similar to feta, but less salty. Labneh, yogurt which has been strained in a cloth or paper bag or filter, traditionally made of muslin, to remove the whey, giving a consistency between that of yogurt and cheese, while preserving yogurt's distinctive sour taste. Breads and pastries Burek, a type of baked or fried filled pastry. It is made of a thin flaky dough known as phyllo dough (or yufka dough), and are filled with salty cheese (often feta), minced meat, potatoes or other vegetables. Ka'ak, refer to several different types of baked goods produced throughout the Arab world and the Near East. Kadaif, a very fine vermicelli-like pastry used to make sweet pastries and desserts. Kahy, layers of thin dough phyllo usually consumed warm for breakfast by adding creamy kaymak and light sugar syrup. This pastry is mostly spread in the Southern region of Iraq. Khubz Iraqi, an Arabic flatbread that is part of the local diet in many countries of Western Asia. Laffa (an Iraqi pita or naan bread). Lahmacun, a thin pizza topped with minced meat and herbs. Lavash, a soft, thin flatbread. Manakish, a pizza consisting of dough topped with thyme, cheese, or ground meat. Markook, a type of flatbread common in the countries of the Levant. It is baked on a domed or convex metal griddle, known as saj. It is usually sizable, about 2 feet, thin, almost transparent. Pita, a family of yeast-leavened round flatbreads baked from wheat flour. Samoon, a flat and round bread. Sfiha, a pizza-like dish traditionally made with ground mutton rather than the more modern addition of lamb or beef in Brazil. They are open-faced meat pies with no top dough. Sfiha are much like dolma, ground lamb, lightly spiced, wrapped in brined grape leaves. Condiments, sauces and spices Amba, a tangy mango pickle condiment from Pakistan and India. Commonly eaten as a side dish and sometimes as a sandwich topping. Baharat, a spice mixture. Typical ingredients include allspice, black pepper corns, cardamom seeds, cassia bark, cloves, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, nutmeg, dried red chili peppers or paprika. Dibis, a thick, very sweet date syrup. Often mixed with tahini to create a dip. Jallab, a type of syrup popular in the Middle East made from dates, grape molasses and rose water. Mahleb, an aromatic spice made from the seeds of the St Lucie Cherry (Prunus mahaleb). Rose water (Mayy wared), used