
  7. sophia says

    July 12, 2011 at 10:20 pm

    Gasp. I never even thought of wanting to travel to the Middle-East until now. Oh my heart. Aching so much for traveling! I’m glad you had such a fantastic time, Faith!

    Reply
  8. Monet says

    July 12, 2011 at 8:05 pm

    How lovely! These pictures remind me of my own travels to the Middle East. What a magical part of the world…thank you for sharing them with me. I hope you are having a blessed week, my friend. Much love!

    Reply
  9. Susan says

    July 12, 2011 at 2:51 pm

    What a beautiful and simply amazing array of food! Wonderful shots of everything.

    Reply
  10. Stevie says

    July 12, 2011 at 11:03 am

    Your trip to the Mid East sounds so wonderful! I so want to go there sometime. Thanks for sharing the great pics and I hope that you’ll release more soon.

    Reply
  11. Jessica says

    July 12, 2011 at 10:41 am

    The photos leave me speechless! I didn’t even know that watermelon seeds can be enjoyed roasted?? This definitely is a feast, all the nuts, baked goods, meats… unbelievable! Good to know about hospitality traditions too. Next time I visit, I’m going to be keeping a stash of delicious foods for sure!

    Reply
  12. sheila @ Elements says

    July 12, 2011 at 10:17 am

    OMG…everything looks so delicious!!! I wish I could have experienced all this in person like you did. I’d probably gain 10 pounds a day though!

    I finally spotted the floating glass! It took me a long time though. LOL! Was he juggling?

    Reply
  13. Nicole, RD says

    July 12, 2011 at 7:32 am

    Wow, the food is stunning! What a trip! And that Shawarma has be craving some now!!

    I had to look really hard for that floating glass!

    Reply
  14. tasteofbeirut says

    July 12, 2011 at 7:21 am

    These photos took me back home; it is hard to not want to eat it all, all the time too! Love the katayef with ashta the best.

    Reply
  15. Barbara Bakes says

    July 12, 2011 at 6:39 am

    Thanks for sharing these gorgeous photos. I can almost imagine how wonderful it must smell ask you walk through the shops.

    Reply
  16. Ambreen says

    July 12, 2011 at 2:06 am

    Dear Faith, these lovely pictures made my mouth water. Shawarma is quite popular here too. And I’ve made this Basbousa cake before, that was really delicious. Thanks for sharing these yummy pics :)

    Reply
  17. Krista says

    July 12, 2011 at 12:24 am

    Oh wow!! Love these pics so very much, Faith. :-) I’ve never been to the Middle East and am dying to go. That casserole your bro-in-law made looks so hearty and homey. :-) Love that floating glass. :-)

    Reply
  18. Veronica says

    July 11, 2011 at 10:34 pm

    Love it! I hope I have a chance to visit the area some day. I would love to experience the food and culture firsthand.

    Reply
  19. Jenn L @ Peas and Crayons says

    July 11, 2011 at 8:07 pm

    ohmygosh i’m salivating! I want it all! <3

    Reply
  20. Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says

    July 11, 2011 at 7:27 pm

    It’s so true what you said about hospitality in Middle Eastern cuisine. It really is a most generous culture when you are a guest! :D

    Reply
  21. kankana says

    July 11, 2011 at 7:21 pm

    The photos looks so colorful and happy. Hope I can visit there someday too. btw.. this new look of your space.. loving it:)

    Reply
  22. [email protected] says

    July 11, 2011 at 6:58 pm

    Wow amazing pictures! Thanks for sharing- I feel like my eyes were opened a lot more to middle eastern cuisine. I want to try that couscous casserole thing and of course the shwarma pic looked soo good!

    Reply
  23. [email protected] says

    July 11, 2011 at 6:54 pm

    My mouth is watering at the sight of those pictures!! Fried kebabs? Yummo!! Wish I could go to middle east sometime & try out all those delicacies! Thanks for sharing those lovely pictures!

    Reply
  24. BeadedTail says

    July 11, 2011 at 6:47 pm

    Everything looks so good and colorful! I would love all those nuts and of course the sweets! Thanks for sharing your photos!

