Traditional Gulf Cuisine: 10 Dishes to Try in the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia

My advice to anyone landing in the Gulf is to look past the glass towers and go hunting for a good plate of rice. Traditional Gulf cuisine comes from Bedouin camps, pearl-diving towns and old trading ports, which is why dates, lamb, fish and spices like saffron and cardamom turn up everywhere. The dishes overlap from one country to the next, but each place has its own pride and joy. These ten are the ones to look for in the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

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Traditional Gulf Cuisine in the UAE: 3 Dishes

Emirati food is soft, warm and often slightly sweet.

• Harees: Wheat and meat cooked for hours until the texture is almost like thick porridge. It is a Ramadan and Eid staple.
• Balaleet: Sweet noodles scented with saffron and cardamom, with a thin omelette on top. It sounds strange, but breakfast regulars swear by it.
• Luqaimat: Bite-sized fried dumplings with date syrup poured over them. Get them hot.

Traditional Gulf Cuisine in Qatar: 3 Dishes

Qatari meals are big, generous and made for sharing.

• Machboos: Rice cooked with spices and meat or fish. Dried lime gives it a sharp, tangy edge.
• Margoog: A vegetable and meat stew with thin dough folded through it. Think of a rustic lasagne without the cheese.
• Thareed: Torn bread soaked in stew. It often shows up at iftar, the sunset meal that ends the daily fast in Ramadan.

Traditional Gulf Cuisine in Saudi Arabia: 4 Dishes

The kingdom covers a huge area, so the menu changes as you travel.

• Kabsa: The most famous of all Saudi Gulf dishes, with seasoned rice, tender meat and a rich tomato base.
• Saleeg: Creamy rice cooked in milk with chicken, a favourite in the Hejaz region in the west.
• Jareesh: Crushed wheat simmered with meat or yoghurt, hearty and filling.
• Mutabbaq: A crispy folded pastry stuffed with egg, cheese or minced meat. Street vendors sell it all day.

Where to Find Authentic Gulf Dishes

Hotel buffets are fine, but family-run restaurants and heritage villages are where the old recipes survive. Staff there will gladly explain what you are eating. Delivery apps such as Talabat and HungerStation can help if you want to try dishes from your hotel room. Halal food is standard almost everywhere, and vegetarians can usually get lentil or vegetable stews on request.

When your host offers Arabic coffee and dates, accept with your right hand. Then ask what they would order and follow their lead.

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