What to Cook When You Don't Know the Dietary Restrictions

The situation: you have invited fifteen people, you know most of them but not all of their dietary requirements, and you cannot send a questionnaire without being presumptuous. The answer is a cuisine built for dietary heterogeneity.

The safest cuisine for an unknown-restriction dinner party is a combination of Middle Eastern or Mediterranean mezze formats. The structure — many small dishes, all communal, most naturally meat-free — accommodates the most common restrictions without any adaptation.

A menu built on this principle:

Hummus (vegan, GF, nut-free by default) Baba ganoush (vegan, GF, nightshade-based but no common allergen) Tabbouleh (vegan, contains gluten — substitute quinoa for a GF version) Fattoush (vegetarian; make without croutons for GF) Falafel (vegan, GF if fried in dedicated oil) Grilled halloumi (vegetarian — provide an alternative for vegans: grilled portobello mushrooms in the same marinade) Lamb kofta — served on the side for omnivores (GF, halal if correct sourcing) Warm flatbread (contains gluten — provide GF pita)

Notice what this menu does: it has a strong vegan core that constitutes the majority of the food. The halloumi covers vegetarians who want a protein hit. The kofta is on the side for meat-eaters. Nobody is eating a "separate" meal; everyone eats from the same spread.

The one restriction this menu does not cover invisibly is severe nut allergy. Tahini (the base of hummus and baba ganoush) is a sesame seed paste, not a nut — it is typically safe for nut-allergic guests but not for sesame-allergic guests. If you know you have a sesame-allergic guest, request this information in advance; sesame cannot be hidden in this menu.

The other common restriction is low-FODMAP, which is increasingly prevalent. Garlic and onion — the foundations of mezze — are high-FODMAP. For a FODMAP guest, you can cook with the green tops of spring onions (low-FODMAP) and use garlic-infused oil rather than raw garlic.