FabulousFusionFood's West Asian Recipes Home Page

Map of Asia. The map of Asia, with West Asia (Middle East and Caucasus) shown in red.
Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's West Asian recipes. This page provides links to all the West Asian recipes presented on this site, with 457 recipes in total.

These recipes, for the major part, originate in West Asia. Otherwise they are fusion recipes with major West Asian influences.

West Asia also called Western Asia or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost region of Asia. As defined by most academics, UN bodies and other institutions, the subregion consists of Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Mesopotamia, the Armenian highlands, the Levant, the island of Cyprus, the Sinai Peninsula and the South Caucasus. The region is separated from Africa by the Isthmus of Suez in Egypt, and separated from Europe by the waterways of the Turkish Straits and the watershed of the Greater Caucasus. Central Asia lies to its northeast, while South Asia lies to its east. Twelve seas surround the region (clockwise): the Aegean Sea, the Sea of Marmara, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aqaba, the Gulf of Suez, and the Mediterranean Sea. West Asia contains the majority of the similarly defined Middle East. The Middle East is a political term that has changed many times depending on political and historical context while West Asia is a geographical term with more consistency. It excludes most of Egypt and the northwestern part of Turkey, and includes the southern part of the Caucasus.

West Asia covers an area of 5,994,935 km2 (2,314,657 sq mi), with a population of about 313 million. Of the 20 UN member countries fully or partly within the region, 13 are part of the Arab world. The most populous countries in West Asia are Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

The term West Asia is used pragmatically and has no 'correct' or generally accepted definition. Its typical definitions overlap substantially, but not entirely, with definitions of the terms Middle East, Eastern Mediterranean, and Near East (which is historically familiar but widely deprecated today). The National Geographic Style Manual as well as Maddison's The World Economy: Historical Statistics (2003) by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) include only Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Palestine (called West Bank and Gaza in the latter), Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, UAE, and Yemen as West Asian countries. By contrast, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in its 2015 yearbook includes Armenia and Azerbaijan, and excludes Israel (as Other) and Turkey (as Europe).

'Western Asia' was in use as a geographical term in the early 19th century, before 'Near East' became current as a geopolitical concept. In the context of the history of classical antiquity, 'Western Asia' could mean the part of Asia known in classical antiquity, as opposed to the reaches of 'interior Asia', i.e. Scythia, and 'Eastern Asia' the easternmost reaches of geographical knowledge in classical authors, i.e. Transoxania and India. In the 20th century, 'Western Asia' was used to denote a rough geographical era in the fields of archaeology and ancient history, especially as a shorthand for 'the Fertile Crescent excluding Ancient Egypt' for the purposes of comparing the early civilizations of Egypt and the former.

Three major tectonic plates converge on West Asia, including the African, Eurasian, and Arabian plates. The boundaries between the tectonic plates make up the Azores-Gibraltar Ridge, extending across North Africa, the Red Sea, and into Iran. The Arabian Plate is moving northward into the Anatolian plate (Turkey) at the East Anatolian Fault, and the boundary between the Aegean and Anatolian plate in eastern Turkey is also seismically active.

The countries of West Asia are defined in the table below:

