Arab cuisine
From the Atlantic to the Gulf: dishes shaped by centuries of spice and hospitality.
🇪🇬 Egypt
Egyptian cooking is one of the oldest cuisines on earth, built on legumes, bread, vegetables and the bounty of the Nile; from Cairo's streets came dishes now loved across the Arab world.
Koshari
Egypt's best-loved street food: rice, lentils, pasta and chickpeas topped with spicy tomato sauce, crispy fried onions and a sharp garlic-vinegar dressing.
Ful Medames
Egypt's everyday breakfast for millennia: slow-cooked fava beans mashed and dressed with oil, lemon and cumin, eaten with flatbread.
Ta'ameya (Egyptian Falafel)
Egyptian falafel is made from split fava beans rather than chickpeas, so it is bright green inside and crunchy outside, often coated with sesame.
Molokhia
Finely chopped jute leaves cooked in chicken or rabbit broth and finished with a sizzling garlic-coriander "tasha" in ghee; served with rice.
Mahshi (Stuffed Vegetables)
Courgettes, aubergines, peppers and vine leaves stuffed with rice seasoned with tomato and herbs, then simmered in broth.
Fatta
Egypt's feast-day dish: layers of toasted bread and rice soaked in meat broth and garlic-vinegar sauce, crowned with tender meat.
Hawawshi
Baladi bread stuffed with minced meat spiced with onion, peppers and spices, baked until the bread crisps and soaks up the juices.
Feteer Meshaltet
A flaky, many-layered country pastry made with ghee, eaten with honey and cream or with cheese.
Om Ali
A warm Egyptian dessert of pastry or croissant pieces soaked in sweet milk with nuts and coconut, baked until the top browns.
Macarona Béchamel
Baked penne layered with tomato-spiced minced meat and blanketed in thick béchamel until golden.
Sayadeya
Alexandria's seafood classic: fried fish with brown rice cooked in caramelised onion, fish stock and cumin.
Stuffed Pigeon (Hamam Mahshi)
Pigeons stuffed with freekeh or spiced rice, simmered then roasted until the skin crisps — a celebration favourite.
Grilled Kofta
Fingers of minced meat with onion, parsley and spices, grilled over charcoal and served with tahini and salad.
Basbousa
Golden semolina cake drenched in syrup after baking and topped with almonds.
Kunafa
Shredded pastry browned in ghee and filled with cream or nuts, soaked in syrup — the star of Ramadan tables.
Roz bel Laban
Rice slow-cooked in milk with sugar and rose water, served cold with cinnamon or nuts.
Bamia
A stew of baby okra and meat in tomato and garlic sauce, eaten with white rice.
Egyptian Eggah
A thick Egyptian omelette of eggs, parsley, onion and a little flour, fried as patties or baked in a tray.
Goullash (Meat Filo Pie)
Crisp filo layers filled with spiced minced meat, brushed with ghee and baked until golden.
Fesikh & Renga
Fermented salted mullet and smoked herring, the traditional Sham el-Nessim spring dish since pharaonic times, served with lemon and spring onion.
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
Saudi cooking is a cuisine of generosity and hospitality, led by spiced rice-and-meat platters, with distinct flavours from Najd, the Hejaz, the south and the Eastern Province.
Kabsa
Saudi Arabia's national dish: basmati rice cooked in chicken or lamb broth with kabsa spices and tomato, garnished with almonds and raisins.
Mandi
Spiced lamb or chicken cooked slowly above rice in a pit or sealed oven, so its juices drip into the rice and give it a smoky flavour.
Jareesh
Cracked wheat slow-cooked with laban and chicken or meat until creamy, topped with onions caramelised in ghee — an icon of Najdi cooking.
Mutabbaq
Paper-thin dough filled with minced meat, egg and leek (or banana), folded and griddled — a beloved Hejazi street food.
Saleeg
White rice cooked in chicken broth and milk until creamy like risotto — a Taif and Hejazi favourite served with roasted chicken.
Harees
Hulled wheat and meat cooked for hours until they melt into a smooth porridge, finished with ghee and cinnamon — a Ramadan classic.
Margoog
A Najdi stew of meat and vegetables in which thin sheets of dough are cooked, making a warming winter meal.
