Pita (or pitta) is the most common type of bread in Lebanese cooking. It refers to a circular leavened wheat flour flatbread popular in the Middle East and Mediterranean. It's used as a wrap in Greek cuisine to make gyros and souvlaki.

Pita, also known as Lebanese bread, Arabic bread, or Syrian bread, comes in a variety of sizes and thicknesses and usually has an interior pocket. It's usually baked at high temperatures (450–475°F (232–246°C)), which causes the water in the dough to turn to steam, causing the pita to puff up and form a pocket. The layers remain separated even after it cools and deflates, allowing the pita to hold ingredients like a sandwich.

Pita bread is a versatile bread that can be used in a variety of ways. It's commonly used as a scoop for dips like hummus and baba ganoush in Lebanese cuisine. It can be used as a wrap for shawarmas or a pocket for falafel. Even scraps of pita are fried and repurposed in dishes like fattoush.

Manaqish (or manakish) is a Levantine dish made of flatbread topped with various ingredients. Consider it the Arabic equivalent of pizza. The name manaqish is derived from the Arabic verb naqasha, which means "to carve out" or "to sculpt." This refers to how indentations are made into the flattened dough to hold the toppings.

Traditionally, manaqish is made with one of three ingredients: minced lamb, cheese (usually akkawi or kashkaval), or za'atar. The version below uses za'atar, a spice blend made up of ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, toasted sesame seeds, sumac, salt, and other spices. It's the most common type of manaqish, and it's frequently eaten for breakfast, as a mezze, or as a snack with feta cheese or labneh (yogurt cheese).

Manaqish, also known as sfiha, is made with minced lamb (or sfeeha, lahmajun, lahmajin). Sfiha is a heavier dish that is typically eaten for lunch, as opposed to za'atar manaqish, which is more of a breakfast dish or snack.

No article on Lebanese food would be complete without hummus, one of the most popular dishes in the country. It's a Middle Eastern dip made with mashed cooked chickpeas, tahini, garlic, and lemon juice. It's typically served with pita bread and a variety of garnishes such as olive oil, whole chickpeas, olives, chopped tomatoes, sumac, or parsley.

Hummus is a Middle Eastern staple that is eaten for breakfast, as mezze, or as an accompaniment to other dishes such as falafel, kibbeh, or tabbouleh. It has gained popularity in many other parts of the world and is frequently the first dish that comes to mind when people think of Middle Eastern cuisine.

Surprisingly, Lebanon and Israel have been competing to produce the world's largest serving of hummus. Both countries regard hummus as a vital symbol of their national identity, so winning the title establishes some measure of ownership over the dish in their eyes.

Lebanon currently holds the Guinness World Record for the largest serving of hummus, weighing in at 10,452 kg (23,042 lbs 12 oz). It took approximately 300 cooks eight tons of chickpeas, two tons of tahini, two tons of lemon juice, and 70 kilograms (150 pound) of olive oil to make. It was served on a 7.17-meter-diameter (23.5-foot-diameter) ceramic plate.

Tabbouleh (or tabouli, taboulah) is a Levantine salad made of finely chopped parsley, mint, tomatoes, onions, bulgur, olive oil, and lemon juice. Originally from Lebanon and Syria's mountains, it has become one of the most popular salads in Middle Eastern cuisine.

Tabbouleh, like hummus and baba ganoush, is frequently served as part of mezze platters. It is popular throughout the region and is one of the best-known Arabic dishes outside of the Middle East. Many consider it to be a national dish in Lebanon.

A common misconception about tabbouleh is that bulgur is the main ingredient. It's not. It's merely a supporting player, with the finely chopped parsley taking center stage. Tabbouleh is sometimes served with lettuce leaves that can be scooped up and used as a scoop for the salad.

Fattoush is a Levantine salad made with fried khubz (Arabic bread) – usually leftover scraps of pita – mixed with various greens and vegetables. It's a fatteh (or fatta) dish, which is a type of Middle Eastern dish made with leftover pita and other ingredients that are repurposed to make a new meal.

Fattoush is said to be a northern Lebanese dish. Farmers would fry leftover pita scraps in olive oil and combine them with whatever vegetables and herbs they had on hand. As a result, fattoush recipes differ, but the salad can be prepared with whatever vegetables are in season. It's dressed simply with a sumac vinaigrette.

