Mezze or appetisers are part of the way of life of the Arab world. They are served as snacks, at the beginning of a meal, or as a meal in itself.

Probably the best known mezze in the world are the bread dips, Humus bi Tahina and Baba Ghanooj, and the Egyptian bean dish of Ful Medames.

These traditional dips are a must on any mezze table and are now well known in Europe, America and other parts of the world. This is mainly due to the fact that its marvellous aroma blends well with most meat dishes especially kebabs. It is in fact the pride of Arabic cuisine.

Humus bi Tahina

Ingredients:

2 cups chickpeas

1 cup Tahina sauce (A nutty flavoured paste made of toasted crushed sesame seeds.)

1 clove of garlic, crushed

juice of 2 to 3 lemons

salt

chilli powder

olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped parsley (for garnishing)

Method:

Bring the chickpeas to boil until they are tender. Leaving a few grains for the garnish, liquidise the rest until a thick paste is formed. Empty this paste into a large bowl and add the crushed garlic and Tahina sauce and mix it together. If the paste thickens, add some water and keep mixing. After adding the salt and lemon juice, place the paste on a dish.

Sprinkle some chilli powder on the paste, and garnish it with chopped parsley, wholes chickpeas and olive oil. Serve it with pita bread (Khubuz), naan, or bread.

Mutabal or Baba Ghanooj

This Syrian-Lebanese speciality is another must for the Mezze table, it is a dip similar in principle to Humus bi Tahina, but eggplant is used in this dish instead of chickpeas. It is also eaten with bread.

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants (baingan)

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

juice of 2-3 lemons

2-3 tablespoons Tahina sauce

2 tablespoons yogurt

salt

olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped parsley (for garnishing)

Method:

Make two slits in each eggplant and cook them over charcoal, or in a hot oven, until the skin is black and the flesh feels soft when poked with a finger. Peel off the skin and mash the flesh with a fork. Put it in a large bowl, add garlic, Tahina sauce, yogurt, lemon and salt, and mix well.

Spoon the mixture onto a plate and garnish with chopped parsley and olive oil.

This recipe was originally published in Dawn’s Tuesday Review on December 1, 1992.

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