Matazeez
Flattened dough rounds cooked in a spiced meat and vegetable broth — a Najdi cousin of margoog.
Saudi Chicken Shawarma
Spiced chicken marinated in garlic and yoghurt, grilled and wrapped in thin bread with toum and fries — one of the Kingdom's favourite fast foods.
Haneeth
Spiced lamb slow-cooked in a sealed pit or tannour until it falls off the bone — a classic of southern Saudi and Yemeni cooking.
Masoub
A southern breakfast of torn bread mashed with ripe banana, ghee and honey, topped with cream.
Areeka
A dense wholewheat dough cooked and kneaded with ghee, served with honey and dates — an emblem of Asir and the south.
Sambousek
Thin pastry triangles filled with minced meat or cheese, fried until golden — never missing from the Ramadan table.
Tamees Bread
A large dimpled flatbread baked in a tandoor, brushed with ghee and eaten with fava beans, cheese or honey.
Saudi Fava Beans with Ghee
Saudi-style fava beans with tomato, cumin and ghee, eaten in the morning with hot tamees bread.
Kleija
Qassim's famous cookies filled with dates or cardamom sugar, baked golden and fragrant with saffron and cardamom.
Luqaimat
Small dough balls fried until golden and crisp, drizzled with date syrup or sugar syrup and sesame.
Hininy
A Najdi winter sweet of crumbled wholewheat bread with dates, ghee and cardamom, served warm.
Maamoul
Semolina cookies filled with dates, pistachios or walnuts, pressed in wooden moulds and served at Eid with coffee.
Madhbi (Stone-Grilled Chicken)
Spiced chicken or lamb grilled on hot stones or a griddle over embers, crisp outside and juicy inside, served with rice.
🇱🇾 Libya
Libyan cooking blends North African roots with Mediterranean, Ottoman and Italian touches, so bazeen and couscous sit alongside mbakbka and steamed pasta.
Bazeen
Libya's national dish: a dome of cooked barley dough set in the middle of the plate, surrounded by a spicy lamb-and-tomato sauce with boiled eggs and potatoes.
Libyan Couscous with Lamb
Steamed couscous served with lamb broth, chickpeas and "busla" — sweet onions with raisins — the Friday and celebration dish in Libya.
Mbakbka (Libyan Pasta)
Small pasta cooked directly in a spicy tomato sauce with lamb or chicken until it soaks it all up — a favourite Libyan home dish.
Sharba Libiya (Libyan Soup)
Lamb soup with orzo, chickpeas and dried mint, an essential of the Ramadan iftar table.
Osban (Libyan Stuffed Tripe)
Lamb tripe stuffed with rice, meat, liver and herbs, cooked in a spiced broth — Libya's signature Eid al-Adha dish.
Aseeda
A smooth cooked flour pudding shaped into a dome and drenched in date syrup and ghee — served on the Prophet's birthday and after childbirth.
Rishta Kaskas
Thin noodles steamed in the couscoussier and served with chicken broth, chickpeas and turnip — a wedding and celebration dish.
Hraymi (Spicy Fish Stew)
Fish poached in a fiery tomato sauce with garlic, cumin and caraway — a coastal dish loved in Tripoli and seaside towns.
Mbatan (Stuffed Fried Potatoes)
Potato slices sandwiched with minced meat and parsley, dipped in egg and fried, then simmered in a light tomato sauce.
Libyan Shakshouka
Eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce with gedid (cured lamb) or minced meat — a common Libyan breakfast and supper.
Libyan Spiced Rice (Rooz Mbowakh)
Rice cooked with turmeric and spices, lamb and peas, topped with a "khalta" of liver, nuts and raisins.
Mafrouka (Libyan Ftat)
Thin bread torn and soaked in a rich, spicy lamb broth — a dish of hospitality in southern Libya and Fezzan.
Makroud
Semolina pastries filled with date paste, cut into diamonds, fried or baked and dipped in honey — a feast-day sweet in Libya and Tunisia.
Ghraiba
Melt-in-the-mouth shortbread of flour, ghee and sugar, topped with an almond or pistachio — a staple of Eid trays.
Sfinz (Libyan Doughnuts)
Soft yeasted dough stretched into rings and fried until puffy, eaten with honey and sugar or with an egg fried in the middle.
