Recently, we published in this blog a post with gastronomic suggestions for travelers who do not eat meat and plan to travel in the Middle East and North Africa. And the proposals were numerous. So many that one post was not enough to compile them all. Surely, a second post won’t be either, but you will certainly like to know these other vegetarian dishes typical of the countries where we work. And above all: you will love to taste them, genuine and freshly made.
Morocco
Couscous and bissara, which we mentioned in the previous post, are not the only vegetarian dishes in the country, far from it. Also worth mentioning are:
- Eggplant Zaalouk: often referred to as ‘eggplant caviar’, it is reminiscent of ratatouille (or Italian caponata). In addition to pieces of eggplant, it has tomato, olives, garlic and lemon juice, among others. And cook together in the frying pan, until poached.
- Vegetable tajine: as with couscous, this dish lends itself to many variations. And one of them is vegetarian, admitting practically any ingredient: chickpeas, zucchini, peppers, sweet potatoes, eggplants, carrots… And all this, prepared in the classic way of this dish: lightly fried in a clay pot and then steamed over low heat with its characteristic chimney, watered with seasoning and spices to taste.
Egypt
In addition to the three already explained in the previous post (fuul medames, molokhiyya and Egyptian falafel), we could not overlook one of the country’s national dishes: koshari. It is a recipe based on rice mixed with numerous vegetables and legumes, which can be served hot or cold. In that list of ingredients that are added mixed with rice are usually onion (often fried), pasta in the form of noodles, tomato, lentils, chickpeas and garlic. A mixture of spices and a drizzle of oil serve to irrigate and season this dish with character.
Turkey
Hummus and falafel are two iconic and vegetarian dishes of Turkish cuisine, which we reviewed in the last post. But there are many others, perhaps less known, but extremely tasty:
- FattoushFattoush: although it is known as the ‘Lebanese salad’, it is also widely spread in Turkey. It uses diced vegetables (such as bell pepper, tomato, cucumber), combined with fried bread that gives it a crunchy touch.
- BörekThis dish is an empanada or pie made with filo pastry (a dough similar to puff pastry). Most commonly, it contains some ingredients that are not suitable for vegetarians, such as cheese and minced meat. But you can also order or look for the vegetarian version, with potato and spinach stuffing, for example.
A huge variety of desserts
To finish a vegetarian menu on your trip to the Middle East, or simply to have at any time of the day, you will have at your fingertips an endless number of sweets that, logically, usually dispense with meat and cheese in their preparation.
Turkish delicacies are iconic, with a gelatinous texture thanks to the use of natural juices in their base, resulting in soft candies coated with sugar. Not only are they very sweet and tasty, but they are also eye-catching because of their bright colors. In many cases, dried fruits such as pistachios or walnuts are used to give it a crunchy touch, and it is common to flavor it with a wide variety of fruit extracts, such as lemon, raspberry or peach.
Turkey is also associated with baklavaAlthough it can be found in many other countries, such as Jordan, it is made ofsmall pieces of filo pastry, inside of which there are small pieces of nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, etc.) and covered with syrup, which provides the sweetness.
And like these proposals, there are many others that you can discover in person when you travel to the countries in our catalog, where sweet treats are very easy to find at street level.
