Arabic & Levantine Pantry Guide
Iftar ideas: traditional dishes for breaking the fast
A traditional Arabic iftar table is built in three simple stages: dates with water or a cold Ramadan drink first, then hot soup with salad and small starters, followed by one main dish. This structure keeps evening cooking manageable while giving the family a complete meal.
First course: dates, soup and mezze
At sunset the fast is broken with dates such as Medjool, Sukkari or Khalas and a glass of water, yoghurt drink, qamar al-din or jallab. Next comes a bowl of hot soup: red lentil soup seasoned with cumin and lemon, smoky cracked freekeh soup or hearty harira with chickpeas. Alongside the soup, most families set out fattoush dressed with sumac and pomegranate molasses, tabbouleh, hummus, mutabbal and crispy kibbeh or sambousek.
Main dishes for weeknights and gatherings
On ordinary evenings a single main dish next to soup and salad is plenty. Everyday favourites include maqluba with aubergine and rice, molokhia with vermicelli rice,okra stew with lamb, shish barak in warm yoghurt sauce or daoud basha meatballs. When guests gather at the weekend, large sharing platters take centre stage: fragrant kabsa, Jordanian mansaf with jameed, Palestinian musakhan with sumac and olive oil, or a pot of stuffed vine leaves.