Libyan Tea with Peanuts
Strong black tea boiled and poured from a height to build a thick foam ("kashkoosha"), served with roasted peanuts — the symbol of Libyan hospitality.
Libyan Stuffed Peppers
Peppers, tomatoes and onions stuffed with rice, meat and dried mint, cooked in a turmeric-tomato sauce.
Hassa (Libyan Barley Soup)
A warming soup of cracked barley or semolina with tomato, cumin and chili, eaten on winter evenings.
Mbowakha (Steamed Pasta)
Pasta steamed in the couscoussier over spicy lamb broth and then tossed in its sauce — a uniquely Libyan blend of Italian and local cooking.
Libyan Tannour Bread
Round bread slapped onto the walls of a hot clay tannour, crisp at the edges and soft in the middle — the companion of every Libyan meal.
🇲🇦 Morocco
Moroccan cuisine is one of the world's richest, mixing sweet and savoury, spices and herbs, slow tagines and steamed couscous, with Amazigh, Arab and Andalusian influences.
Seven-Vegetable Couscous
Morocco's Friday dish: couscous steamed twice and crowned with meat and seven vegetables in a broth scented with saffron and turmeric.
Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon & Olives
Chicken slow-cooked with onion, ginger and saffron until tender, finished with preserved lemon and green olives.
Pastilla (Bastilla)
A royal pie of warqa pastry filled with spiced chicken or pigeon and toasted almonds, dusted with sugar and cinnamon — the crown of Fassi cooking.
Harira
Morocco's Ramadan soup of tomato, lentils, chickpeas, meat and vermicelli, thickened with flour and fragrant with coriander and celery; served with dates and chebakia.
Tanjia Marrakchia
Beef cooked for hours in a clay urn buried in the ashes of the traditional hammam furnace with preserved lemon, cumin and saffron — the emblem of Marrakech.
Rfissa
Torn msemen flatbread soaked in a broth of free-range chicken scented with fenugreek, lentils and ras el hanout — served after childbirth and at family gatherings.
Méchoui (Roast Lamb)
Whole lamb or lamb shoulder rubbed with butter and cumin and slow-roasted until it falls apart, eaten by hand with cumin and salt.
Kefta Mkaouara (Meatball Tagine)
Small meatballs simmered in tomato sauce spiced with cumin and paprika, with eggs cracked on top at the end.
Lamb Tagine with Prunes & Almonds
Tender lamb in a cinnamon-saffron sauce with honeyed prunes, fried almonds and sesame — the sweet-and-savoury wedding dish.
Zaalouk
A cooked salad of aubergine and tomato with garlic, cumin, paprika and olive oil, eaten warm or cold with bread.
Bissara
A thick soup of dried split fava beans with garlic, cumin and olive oil — the popular winter breakfast of northern Morocco.
Msemen
Square, flaky flatbreads folded with butter and semolina and cooked on a griddle, eaten with honey and butter or mint tea.
Baghrir
Spongy semolina "thousand-hole" pancakes, cooked on one side only and soaked in melted butter and honey.
Chebakia
Flower-shaped cookies flavoured with sesame, anise and orange blossom, fried and dipped in honey — harira's Ramadan partner.
Moroccan Mint Tea
Green tea with fresh mint and sugar, poured from a height to make foam — the symbol of Moroccan hospitality.
Seffa Medfouna
Steamed vermicelli or couscous shaped into a dome and decorated with sugar, cinnamon and almonds, sometimes hiding spiced chicken inside.
Maakouda (Potato Fritters)
Mashed potato patties with garlic, cumin and coriander, dipped in egg and fried — a Ramadan street-food favourite.
Moroccan Sfenj
Light rings of dough fried until puffy and sprinkled with sugar — a street breakfast sold hot, strung on palm fronds.
Fish Tagine with Chermoula
Fish marinated in chermoula (coriander, garlic, cumin, paprika, lemon) and cooked over potatoes, tomatoes and peppers in a tagine.
Sellou (Sfouf)
A toasted mixture of flour, almonds and sesame with butter, honey and anise — an energy-rich sweet for Ramadan and new mothers.
🇹🇳 Tunisia
Tunisian cooking is fiery and Mediterranean, led by harissa, olive oil and fish, combining Amazigh couscous, Ottoman brik and Andalusian and Italian touches.
