The typical ingredients of Levantine cuisine are chickpeas, tahini, sheep's cheese, halloumi, aubergine, peppers, courgettes, olives, pomegranates, mint, lemon and yoghurt. These main ingredients are ideal for vegetarians and vegans. There are also many dishes with fish and other seafood, as well as chicken or lamb.
A special feast is the slow-roasted lamb shoulder, which is marinated with spices and served with pomegranates, yoghurt and pistachio sauce.
Also interesting: sweet potato is a new food trend.
Some of the spices used in Levantine cuisine are also familiar to us, such as cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, caraway, nutmeg and cardamom. However, there are also unique Levantine spices such as baharat, an Arabic spice blend, or the intensely sour and fruity flavour of sumac, the dried red fruit of the dyer tree, which is often used as a seasoning and goes particularly well with grilled food. Aromatic herbs such as mint, parsley and coriander are also very popular in Levantine cuisine and refine almost every dish.