Maqlouba: Upside-Down Rice

Maqlouba is documented throughout the Levant — Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon — and is one of the oldest rice preparations in the region. The "upside-down" principle appears as early as the 13th-century Arabic cookbook Kitab al-Tabikh. It is a celebratory dish in Palestinian culture — served at gatherings, celebrations, and during Ramadan — and is one of the preparations most closely associated with Palestinian home cooking.

Maqlouba — "upside-down" — is a Palestinian rice preparation in which the components (rice, meat or chicken, fried or roasted vegetables) are layered in a pot and cooked together, then inverted onto a serving platter to reveal the perfectly formed layers in reverse. The technique requires precise layering, the correct rice-to-liquid ratio, precise timing, and a steady hand for the inversion. When it works correctly, the maqlouba arrives at the table as a dramatic visual — a tower of rice, vegetables, and meat that maintains its shape for the few minutes before it is served and then slowly settles.

Not yet written for this entry.

Not yet written for this entry.