Tunisian Lamb Couscous
Steamed couscous moistened with a red, spicy tomato-harissa broth with lamb, chickpeas and vegetables.
Brik à l'Œuf
Thin malsouka pastry filled with tuna, parsley, capers and a whole egg, folded into a triangle and fried crisp with a runny yolk.
Lablabi
A humble chickpea soup with garlic, cumin and harissa, ladled over stale bread and topped with egg, tuna and olive oil.
Ojja
Eggs cooked in a spicy tomato-pepper sauce with harissa, often with merguez sausage or prawns.
Kafteji
A chopped mix of fried potatoes, pumpkin, peppers and tomatoes with egg and harissa — quintessential Tunisian street food.
Tunisian Mloukhia
Unlike the Egyptian version, it is made from powdered dried jute leaves cooked for hours with oil and beef until dark and thick — the Islamic New Year dish.
Tunisian Tajine (Baked Frittata)
Not a stew like the Moroccan one, but a baked egg cake with chicken or meat, cheese and parsley, cut into squares.
Slata Mechouia
Charcoal-grilled peppers, tomatoes and onions chopped with garlic, caraway and olive oil, topped with tuna and egg.
Fricassé
Small fried buns stuffed with tuna, potato, harissa, egg and olives — Tunisia's beloved little sandwich.
Chorba Frik
A soup of cracked green wheat (frik) with lamb, tomato, celery and mint, present at every Ramadan iftar.
Kamounia
A stew of beef or liver with lots of cumin and garlic, deep and warming, eaten with bread.
Makarouna (Tunisian Spicy Pasta)
Pasta cooked in a rich red meat sauce with harissa, tabil and garlic — the everyday dish of Tunisian homes.
Tunisian Mechoui (Grilled Lamb Chops)
Lamb pieces grilled over charcoal and served with slata mechouia and bread — the dish of roadside grills.
Assidat Zgougou
A dark cream of Aleppo pine seeds topped with white custard and decorated with nuts — Tunisia's Mawlid dessert.
Bambalouni
Thin Tunisian doughnuts fried and rolled in sugar, sold hot by the sea in Sidi Bou Said.
Yo-Yo (Tunisian Doughnut)
Orange-scented fried doughnuts soaked in honey and orange-blossom syrup, a Tunisian festive sweet.
Fish Couscous
A coastal couscous with a red, spicy fish broth, famous in Sfax, Mahdia and Djerba.
Homemade Harissa
A paste of hot red peppers, garlic, caraway, coriander and olive oil — the soul of Tunisian cooking, inscribed on UNESCO's heritage list.
Makroudh of Kairouan
Semolina diamonds filled with date paste, fried and dipped in honey — the most famous come from Kairouan.
Bsissa
A toasted powder of barley, wheat, chickpeas and spices, mixed with olive oil and sugar or with milk — a traditional energy-rich breakfast.
🇩🇿 Algeria
Algerian cooking is as vast as the country, from Kabyle couscous and Aurès chakhchoukha to the pastries of Constantine and Algiers, with Amazigh, Arab, Ottoman and Andalusian flavours.
Algerian Couscous (Seksu)
Algeria's national dish: steamed couscous with lamb and vegetables in a red broth — or a white one in the east.
Chakhchoukha
Shredded thin flatbread soaked in a spicy chicken or lamb broth with chickpeas — the famous dish of the Chaoui and Aurès.
Rechta
Fine steamed noodle ribbons served with a white broth of chicken, turnip, chickpeas and cinnamon — Algiers' feast dish.
Chorba Frik
Algeria's first Ramadan soup: frik, lamb, tomato and mint, served with bourek.
Bourek
Crisp dyoul pastry rolls filled with minced meat, egg and cheese — the Ramadan partner of chorba.
Dolma
Vegetables stuffed with minced meat and rice and cooked in a white chickpea broth — courgette and onion dolma are the best known.
Chtitha Djej
Chicken in a thick, spicy red sauce of garlic, paprika and chickpeas — a much-loved everyday Algerian dish.
Lham Lahlou
Lamb with prunes, dried apricots, cinnamon and orange blossom — eaten by Algerians on the first day of Ramadan.
Mhadjeb
Square folded semolina crêpes filled with tomato, onion and pepper sauce and cooked on a griddle — Algeria's top street food.
