Iran
Ariana Bundy, TV chef and cookbook author, www.facebook.com/ArianaBundy
Eid dishes in Iran are always designed for sharing; halim, a creamy lamb or turkey porridge infused with butter and cinnamon and sprinkled with sugar; shir berenj, a rich rice pudding topped with grape molasses that tastes like caramel; sholeh zard, another rice pudding with saffron and pistachios.
Jordan
Dima Sharif, cookery and baking instructor, www.dimasharif.com
Mansaf, which is goat or lamb stewed in fermented milk, and freekeh, a smoked green wheatgrain served with chicken, are the two main dishes. Trays of maamoul - Eid cookies stuffed with dates, pistachios or walnuts - are always on hand for visitors.
Morocco
Assia Othman, food stylist, www.assiakitchen.com
Baking is at the heart of every Moroccan household over Eid, with sweet delights like baareer pancakes, sfenj doughnuts and briouates louz, sweet almond sambosa pastries.
Palestine
Suzanne Husseini, chef and cookbook author, facebook.com/suzannehusseini
"Eid is not Eid until the scent of maamoul fills the house," says Husseini of the semolina-based buttery cookies stuffed with ground dates. But not before kharouf mahshi, a whole roasted lamb with fragrant spice and herb infused rice dish, is served.
Syria
Dalia Dogmoch Soubra, cookbook author, www.daliaskitchen.com
Many variations of kibbeh stuffed with minced meat and coated in bulghur wheat; from the raw kibbeh naye to kibbeh bil laban in a yogurt or tart cherry sauce. For sweet, murakad, a custard with a pinch of rice and plenty of sugar, stirred for hours until thick and sticky.
Turkey
Chef Silvena Rowe, www.purplecitrussweetperfume.com
In Turkey, Eid is referred to as Sheker Bayrami with the emphasis on sweets; traditional sutlijas, a fragrant rose-scented rice pudding; lokma, deep-fried butter balls in syrup; and lokum, Turkish delight. A signature savoury dish is perdeli pilaf, a soft, mellow rice steamed with succulent meats in a veil of crispy filo pastry and oven-baked. Rowe favours a modern version with duck confit.
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