Aside from the fried pita, the most important ingredient in fattoush is ground sumac, which gives the salad its distinctive tart flavor.

Baba ganoush (or baba ghanouj) is another popular Lebanese dip in the Middle East and beyond. It's made with mashed cooked eggplant, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and various seasonings. It's typically served with pita bread as part of a mezze platter or as a side dish to larger meals, similar to hummus.

Baba ganoush has a delicious smokey flavor that comes from roasted eggplant. The eggplant is broiled or roasted over an open flame before being peeled and blended with the remaining ingredients.

When eating Lebanese food, you may encounter another dip known as moutabal. I used to think moutabal and baba ganoush were two completely different dishes, but they're both made from roasted eggplant. Moutabal is essentially a spicier version of baba ganoush made with pomegranate (anar) seeds.

The name baba ghanoush literally translates to "spoiled daddy" or "pampered daddy," though it's unclear whether this refers to the eggplant itself or a person who is pampered by the dish.

Falafel is a Middle Eastern dish consisting of deep-fried balls or patties made of ground chickpeas (or fava beans), herbs, and spices. They are popular throughout the Middle East and can be eaten on their own, as part of mezze platters, or as pita sandwiches with salad, pickled vegetables, and tahini-based sauces.

Falafel is thought to have originated in Egypt as a meat substitute during fasting periods. It's a popular street food dish, and it's sometimes served as part of the meals that break the daily fast during Ramadan (iftar). It's so popular in Egypt that you can get a McFalafel for breakfast at any McDonald's location.

Egyptian falafel is made entirely of fava beans, whereas falafel in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, and Israel is made entirely of chickpeas. Falafel has become a popular vegan dish outside of the Middle East, particularly in North America, where it is now sold as street food.

Mujadara is a traditional Arabic dish made of lentils, rice (or bulgur), and caramelized onions. It is popular throughout the Middle East, where it is known by various names such as majadra, megadarra, and mudardara.

Mujadara can be made in a variety of ways, but the most common are brown or green lentils, rice, onions, cumin, and olive oil. In some parts of Lebanon, it appears that there is a distinction made between versions of the dish that contain rice or bulgur. Muardara refers to versions made with lentils and rice, while mujadara refers to versions made with lentils and bulgur.

Mujadara can be served hot or cold, and is frequently accompanied by yogurt, vegetables, and other side dishes. Because it is inexpensive and simple to prepare, it has traditionally been regarded as peasant food.

If you like meatballs or croquettes, you'll probably enjoy kibbeh, Lebanon's national dish. It's a cross between a meatball and a croquette, made with spiced ground meat, onions, pine nuts, and bulgur wheat. The name kibbeh is derived from the Arabic word kubbah, which means "ball."

Kibbeh comes in a variety of flavors and recipes, but it's typically made by pounding bulgur wheat with meat – usually lamb or beef – into a fine paste. Before being deep-fried or baked, the mixture is formed into football-shaped orbs with toasted pine nuts and spices such as ground cinnamon and allspice. They're usually served as part of a mezze platter or as a side dish, with a tahini-based sauce.

Kibbeh is an important dish in Lebanese cuisine, and many women learn how to make it at a young age. Football-shaped kibbeh are the most well-known, but they can also be formed into balls or patties. Some are even eaten raw (kibbeh nayyeh), similar to steak tartare, or blended into soups.

Kibbeh is a Levantine dish that has gained popularity in Latin America and parts of North America. Kibbeh has made its way into the cuisines of countries such as Brazil, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic thanks to Middle Eastern immigrants.

If you enjoy Indian samosas or Latin American empanadas, you'll enjoy sambousek. It's a small Lebanese meat pie or turnover popular in the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and Africa. It comes in a variety of forms and is known by various names such as sambosa, sambusak, sambuseh, and samsa.

Sambousek is traditionally filled with either pre-cooked ground beef or lamb or a type of cheese such as feta or kashkaval in Lebanon. When made with cheese, it frequently includes spinach. Before being deep-fried or baked, the filling is wrapped inside dough that is folded and pinched shut into a crescent shape. Sambousek, which is commonly served as a mezze, is especially popular during the holy month of Ramadan.