Karantika (Garantita)
A chickpea-flour custard baked with cumin until set and sold on the street in bread with harissa — an Oran classic.
Tlitli
Algerian orzo-like pasta cooked in chicken broth with cinnamon and chickpeas, topped with boiled eggs.
Berkoukes
Large-grain couscous cooked in a meat-and-vegetable broth until it becomes a thick soup — a warming winter dish.
Kesra (Semolina Flatbread)
Round semolina flatbread cooked on a clay griddle, the companion of every meal in Algerian homes.
Algerian Merguez
Spicy lamb sausage with harissa, cumin and garlic, grilled and eaten in bread with chips.
Mtewem
Meatballs in a thick white garlic and chickpea broth — an Algiers dish known for its bold garlic aroma.
Makrout
Date-filled semolina diamonds, fried or baked and dipped in honey — among Constantine's oldest sweets.
Qalb el Louz
Semolina cake filled with almonds and soaked in orange-blossom syrup — the queen of Algerian Ramadan sweets.
Algerian Baklawa
Many layers of thin pastry filled with almonds and orange blossom, baked and soaked in honey — the wedding sweet.
Tamina
Toasted semolina with butter and honey, served to celebrate a newborn and on the Mawlid.
Zlabia
Lacy coils of batter fried and dipped in syrup — Boufarik's zlabia fills the streets during Ramadan.
🇱🇧 Lebanon
Lebanese cuisine is the Levant's ambassador to the world, with its famous mezze, fresh herbs, olive oil and lemon, balancing simplicity and generosity.
Tabbouleh
A salad of finely chopped parsley with bulgur, tomato, mint and onion, dressed with lemon and olive oil.
Hummus
Chickpeas blended silky-smooth with tahini, lemon and garlic, served with olive oil and paprika.
Fried Kibbeh
Torpedo-shaped shells of bulgur and lamb stuffed with minced meat, pine nuts and onion, fried until crisp.
Fattoush
A mixed salad with toasted or fried bread, sumac and pomegranate molasses — the freshest of Levantine salads.
Moutabal
Fire-roasted, smoky aubergine mashed with tahini, lemon and garlic.
Shish Taouk
Chicken cubes marinated in garlic, lemon, yoghurt and paprika, grilled on skewers and served with garlic sauce.
Manakish Za'atar
Flatbread spread with za'atar and olive oil and baked — Lebanon's favourite breakfast.
Falafel
Patties of ground chickpeas and fava beans with parsley, coriander and spices, fried crisp and served in bread with tarator.
Lebanese Kafta
Minced meat with parsley, onion and Lebanese seven-spice, grilled on skewers.
Warak Enab (Stuffed Vine Leaves)
Vine leaves rolled around rice, parsley, tomato and mint, cooked in lemon and olive oil and served cold.
Kibbeh Nayyeh
Very fresh raw lamb pounded fine with bulgur and spices, served with olive oil, mint and spring onion — a traditional mountain dish.
Lebanese Mloukhieh
Whole jute leaves cooked with chicken, coriander, garlic and lemon, served with rice and vinegar-soaked onions.
Sfiha Baalbakiyeh
Square open pies filled with meat, tomato and pomegranate molasses — the speciality of Baalbek.
Fatteh Hummus
Toasted bread topped with warm chickpeas and a yoghurt-tahini-garlic sauce, finished with pine nuts fried in ghee.
Beef Shawarma
Slices of beef marinated in vinegar and spices, seared and served in bread with tahini, parsley and sumac onions.
Mujaddara
Lentils and rice or bulgur cooked together and crowned with deeply browned crispy onions — food for paupers and kings alike.
Kibbeh bil Sanieh
Two layers of kibbeh dough with a meat and pine-nut filling, cut into diamonds and baked in a tray.
Knafeh bil Jibn
Semolina or shredded pastry over melting akkawi cheese, soaked in syrup and served hot in a sesame bun.
Maamoul
Eid cookies of semolina and ghee filled with pistachio, walnut or date, pressed in carved wooden moulds.
Meghli
A rice pudding spiced with caraway, cinnamon and anise, served to celebrate a newborn and topped with coconut and nuts.
🇸🇾 Syria
Syrian cooking — especially from Aleppo and Damascus — is among the world's most refined and varied, with dozens of kibbehs, kebabs and sweets that travelled everywhere.
