Kebab, falafel, hummus and tahini are staples of Middle Eastern and Turkish cooking, and many of them fit well into a pregnancy diet: chickpeas bring fibre, iron and folate, while grilled meats and fresh salads are nutritious. The things to watch are how the meat is cooked, how chilled dips are stored, and what goes into the sauces. Here is a practical guide drawing on NHS, EFSA and ECDC guidance.
Kebab and shawarma: cooked through, served hot
Doner, shawarma and gyros-style meat is cooked on a vertical spit and sliced off in layers. The NHS advises that meat in pregnancy should be cooked until piping hot with no pink and no blood. Ask for slices to be taken from the well-cooked outer layer, and for meat to be returned to the grill if it looks lukewarm. Shish kebabs and kofte should be cooked through to the centre. Freshly grilled chicken or lamb is a safer choice than meat that has been sitting on a warm counter.
Hummus, baba ganoush and chilled dips
Chickpea and aubergine dips are healthy, but they are chilled, ready-to-eat foods. Listeria can grow at fridge temperatures if a product is stored for a long time, which is why public health bodies such as ECDC stress the importance of keeping the cold chain and respecting use-by dates for ready-to-eat foods. Good questions to ask: Is the hummus made in-house? When was it made? Is it kept refrigerated? Pasteurised, shop-bought dips used within date are generally fine, as are dips made fresh that day.
Tahini and sesame
Tahini (sesame paste) is a source of calcium, iron and healthy fats and is fine in normal food amounts. Sesame is one of the 14 major allergens that EU law requires restaurants to declare. If you have a sesame allergy, ask about hummus, halva, dressings and bread toppings, as sesame is often hidden in them.
Falafel and fried foods
Freshly fried falafel is a good choice: it is cooked at high temperature and rich in plant protein. Choose falafel that is hot from the fryer rather than reheated or held warm for hours. The same goes for sambousek, borek and other pastries: they should be served steaming hot throughout.
Salads, tabbouleh and fattoush
Parsley, mint, tomatoes and lettuce make these salads vitamin-rich, but raw produce needs careful washing because of the risk of toxoplasmosis and other contaminants from soil. NHS guidance is to wash fruit, vegetables and salad thoroughly. It is reasonable to ask how herbs and leaves are washed. If you are unsure, order a cooked vegetable dish instead.
Cheese: halloumi, labneh and feta
Per the NHS, soft cheeses such as halloumi, feta and mozzarella are fine in pregnancy if made with pasteurised milk, and cooked halloumi is cooked anyway. Mould-ripened and blue cheeses are best avoided unless cooked until steaming hot. Labneh and yoghurt-based sauces are safe when made from pasteurised yoghurt and kept chilled.
Sauces: garlic sauce and raw egg
Some restaurants make toum (garlic sauce) or mayonnaise-style sauces with raw egg. In the EU, eggs carrying the Red Lion mark or from controlled schemes carry lower salmonella risk, but the safest approach is to ask whether the sauce is made with raw egg, and choose a pasteurised-egg version or another sauce if it is.
Drinks and desserts
Choose mint tea, ayran or water with lemon. Remember that Turkish coffee counts towards the daily caffeine limit, which health authorities set at 200 mg. Baklava and kunafa are fine in moderation; kunafa often uses cheese, so check it is pasteurised. Watch for nuts if you have allergies.
Quick checklist for ordering
- Meat: well done, hot, no pink.
- Dips: made today, kept in the fridge.
- Cheese: pasteurised.
- Salads: washed thoroughly.
- Sauces: ask about raw egg.
How SafeBloom fits in
SafeBloom is a training mark: restaurant teams complete an 8-hour online course (4 modules) and a final exam, valid for 12 months. It is not a sanitary inspection, but it helps staff answer exactly these kinds of questions with confidence. Restaurant owners can read our method and the page for restaurants; diners can try the Restaurant Finder (note that the directory also contains many unverified venues).
This article is for information only and does not replace advice from your doctor or midwife.