ARAB CULTURE

Masakan Arab ditakrifkan sebagai pelbagai masakan serantau di Dunia Arab yang menjangkau dari Maghribi dan Tunisia ke Yaman dan Somalia, dan menggabungkan Levant, Mesir dan yang lain. Ia juga dipengaruhi ke suatu tahap oleh masakan Turki, Afghanistan, Iran, India, Barbar dan budaya-budaya lain rantau itu sebelum Arabisasi kebudayaan dibawa oleh orang Arab mengikut salasilah sewaktu penaklukan Arab Islam.
SejarahTerdahulunya, orang Arab dari Semenanjung Arab bergantung secara berat pada suatu diet kurma, gandum, barli, nasi dan daging, dengan sedikit kepelbagaian, dengan suatu emfasis berat pada hasil yogurt, seperti labneh (لبنة) (yogurt tanpa lemak mentega). Apabile puak Semitik asli mengembara, sama juga dengan citarasa dan ramuan digemari mereka.

Ada suatu emfasis kuat pada bahan-bahan berikut dalam masakan Arab:-

1.Daging: lamb/kambing dan ayam banyak sekali digunakan, daging lembu dan unta juga digunakan ke peringkat yang lebih berkurangan, ternakan lain digunakan dalam sesetengah rantau, dan, di kawasan tepi pantai, ikan. Daging babi adalah sama sekali dilarang-untuk orang Arab Islam, ia adalah kedua-duanya pantang kebudayaan dan juga dilarang di bawah hukum Islam; banyak Arab Kristian juga mencegah dari daging babi kerana mereka tidak pernah memperolehkan suatu citarasa untuknya.

2.Hasil tenusu: hasil tenusu digunakan secara luas, kebanyakannya darinya adalah yogurt dan keju putih. Meskipun, mentega dan krim juga digunakan secara luas.

3.Herba dan rempah: mint dan thyme (sering dalam satu campuran digelar za'atar) digunakan secara luas dan hampir secara sejagat; rempah digunakan kurang daripada masakan India tetapi jumlah dan jenis biasnaya berlainan dari rantau ke rantau. Sesetengah herba dan rempah termasuk adalah bijan, safron, kunyit, bawang putih, jintan putih, kayu manis, dan sumak. Campuran rempah termasuk baharat.

4.Minuman: minuman panas digunakan lebih daripada yang sejuk, kopi dijadikan di atas senarai, kebanyakannya di negara Teluk, walaupun teh juga dihidang di banyak negara Arab. Di mesir dan Jordan teh adalah minuman panas lebih penting daripada kopi contohnya.

5.Biji-bijian: nasi adalah asasi dan digunakan untuk kebanyakan hidangan; gandum adalah sumber utama untuk roti, dan juga bulgur dan semolina, yang digunakan secara luas.

6.Legumes: lentils digunakan secara luas dan juga kacang fava dan kacang kuda(garbanzo beans).

7.Sayur-sayuran dan buah-buahan: masakan ini juga memerisakan sayur-sayuran seperti timun, aubergine (terung), courgette (zucchini), okra dan bawang merah, dan buah-buahan (secara dasar sitrus), sering digunakan sebagai perasa untuk pembuka selera. Buah zaitun adalah sebahagian besar dari masakan dan juga tambahan pada kurma, pokok tin dan pomegranate.

8.Kacang: Buah badam, kacang pain, pistasyio, dan kacang walnut sering termasuk.

9.Hijauan: parsli dan pudina adalah masyhur sebagai perasa dalam banyak hidangan, sementara spinach and Corchorus (digelar "molokhia" dalam bahasa Arab) digunakan dalam hidangan masak.

10.Sos dan kuah: Sos yang termasyhur termasuk pelbagai penggabungan minyak zaitun, jus limau, parsli, dan/atau bawang putih, dan tahini (pes bijan). Labaneh, yogurt tanpa lemak, sering diperasakan dengan pudina dan bawang merah atau putih, dan dikhidmat sebagai suatu kuah dengan pelbagai hidangan.