Kibbeh Labanieh
Kibbeh balls cooked in warm yoghurt with garlic and dried mint — a classic of Damascus.
Aleppo Kebab
Lamb mince with Aleppo pepper and onion grilled over charcoal — Aleppo is the kebab capital with dozens of styles.
Kebab Karaz (Cherry Kebab)
Small kebab balls cooked in a sauce of sour Aleppo cherries and served on bread — one of Aleppo's finest dishes.
Muhammara
A dip of red peppers with walnuts, pomegranate molasses, cumin and breadcrumbs — a sweet-hot Aleppo mezze.
Shakriyeh
Lamb cooked in a hot yoghurt sauce with onions, served with vermicelli rice.
Yalanji
Vine leaves stuffed with rice, tomato, parsley and pomegranate molasses, cooked in olive oil and served cold.
Freekeh with Chicken
Smoky roasted green wheat cooked in chicken broth with spices, topped with chicken and nuts.
Kousa Mahshi bi Laban
Courgettes stuffed with rice and meat, cooked in hot yoghurt with garlic and mint, or in tomato sauce.
Shish Barak
Little meat-filled dumplings like ravioli, baked and then cooked in hot yoghurt with coriander and garlic.
Makdous
Baby aubergines stuffed with walnuts, red pepper and garlic, preserved in olive oil for weeks — a staple of every Syrian pantry.
Ouzi
Crisp pastry parcels filled with spiced rice, meat, peas and nuts — a Damascene celebration dish.
Harrak Osbao
Lentils with tamarind-sour pomegranate, homemade pasta, crispy fried bread, onions and garlic-coriander — a Damascene dish whose name means "burned his finger".
Mamounia
An Aleppo semolina pudding with butter and syrup, served hot for breakfast with string cheese and cinnamon.
Halawet el Jibn
Silky sheets of semolina and cheese rolled around clotted cream and doused with syrup — Hama's famous sweet.
Barazek
Thin Damascene biscuits coated with toasted sesame on one side and pistachios on the other.
Fatteh Makdous
Fried aubergines stuffed with meat and cooked in tomato sauce, layered over toasted bread with yoghurt and pine nuts.
Daoud Basha
Small meatballs with pearl onions in a tomato and pomegranate-molasses sauce, served with vermicelli rice.
Booza (Mastic Ice Cream)
Stretchy ice cream made with mastic and salep, pounded with wooden pestles and covered in pistachios — famous in the old souks of Damascus.
Fatayer Sabanekh
Triangular pies filled with spinach, onion, sumac and lemon, baked until golden.
Aleppo Sujuk
Spicy beef sausage with garlic and spices, fried with tomatoes or grilled and eaten in bread.
🇯🇴 Jordan
Jordanian cooking comes from the desert and the villages, built on lamb, jameed, wheat and ghee, and led by mansaf, the emblem of generosity and hospitality.
Mansaf
Jordan's national dish: lamb cooked in jameed (dried yoghurt) sauce, served over rice and shrak bread and topped with almonds and pine nuts.
Zarb
Lamb, chicken and vegetables slow-cooked in a pit under the sand, the Bedouin way of Wadi Rum, emerging tender and smoky.
Galayet Bandora
Tomatoes fried in olive oil with garlic and hot pepper — the simplest and tastiest of dishes, scooped up with bread.
Rashoof
A thick winter soup of lentils, bulgur and jameed, eaten on cold days in Jordanian villages.
Shrak Bread
Very thin bread baked on a domed saj, the base of mansaf and the companion of the Bedouin table.
Qidra
Rice, lamb, chickpeas and whole garlic cooked in a copper pot in a wood oven — the dish of Hebron and Jordanian weddings.
Sajieh
Lamb or chicken pieces with onion, peppers and tomatoes stir-fried on a hot saj and eaten with bread.
Kofta bil Tahini
Kofta pressed into a tray with potatoes, covered with lemony tahini sauce and baked.
Makmoura
Layers of dough, chicken and onions slow-cooked in olive oil, baked until golden — a dish of Irbid and northern Jordan.
Khobeizeh
Wild mallow leaves cooked with onion, olive oil and lemon — the springtime dish of the villages.
