Middle Eastern Christmas Food Recipes

Enjoy the Best Middle Eastern Christmas Food Recipes.

Christmas is celebrated in many Middle Eastern countries by Arab Christians. Here you will find what you may find on a Middle Eastern Christmas menu.

The Christmas dinner menu varies from country to country, depending on what ingredients are available and what is native to each region. Here are some dishes you may find for Christmas dinner across the Middle East:
Mezze, or Appetizers

Appetizers in the Middle East are an important part of the meal. You will find many dishes served on small plates in a Middle Eastern mezze. Common Middle Eastern appetizers include:

Hummus
Baba Ganush
Kibbeh Nayyeh
Tabbouleh
Yalanji (Stuffed Grape Leaves)
Batata Harra
Shanklish
Spinach Turnovers (Fatayir bi Sabaanikh)
Sfiha
Mohammara

Main Dishes

Lamb dishes are the most popular holiday main dish because it is widely available. Unlike western countries, turkeys in the Middle East are very small, and many would be required to serve a large group of people. Middle Eastern Christian families in the U.S. commonly adopt traditional western holiday customs like a turkey or ham. Pork products, however, are not widely available in Middle Eastern countries due to the large Islamic following.

Roasted Chicken Stuffed with Rice
Roasted Lamb Leg with Oriental Rice Recipe
Stuffed Baby Lamb
Freekeh

Side Dishes

Several dishes may be offered, and the most common may be:

Loubieh Bi Zeit (Green Beans in oil)
Bemieh bi Zayt (Okra in Oil)
Lebanese Pizza - Lahm bi ajeen Recipe
Awarma
Meatballs

Middle Eastern Desserts

Dessert is one of the most antcipated courses of a holiday meal. In the Middle East, you will commonly find fruit as the dessert, depending on whats in season. It is light, sweet, and a nice ending to a big meal. However, there are several Middle Eastern desserts that are perfect for the holidays, like:

Baklava
Osmallieh
Halawat El-Jibn Bil-Kishta
Eish Saraya
Pistachio Mafruka with Cream

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