Eating Out – Common Arabic Words & Phrases Part 3

In this blog, you will learn about the common Arabic words and phrases that are used while you eat out in Arab countries. The cuisines of the Arab world are as diverse as the arab world itself. Most of the cuisines are centuries old and you must have heard about many of them. If you visit an Arab country, or go to an Arab Restaurant, you must have some basic idea about the dishes served there, and a bit of Arabic Vocabulary will also be of great help. Arab Dishes have a very distinct taste, and you would love to try some of them!

Hummus:

You must have heard about Hummus, the most well known Arab cuisine. Hummus is a mashed chickpea dip made with tahini, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. It is usually eaten with pita bread, but can also serve as a very tasty sandwich spread.

Tahini:

If you are wondering what tahini is, then it is perhaps the second most well known Arab dish. The sesame paste is a foundation for a very large number of Arab dishes, and works as a dip, spread or even a key ingredient of many of the dishes.

Falafel:

Falafel is the most highly rated Arab dish, made up of a fried ball of chickpeas, onion and spices. If you have ever gone to an Arab Restaurant, Chances are that you must have eaten Falafel Shawarma or at least seen one. The Falafel is also eaten with Pita bread, the staple diet of the Arab World.

Mandi and Khabasa

are two different traditional dishes that contain meat, rice and spices. It is very similar to the Indian Biryani, though the treatments are different. If you prefer rice over wheat, then this is the dish you must have

Baklava:

If you have a sweet tooth, then you must eat Baklava! The sweet dessert pastry is made of layers of very thin unleavened dough filled with chopped nuts and held together with sweetened syrup. If you like Baklava, then chances are that you will fall in love with Konafeh as well.

All the dishes are common in most of the Arab World, though the taste same dish might taste very different depending on the region. The region has a very rich traditon that varies from country to country, but these are the most well known and appreciated dishes of the Arab World.

Now that we know some of the most common dishes, so now we should some of the most common words related to dining.

  • 1. Restaurant – مَطْعَمْ (Mat’am)
  • 2. Food – أكل (Akal)
  • 3. Lunch – غداء (Ghada)
  • 4. Dinner – عشاء (Asha)
  • 5. Meat – لحم (Laham)
  • 6. Chicken – دجاج (Dujaj)
  • 7. Fish – سمك (Samamk)
  • 8. Milk – حليب (Haleeb)
  • 9. Cheese – جبن (Jaban)
  • 10. Yoghurt – لبن (Laban)
  • 11. Egg – بيضة (Baydah)
  • 12. Coffee – قهوة (Kahwa)
  • 13. Tea – شاي (Shaye)
  • 14. Cup – فنجان (Finjan)
  • 15. Salad – سلاطة (Salata)
  • 16. Sauce – سوس (Sos)
  • 17. Rice – رز (Ruz)
  • 18. Soup – شوربة (Shorbah)
  • 19. Juice – عصير (Aseer)
  • 20. The Bill – ألحساب (Al Hisaab)

These words will cover most of what you will be ordering in a restaurant. If you want to order something politely, you should read our previous blog (https://saioi.net/blog/arabic-courteous-phrases-basics-part-2/). If you want to greet your guests and get introduced, then read our blog (https://saioi.net/blog/common-arabic-phrases-part-1/). You can learn Arabic for as low as $5.5 an hour only at saioi.net Your first lesson is absolutely free!