Fatteh Djaj
Toasted bread, rice and shredded chicken under a yoghurt-tahini sauce with fried nuts.
Hummus bil Lahmeh
Smooth hummus topped with lamb fried in ghee and pine nuts — Friday breakfast in Amman.
Amman-Style Falafel
Chickpea falafel the famous Amman way — crunchy outside, green inside — in a sandwich with tahini and pickles.
Jordanian Ful
Fava beans mashed with garlic, lemon, chili and olive oil, garnished with tomato and parsley.
Arayes
Pita stuffed with kofta mince and grilled until crisp, the juices soaking into the bread.
Awameh
Crisp fried dough balls dipped in syrup — a Levantine winter and holiday sweet.
Hareeseh
Semolina cake with ghee and syrup, scented with rose water, cut into diamonds and topped with almonds.
Qatayef
Small pancakes filled with walnuts or cream, fried or served open, with syrup — queen of Ramadan sweets.
Kalaj
Thin pastry sheets filled with cream or sweet cheese, fried and soaked in syrup on Ramadan nights.
Muhallabia
A milk and cornflour pudding perfumed with rose or orange-blossom water, served cold with pistachios and syrup.
🇵🇸 Palestine
Palestinian cooking is a cuisine of the land, olive oil and the taboon oven — from Galilee's musakhan and Jerusalem's maqluba to Nablus knafeh and Gaza's sumagiyyeh, every city has a dish it is proud of.
Musakhan
Palestine's national dish: roast chicken on taboon bread soaked with onions cooked in olive oil and sumac, topped with pine nuts.
Maqluba
Rice with meat or chicken and fried aubergine and cauliflower layered in a pot and flipped upside down to serve — hence its name.
Knafeh Nabulsiyeh
Nablus's famous knafeh with stretchy Nabulsi cheese under a fine orange pastry crust, soaked in syrup and eaten hot.
Maftoul
Palestinian hand-rolled large-grain couscous of bulgur and flour, steamed and served with chicken broth, chickpeas and onions.
Sumagiyyeh
Gaza's signature dish: beef with chard, chickpeas and tahini in a tangy sumac sauce with dill, eaten cold with bread.
Rummaniyeh
Lentils and aubergine cooked with pomegranate molasses, tahini and garlic — a rustic Gaza dish of autumn.
Gaza Dagga Salad
Tomatoes pounded in a clay mortar with dill, garlic, hot chili and lemon — fiery and fresh.
Zibdieh (Gaza Clay-Pot Shrimp)
Shrimp baked in a clay bowl (zibdieh) with tomato, garlic, hot chili and dill.
Malfouf (Cabbage Rolls)
Cabbage leaves rolled around rice and meat, cooked with garlic, lemon and mint.
Waraq Dawali with Lamb
Vine leaves stuffed with rice and meat, layered over lamb chops, slow-cooked and turned out onto a platter.
Ijjeh (Herb Omelette)
Egg fritters with parsley, spring onion, mint and a little flour, fried and eaten hot or in a sandwich.
Fasoulia bi Lahmeh
White bean stew with lamb and tomato, served with vermicelli rice.
Taboon Bread
Village bread baked on hot pebbles inside the clay taboon oven, giving a dimpled surface and smoky flavour.
Jerusalem Ka'ak
Long oval sesame bread rings sold in the alleys of Jerusalem with za'atar and eggs.
Gaza Sayadieh
Brown rice with caramelised onions and cumin and fried fish, served with tahini and dagga.
Shorbet Adas
Red lentil soup with cumin and lemon, served with toasted bread — in every Palestinian home in winter.
Mfarakeh
Diced potatoes fried with onion, egg and cumin — a simple country breakfast.
Labneh
Yoghurt strained until thick and creamy, served with olive oil and za'atar, or rolled into balls and preserved in oil.
Ka'ak bi Ajwa
Rings of ghee pastry with anise and mahlab filled with date paste, baked in every home before Eid.
Sheikh el-Mahshi
Hollowed courgettes stuffed only with minced meat and pine nuts (no rice), cooked in yoghurt or tomato sauce — "the sheikh of stuffed dishes".
🇮🇶 Iraq
Iraqi cooking is heir to Mesopotamia and Abbasid Baghdad, rich in timman (rice), dates, kubbas and dolma, with the signature tang of dried black lime and Iraqi baharat.