Sambousek has a long history dating back to the Middle East in the 10th century. It was first mentioned in an Iranian history book under the name "sambosa." This early version is widely regarded as the forerunner of similar savory pastries such as the samosa, empanada, and Italian calzone.

Lebanese sambousek is commonly crescent-shaped, similar to empanadas, but it can also be made in other shapes depending on where it comes from and the type of dough used to make it.

Shawarma is one of the most well-known Lebanese dishes around the world. It refers to a Levantine dish made with heavily marinated meat – usually chicken, beef, lamb, or mutton – cooked on a vertical rotisserie. It is commonly sold as street food throughout the Middle East and beyond.

The Lebanese shawarma, like Greek gyros and Mexican tacos al pastor, is a descendant of the Turkish doner kebab. Thin slices of marinated meat are pierced and stacked onto a skewer to make it. As the stack grows taller, larger pieces of meat are layered to form a cone-like shape 60 cm (20 in) high. The cone is then slowly turned by a motorized spit to roast the outer layer against a vertical heating element.

Thin slices of meat are shaved off after cooking and served in a pita sandwich or wrap with tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, french fries, and tahini-based sauces. Shawarma was traditionally made with lamb, mutton, or chicken, but it can now also be made with beef or turkey.

Shawarma, like hummus and falafel, has become one of the world's most popular Lebanese foods. It's one of my favorite comfort foods, right up there with pizza and burgers.

Kafta (also spelled kofta and kufta) is a type of Lebanese kebab or meatball made with ground meat, onions, parsley, and spices. It is widely used in the Middle East, Central Asia, the Balkans, the South Caucasus, and the Indian subcontinent.

Kafta recipes vary, but it's typically made with ground meat – usually beef or lamb – finely chopped parsley, onions, black pepper, salt, and seven spice. The mixture is then formed into patties or skewered before being grilled with tomatoes, onions, and potatoes over charcoal. It's usually served with rice or pita bread and hummus, fattoush, or tabbouleh.

The most common way to prepare Lebanese kafta is to grill it, but it can also be prepared in other ways. It can be sautéed, cooked in stews, stuffed into pitas (arayes), or eaten raw.

Shish taouk (also spelled shish tawook) is a type of chicken shish kebab. It is a Turkish dish that has gained popularity in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East. Shish means "skewers" in Turkish, while taouk is derived from tavuk, which means "chicken."

To make, marinate chicken cubes in garlic, lemon juice, yogurt, and spices before skewering and grilling with onions and tomatoes. It can be served on a platter with rice and salad, or as a sandwich wrapped in pita with vegetables. It's almost always served with toum or Lebanese garlic sauce, no matter how it's prepared.

As much as I enjoy hummus and shawarma, I believe shish taouk in sandwich form is my Lebanese GOAT dish (Greatest Of All Time). It's delectably delicious.

Baklawa (or batlawa) is the Lebanese version of baklava, a popular dessert made with many layers of filo pastry, chopped nuts, butter, and syrup.

The Middle Eastern baklawa differs from the Greek version only in the type of syrup used. Instead of honey, it's made with atter, a rose water / orange blossom sugar syrup. It's lighter and less sweet than baklava.

This filo pastry dessert is widely consumed in many countries throughout the Mediterranean, the Balkans, the Middle East, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia, regardless of how it is prepared. Its exact origins are unknown, but its current form may have been invented in Ottoman Empire kitchens.

Kanafeh is a popular Middle Eastern dessert that is made with shredded filo dough that has been soaked in sweet syrup and layered with cheese. Depending on where you get it, you can top it with things like pistachio nuts or clotted cream.

Kanafeh is widely consumed in the Middle East, the Balkans, the Mediterranean, and the South Caucasus, where it is known by various names such as kunefe, kataifi, knafeh, and konafa. Its exact origins, like baklawa, are unknown and frequently debated.

Whatever it's called or where it comes from, one thing is certain: you must try kanafeh. It's served piping hot, so the cheese melts away in gooey strings. It's delicious, and it's one of my favorite desserts from any culture.