Ternayata, banyak dari rempah yang sama digunakan dalam masakan Semenajung Arab dalah juga yang diemfasiskan dalam masakan India. Ini adalah suatu akibat perdangangan berat di antara kedua-dua rantau, dan dari keadaan hal ehwal kini dalam negara-negara yang kaya dengan minyak, di mana banyak para pekerja Asia Selatan bekerja di luar negara di negara Teluk Arab.

Budaya Essential to any cooking in the Arabian Peninsula is the concept of hospitality. Meals are generally large family affairs, with much sharing and a great deal of warmth over the dinner table. Formal dinners and celebrations generally entail large quantities of lamb, and every occasion entails large quantities of Arabic coffee.

In an average Arab Gulf state household, a visitor might expect a dinner consisting of a very large platter, shared commonly, with a vast mountain of rice, incorporating lamb or chicken, or both, as separate dishes, with various stewed vegetables, heavily spiced, sometimes with a tomato sauce. Most likely, there would be several other items on the side, less hearty. Tea would certainly accompany the meal, as it is almost constantly consumed. Coffee would be included as well.

There are many regional differences in Arab cuisine.

For instance, mujadara in Syria or Lebanon is different from mujadara in Jordan or Palestine. Some dishes, such as mensaf (the national dish of Jordan), are native to certain countries and rarely if ever make an appearance in other countries.

Unlike in most Western cuisines, cinnamon is used in meat dishes as well as in sweets such as baklava. Other desserts include variations of rice pudding and fried dough. Ground nut mixtures are common fillings for such treats. Saffron is used in everything, from sweets, to rice, to beverages. Fruit juices are quite popular in this often arid region.

Sarapan pagiCafés often offer croissants for breakfast. Breakfast is often a quick meal consisting of bread and dairy products with tea and sometimes with jam. The most used is labneh and cream (kishta, made of cow's milk; or qaimar, made of domestic buffalo milk). Labneh is served with olives, dried mint and drizzled with olive oil. Pastries such as manaqeesh, sfiha, fatayer and kahi are sometimes eaten for breakfast. Flat bread with olive oil and za'tar is also popular.
Traditionally, however, breakfast used to be a much heavier meal especially for the working class such as lentil soup (shorbat 'adas), or heavy sweets such as knafa. Foul, which is fava beans cooked with garbanzo beans (chick peas), garlic, lemon and olive oil is a popular working class breakfast as well.


Makan tengah hari/Lunch is considered the main meal of the day, traditionally eaten after the noon prayer. It is the meal where the family groups together and, when entertaining, it is the meal of choice to invite guests. Rarely do meals have different courses; however, salads and maza are served as side dishes to the main meal. The latter usually consists of a portion of meat, poultry or fish, a portion of rice, lentil, bread or bagel and a portion of cooked vegetables in addition to the fresh ones with the maza and salad. The vegetables and meat are usually cooked together in sauce (often tomato, although others are also popular) to make maraq, which is served on rice. Most households would add bread, whether other grains were available or not. Drinks are not necessarily served with the food; however, there is a very wide variety of drinks such as shineena (or laban), Karakaden, Naque’e Al Zabib, Irq soos, Tamr Hindi as well as fruit juices. During the 20th century, Coca-Cola and similar drinks have also become popular.

Dinner is traditionally the lightest meal, although in modern times and due to changing lifestyles, dinner has become more important.

Ramadan pula pada dua makanan yang disebut disebut selepas ini, sewaktunya gula-gula Ramadan dimakan lebih daripada yang lazim. Gula-gula dan buah-buahan segar dikhidmat di antara kedua-dua makanan ini. Walaupun kebanyakn gula-gula diperbuat sepanjang tahun seperti knafeh, baklawa dan basbousa, sesetenah dibuatkan khususnya untuk Ramadan seperti Qatayef.

Fatuur/iftar/fast-breaking, is the meal taken at dusk when the fast is over. The meal consists of three courses: first, an odd number of dates based on Islamic tradition. Then soup would be served, the most popular is lentil soup, but a wide variety of soups such as chicken, freeka (a soup made from a form of whole wheat and chicken broth), potato, maash and others. The third course would be the main dish, usually eaten after an interval where Maghreb prayer is conducted. The main dish is mostly similar to what is usual for lunch, except that cold drinks are also served.