A Levantine Grilling Feast

Bring the flavors of the Middle East to your barbecue with these easy recipes including gorgeous mezze, fragrant meat skewers and standout homemade sauces.

- By Himi Hunaidi. Photography by Rob Fiocca

You may not have heard the term “levantine” before, but you’ve likely tasted the cuisine – think creamy hummus, perfectly spiced chicken skewers and garlicky, lemony eggplant dip.

So why are we using the term “Levantine” rather than simply “Middle Eastern”? The Middle East is actually a very large region that includes parts of North Africa such as Morocco and the states of the Persian Gulf such as the United Arab Emirates. From a culinary and cultural perspective, the Middle East is quite varied. The Levantine region, on the other hand, is more narrow, referring to countries of the Eastern Mediterranean, which share many cultural, linguistic and culinary traits. Although which areas are considered a part of the Levant has varied over time, they typically include all or parts of Jordan, Israel, Palestinian territories (West Bank, Gaza), Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. The name, derived from a French word, was coined in the late 1400s and was used to mean “the countries of the east.”

We reached out to acclaimed chef Himi Hunaidi to bring a taste of Levantine cuisine to the pages of Clean Eating. Born and raised in Jordan, Hunaidi is of Palestinian descent and spent her school breaks and summers in Egypt, Lebanon and Syria. Later, she was trained as a chef in the south of France before founding her own Toronto-based restaurant called Madame Levant. She’s the perfect person to translate Middle Eastern flavors into simple, easy backyard dishes for summer and beyond.