West Asia

Arms Flag Name of Territory Capital Name in Official Language(s)
Anatolia
The flag of Turkey. Turkey Ankara Türkiye Cumhuriyeti
Arabian Peninsula
The Arms of Bahrain. The Arms of Bahrain. Bahrain Manama مملكة البحرين (Arabic: Mamlakat al-Baḥrayn)
The Arms of Kuwait. The Flag of Kuwait. Kuwait Kuwait City دَوْلَة ٱلْكُوَيْت (Arabic: Dawla al-Kuwayt)
The Arms of the Oman. The Flag of the Oman. Oman Muscat ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާسلطنة عُمان (Arabic: Salṭanat ʻUmān)
The Arms of Qatar. The Flag of Qatar. Qatar Doha دولة قطر (Arabic: Dawlat Qaṭar)
The Arms of Saudi Arabia. The Flag of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia Riyadh ٱلْمَمْلَكَة ٱلْعَرَبِيَّة ٱلسُّعُودِيَّة (Arabic: al-Mamlaka al-ʿArabiyya al-Suʿūdiyya)
The Arms of United Arab Emirates. The Flag of United Arab Emirates. United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi الإمارات العربية المتحدة
The Arms of Yemen. The Flag of Yemen. Yemen Sana'a (Houthi-led government)
Aden (Seat of government)
ٱلْجُمْهُورِيَّةُ ٱلْيَمَنِيَّةُ (Arabic: al-Jumhūriyyatu l-Yamaniyyatu)
South Caucasus
The Arms of Abkhazia. The Arms of Abkhazia. Abkhazia
(unrecognised)
Sukhumi Аԥсны Аҳәынҭқарра (Abkhaz: Apsny Ahwyntqarra)
Республика Абхазия (Russian: Respublika Abkhaziya)
The Arms of Armenia. The Flag of Armenia. Armenia Yerevan Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն (Armenian: Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun)
The Arms of Azerbaijan. The Flag of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan Baku Azərbaycan Respublikası
The Arms of Georgia. The Flag of Georgia. Georgia Tblisi საქართველო (Georgian: Sakartvelo)
The Arms of South Ossetia. The Flag of South Ossetia. South Ossetia
(Unrecognised)
Tskhinvali Республикӕ Хуссар Ирыстон Паддзахад Алани (Ossetian Respiblikae Khussar Iryston Paddzakhad Alani)/
სამხრეთ ოსეთის რესპუბლიკა ალანეთის სახელმწიფო (Georgian:Samkhret Osetis Resp’ublik’a Alanetis Sakhelmts’ipo)/
Республика Южная Осетия Государство Алания (Russian: Respublika Yuzhnaya Osetiya Gosudarstvo Alaniya)
Fertile Crescent
The Arms of Iraq. The Arms of Iraq. Iraq Baghdad جُمْهُورِيَّة ٱلْعِرَاق (Arabic: Jumhūriyya al-ʿIrāq)
کۆماری عێراق (Kurdish: Komarî Êraq)
The Arms of Israel. The Flag of Israel. Israel Jerusalem מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל/دَوْلَة إِسْرَائِيل
The Arms of Jordan. The Flag of Jordan. Jordan Amman المملكة الأردنية الهاشمية (Arabic: al-Mamlakah al-ʾUrdunniyah al-Hāshimiyah)
The Flag of Lebanon. Lebanon Beiruit الجمهورية اللبنانية (Arabic: al-Jumhūrīyah al-Lubnānīyah)
The Arms of Palestine. The Flag of Palestine. Palestine Ramallah دولة فلسطين (Arabic: Dawlat Filasṭīn)
The Arms of Syria. The Flag of Syria. Syria Damascus الجمهورية العربية السورية (Arabic: al-Jumhūriyya al-ʿArabiyya as-Sūriya)
Iranian Plateau
The Arms of Iran. The Arms of Iran. Iran Tehran جمهوری اسلامی ایران (Persian: Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Irân)
Mediterranean Sea
The Arms of Akrotiri and Dhekelia. Akrotiri and Dhekelia Episkopi Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia
The Arms of Cyprus. The Flag of Cyprus. Cyprus Nicosia Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία (Greek)/Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti (Turkish)
The Arms of Northern Cyprus. The Flag of Northern Cyprus. Northern Cyprus
(Unrecognised)
North Nicosia Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti (Turkish)
Sinai Peninsula
The Arms of Egypt. The Arms of Egypt. Egypt Cairo جمهورية مصر العربية (Arabic: Jumhūrīyat Miṣr al-ʻArabīyah)


The alphabetical list of all the West Asian recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 457 recipes in total:

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Abgousht
(Persian Beef Stew)
     Origin: Iran
Baba Ghanoush
     Origin: Turkey
Chebeh Rubyan
(Prawn Balls)
     Origin: Oman
Abkhazia Achamykva
     Origin: Abkhazia
Baba Ghanoush
     Origin: Armenia
Chebeh Rubyan
(Prawn Balls)
     Origin: Iraq
Abkhazia Ayladzh
     Origin: Abkhazia
Baba Ghanoush
     Origin: Lebanon
Chebeh Rubyan
(Prawn Balls)
     Origin: Qatar
Abkhazia Mamalyga
     Origin: Abkhazia
Baba Ghanoush
     Origin: Palestine
Chebeh Rubyan
(Prawn Balls)
     Origin: Saudi Arabia
Abysta
(Cornmeal Polemnta)
     Origin: Abkhazia
Baghali Shevid Polow
(Lima Bean with Dill Rice)
     Origin: Iran
Chebeh Rubyan
(Prawn Balls)
     Origin: Kuwait
Achapa
(Walnut Lobio)
     Origin: Abkhazia
Bahrain Baharat Spice Blend
     Origin: Bahrain
Chebeh Rubyan
(Prawn Balls)
     Origin: Bahrain
Adana Kebab
     Origin: Turkey
Baklava
     Origin: Northern Cyprus
Cheese Baklava
     Origin: Syria
Adana Kebap
     Origin: Turkey
Baklawa
     Origin: Egypt
Chelo Kabab Koobideh
     Origin: Iran
Adas Polo
(Rice with Lentils)
     Origin: Iran
Baklazhan Pkhali
(Aubergine Pkhali)
     Origin: Georgia
Chemen Spice Mix
     Origin: Georgia
Adjarian Khachapuri
(Georgian Cheese Pies)
     Origin: Georgia
Balık �°C7;orbası
(Mackerel Soup)
     Origin: Turkey
Cheoreg
(Armenian Sweet Bread)
     Origin: Armenia
Adjika
(Paprika Sauce)
     Origin: Abkhazia
Bamia
(Okra in Tomato Sauce)
     Origin: Egypt
Chicken Kabsa
     Origin: Saudi Arabia
Adjika
(Abkhazian Paprika Sauce)
     Origin: Abkhazia
Bamieh
(Okra Stew)
     Origin: Iraq
Chicken Machboos
     Origin: Bahrain
Aijet Beythat
(Spiced Eggs)
     Origin: Saudi Arabia
Bamya �°C7;orbası
(Okra Soup)
     Origin: Turkey
Chicken Machboos
     Origin: Oman
Aish Baladi
     Origin: Egypt
Barazek
(Syrian Sesame Biscuits)
     Origin: Syria
Chicken Machbous
(Chicken Machboos)
     Origin: Iraq
Aish bel-Lahm
(Bread with Lamb)
     Origin: Saudi Arabia
Basterma
(Spiced Dried Meat)
     Origin: Armenia
Chicken Madrouba
     Origin: Oman
Akutekarsh
(Chicken with Nut Sauce)
     Origin: Abkhazia
Basturma
(Spiced Dried Meat)
     Origin: Georgia
Chicken Madrouba
     Origin: Qatar
Al Rangina
(Dates in Butter Sauce)
     Origin: Saudi Arabia
Batatis Mahshiya
(Stuffed Potatoes)
     Origin: Egypt
Chicken Madrouba
     Origin: Bahrain
Al-Motubug
(Stuffed Pastry Squares)
     Origin: Saudi Arabia
Batingan Mekhali
(Pickled Aubergines)
     Origin: Egypt
Chicken tabaka with Plum Sauce
(Georgian Spitted Chicken with Plum
Sauce)
     Origin: Georgia
Amba Sauce
     Origin: Israel
Bayth Mashi
(Stuffed Eggs)
     Origin: Saudi Arabia
Chikhirtma
(Coriander and Onion Soup)
     Origin: Georgia
Ancient Egyptian Flatbread
     Origin: Egypt
Bayth Mashi
(Stuffed Eggs)
     Origin: Lebanon
Chrov Plav
(Rice Pilaf with Dried Fruit and Nuts)
     Origin: Azerbaijan
Ancient Egyptian Tigernut Sweetmeats
     Origin: Egypt
Beyaz Peynirli Yumurta
(Eggs with Feta Cheese)
     Origin: Turkey
Chuchkella
(Grape and Walnut Candies)
     Origin: Azerbaijan
Arni Souvla
(Skewered Lamb)
     Origin: Cyprus
Bezar Spice Blend
     Origin: Bahrain
Chuoereg
(Armenian Easter Bread)
     Origin: Armenia
Aruk Khass
(Lettuce Fritters)
     Origin: Iraq
Bint al Sahn
(Honey Cake)
     Origin: Yemen
Churek
(Flatbread With Sesame Seeds)
     Origin: Azerbaijan
Aseed
     Origin: Yemen
Bizar Spice Blend
     Origin: Qatar
Cilbir
(Eggs on Yoghurt)
     Origin: Turkey
Ash Guznh Mazndrana
(Mazandarani Style Nettle Soup)
     Origin: Iran
Borulce
(Black-eyed Pea Stew)
     Origin: Turkey
Çiokolatalı Sos
(Turkish Chocolate Sauce)
     Origin: Turkey
Aşure
(Noah's Pudding)
     Origin: Northern Cyprus
Bozartma
(Lamb Stewed with Vegetables and Cherry
Plums)
     Origin: Azerbaijan
Colocassi Tsakristo
(Taro and Pork Stew)
     Origin: Cyprus
Atar Allecha
(Spiced Green Pea Purée)
     Origin: Egypt
Braaied Flatbreads
     Origin: Turkey
Cucumber and Yoghurt Salad
     Origin: Armenia
Ayran
(Turkish Buttermilk)
     Origin: Turkey
Bulgur Pilaf
     Origin: Turkey
Cypriot Pitta Bread
(Envelope Bread)
     Origin: Cyprus
Ayran
(Turkish Cypriot Chicken and Taro Stew)
     Origin: Northern Cyprus
Cacık
(Turkish Cucumber and Yoghurt Salad)
     Origin: Turkey
Cypriot Souvlaki
     Origin: Cyprus
Azerbaijani Plav
(Azerbaijani Pilaf)
     Origin: Azerbaijan
Cacık
(Yoghurt, Cucumber and Mint Dip)
     Origin: Northern Cyprus
Düğün
�°C7;orbası

(Wedding Soup)
     Origin: Turkey
Azeri Chicken Skewers
     Origin: Azerbaijan
Ceregi
     Origin: Georgia
Dabgadz Banir Boerag
(Fried Cheese Turnovers)
     Origin: Armenia
Baba Ghanoush
     Origin: Iraq
Chaimen
(Armenian Mixed Spice)
     Origin: Armenia
Dajaaj al Riz
(Syrian Roast Chicken with Rice)
     Origin: Syria
Baba Ghanoush
     Origin: Egypt
Chaimen Spice Mix
     Origin: Armenia
Baba Ghanoush
     Origin: Jordan
Chakapuli
(Georgian Lamb and Tarragon Stew)
     Origin: Georgia

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