Enjoy Mediterranean Delicacies At Home- Top Dishes To Try*

You have never lived entirely if you have not let yourself in the vast world of Mediterranean food. It is one of the cuisines in the world which will not be too hot for your dislike, but every bite you take of the food promises you some intense flavours. Because most of the Mediterranean area receives plenty of sunshine and is blessed with good fertility, you can expect lots of fresh produce in the food. And this is one food journey that will make you try all that it has to offer, whether you like veggies, meats, or different kinds of seafood.

Gyro

Let us begin this tale with this lip-smacking dish. Pronounced as yee-roh, it can be referred to as the ultimate trifecta of all things delicious, perfected with the right amount of salt and fats. The meat receives a special treatment. It is a healthy way to cook as it constantly turns and roasts the chicken in the rotisserie. Alternatively, lamb or beef is also used. While serving, a particular shaver is used, going from top to bottom to scrape thin and almost crispy layers of meat. For many, just the meat is enough to suffice. However, for others, who want to enjoy the complete range of various flavours tomatoes, onions, tzatziki, in some cases with fries inside a war, and toasted pita bread are available as accompaniments.

Choreg

If you are one of the people who are unapologetic sweet lovers, then you will probably like this one. Contrary to anything else you may have ever eaten, this braided bread tastes sweet. Made with a lot of butter, you would have to be a bit brave to gobble this up and not think of all the additional calories you will be ingesting. The texture of Choreg is a bit dry and crumbly, which is topped with toasted sesame seeds. The best way to enjoy its wholesome taste is to enjoy it right after it has freshly come out of an oven. It is mostly subtle and sweet in flavour, as already mentioned. If you want, you can add more butter for a better rounded experience.

Maamoul

Since we are already in the sweet section, it would be rude not to include Maamoul in the list. These are ancient cookies from the Arab world and are extremely popular around the Mediterranean region. Mostly, the fillings are made up of spiced date paste, walnuts, and pistachios. They are so ancient that they have even been depicted in Egyptian paintings and carvings dating back to the earliest ages. You may not know how to make them at home, which might make you feel extremely bad, especially when you crave to eat them. However, an excellent way to always have them on hand is by subscribing to a monthly cookie box, making you have a package delivered right at your doorstep. You can even customize your cookie box to your preference and add or remove flavors from it.

Hummus and Baba Ganoush

If you want to experience the whole Aegean experience, your experience will always be incomplete without this dip. Hummus, as you may popularly know it as, actually means chickpeas in Arabic. This is so widely popular around in this region due to mass cultivation of this crop, and with time it has found its foray on the global platter. The star ingredients are chickpea, but it is further enhanced more with tahini, a ground paste of sesame seeds, olive oil, and spices for the basic recipe. However, if you want, you can add more things to it to make it something more unique. And its peer, Baba Ganoush, is pretty much the same, just without the chickpeas, which are substituted with roasted eggplants. Both are pretty popular to be enjoyed as either dip or as a sauce in sandwiches.

Kebabs

The earthy and smoky flavours of thoroughly cooked kebabs are hard to miss no matter how full you would be, even after the heartiest of meals. These are little pieces of meat marinated for hours to give them their special spicy and juicy notes of taste. The well-seasoned bits are then skewered and are grilled over-controlled slow heat. Though most commonly, the choice of meat is lamb, people also love other meat variants like chicken, ground beef, and even fish. If you are a vegetarian, you can still taste perfection by ordering vegetable kebabs. And like all other good things of this flavoured platter, these are served warm scintillating warm inside a pita bread with a side of grilled veggies.

Dolma

The word comes from the Turkish language, which means “ to be stuffed. “ The dish is actually a stuffed vegetable, and the most commonly found are prepared in grape leaves. The preparation sees lots of eggplants, bell peppers, and tomatoes too. The fillings are typically made up of rice or meat, which are further seasoned with potent spices and caramelized onions with lots of olive oil for added flavours.

Moussaka

It is the Mediterranean region’s take on the Italian lasagna. The Moussaka is a Greek oven-baked dish consisting of numerous layers of vegetables and meat, with a topping of bechamel sauce. Quite often, eggplants or potatoes are used with a layer of ground beef with many tomatoes, onions, spices, and red wine. It is then followed again with another layer of eggplants and is finished with another drizzling of bechamel sauce and cheese. It is a delectable dish, and any party feast is incomplete without it.

Apart from these, there are a few others like Spanakopita, Tabouleh, Pilaf, Tzatziki, Lahmajoun, to name just a few, which are utterly lip-smacking. The list could go on and on, but we guess that you have a basic idea about it now. Mediterranean food is the perfect amalgamation of all kinds of flavours to tantalize your palate. So, what are you waiting for? Go, dive in and let your food guide you through the way to happiness and bliss.