    Reply
  25. Tanantha says

    July 11, 2011 at 5:38 pm

    First off, i love your new design on your blog, Faith!
    I would do happy dance with all the nuts they have over there coz i love nuts haha. I spotted rice crackers too! didn’t know they have those. It sounded like a really fun trip. I wanna go!!

    Reply
  26. Juliana says

    July 11, 2011 at 2:14 pm

    Oh Faith, thank you for sharing these wonderful pictures…enjoyed everyone of them…they sure brought me some memories of my trip to Turkey.
    Have a great week ahead :-)

    Reply
  27. aipi says

    July 11, 2011 at 1:51 pm

    Beautiful place ~ nice pics of all the delicious goodies!
    US Masala

    Reply
  28. Joyti says

    July 11, 2011 at 11:33 am

    It all looks SO delicious. The soup…and of course the sweets. The atayef sounds really good…

    Reply
  29. Angie's Recipes says

    July 11, 2011 at 10:41 am

    Looks like that you just visited a food paradise!

    Reply
  30. Heather @ Get Healthy with Heather says

    July 11, 2011 at 10:13 am

    Yum everything looks wonderful faith! Especially that shawarma!

    Reply
  31. Delishhh says

    July 11, 2011 at 10:07 am

    What awesome pictures and an amazing experience. Your photo’s are great.

    Reply
  32. purabi naha says

    July 11, 2011 at 9:37 am

    loved the middle-Eastern recipes! I am amazed by the variety of nuts shown! All the foods are looking truly authentic and I must say, you photographed these very well. This is a very good post.

    Reply
  33. Lisa says

    July 11, 2011 at 8:47 am

    Wow—I love the pics! It’s so interesting to peer into other cultures and at different foods!

    Reply
  34. Kalli says

    July 11, 2011 at 8:38 am

    Oh my gosh faith! Everything looks amazing! The sweets have me drooling! Thank you for sharing those pictures :)

    Reply
  35. Diane says

    July 11, 2011 at 7:50 am

    I was not feeling hungry until I looked at this post……… Diane

    Reply
  36. Carol @ There's Always Thyme to Cook says

    July 11, 2011 at 7:34 am

    Wow, Faith, everything looks fantastic! I don’t think I could stop at just one of those pancake pastries.

    Reply
  37. Erica says

    July 11, 2011 at 6:44 am

    Wow! Love the bulk “bins”! The Roasted Watermelon Seeds sound awesome. And I don’t know what shawarma is, but I think I want some.

    Reply
  38. FOODESSA says

    July 11, 2011 at 6:39 am

    What a mecca of fine and simple living through a paradise of amazing food varieties. I can only assume you’ll be adding these stunning captures in your upcoming recipe book?

    Seeds within those small watermelon seeds…now that I really didn’t know.

    Beautiful post Faith…always a true pleasure ;o)

    Ciao for now and flavourful wishes,
    Claudia

    Reply
  39. Rosa says

    July 11, 2011 at 6:25 am

    Nice! A foodie’s paradize.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  40. Blond Duck says

    July 11, 2011 at 6:22 am

    How cool! And I love the chub-less fro-yo!

    Reply
  41. Barbara says

    July 11, 2011 at 6:12 am

    I loved your photos, Faith. The nuts look delicious. Never thought of roasting watermelon seeds, but why not? The assortment of veggies and pastries are mouth watering; you must have been nibbling all day long.
    What’s with the floating glass? Was he juggling?

    Reply

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Hello and welcome to An Edible Mosaic! This is my recipe collection of international favorites and updated American classics with an emphasis on seasonal dishes. Here you’ll find a focus on real foods that sustain body and mind, bring people together, and make a house a home.

 

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I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to email me with questions or comments.

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affiliate disclosure

An Edible Mosaic is monetized in part though affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on an affiliate link and/or purchase an item after clicking on an affiliate link, I may receive a percentage of the sales price. I only recommend products that I love and use. To learn more, please read my Privacy Policy.

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