Masgouf
River carp split along the back and grilled upright around a wood fire, then brushed with tomato and onion — Baghdad's dish on the banks of the Tigris.
Iraqi Dolma
Vine leaves, onions, peppers, aubergine and courgette stuffed with rice and meat flavoured with pomegranate molasses, cooked over lamb ribs and turned out.
Kubbat Halab (Iraqi Rice Kubba)
Despite its name it's Iraqi: a shell of turmeric rice filled with meat, raisins and almonds, fried crisp.
Kubba Mosul
Large, plate-thin discs of bulgur dough filled with meat, boiled then fried — the pride of Mosul cooking.
Tashreeb
Torn bread soaked in lamb or chicken broth flavoured with dried lime and chickpeas — eaten for breakfast or at Ramadan.
Quzi
Whole lamb or leg of lamb slow-cooked over rice spiced with nuts and raisins — the great banquet dish.
Iraqi Biryani
Golden rice with chicken, vermicelli, peas, fried potato and nuts — quite unlike Indian biryani.
Tepsi Baytinjan
A tray of fried aubergine with meatballs, potatoes, tomatoes and onion, baked in tomato sauce.
Pacha
Sheep's head, trotters and tripe simmered for hours and served on broth-soaked bread — a Baghdad winter breakfast.
Kahi with Geymar
Crisp flaky pastries drizzled with syrup and eaten with geymar (buffalo clotted cream) — Baghdad's famous breakfast.
Kleicha
Iraq's Eid cookies filled with dates or walnuts, scented with cardamom and nigella seed.
Margat Bamia
Okra stew with lamb, tomato, garlic and dried lime, served with white rice — the everyday lunch.
Fasolia Yabsa
Dried white bean stew with lamb and tomato, the partner of rice in Iraqi homes.
T'beet
Chicken stuffed with rice and cooked overnight with more rice, tomato and spices on very low heat — an old Iraqi Sabbath dish.
Iraqi Kebab
Minced lamb kebab with onion grilled over charcoal and served with bread, grilled tomatoes and sumac.
Mutabbag Simach
Spiced rice with raisins and fried onion layered with fried fish — Basra's famous dish.
Timman Jazar
Rice with grated carrot, meat, raisins and cardamom — a colourful Iraqi celebration rice.
Makhlama
Eggs cooked over a mix of minced meat, onion and tomato — a hearty Iraqi breakfast.
Kubba Hamudh
Rice-shell kubba filled with meat, simmered in a sour soup of turnip, chard and lemon.
Dibis w Rashi
Iraqi date syrup swirled with rashi (tahini) and scooped with bread — the simplest, tastiest Iraqi treat.
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
Emirati cooking is born of the sea, the desert and trade routes to India and Persia, famous for machboos, harees and thareed and for sweets scented with saffron and cardamom.
Chicken Machboos
The UAE's national dish: basmati rice cooked with chicken, bezar spices, dried lime, tomato and onion, topped with hashu (sweet onion-raisin garnish).
Emirati Harees
Wheat and meat cooked for hours and beaten into a silky porridge, topped with ghee — for Ramadan and weddings.
Thareed
Regag bread soaked in a lamb and vegetable stew — said to be the Prophet's favourite food, and a fixture of every Ramadan iftar.
Balaleet
Sweet vermicelli with saffron, cardamom and rose water, topped with a thin omelette — an Emirati sweet-and-savoury breakfast.
Luqaimat
Golden fried dough balls drizzled with date syrup — the companion of Arabic coffee in the UAE.
Khameer Bread
Soft bread with dates, cardamom, saffron and nigella, eaten with cheese or honey for breakfast.
Chebab
Thick Emirati pancakes with saffron and cardamom, served with cream cheese and date syrup.
Madrouba
Rice and chicken cooked with laban and spices until porridge-like — a comforting Ramadan favourite.
Saloona
A tomato-and-bezar stew of vegetables with meat or fish — the everyday dish of Emirati homes.
Jasheed
Poached and flaked baby shark meat fried with onion, turmeric and spices, eaten with rice.
Emirati Grilled Fish
Hammour or safi fish rubbed with bezar, garlic and lemon and grilled over charcoal.
Aseedat Bobar
A sweet pudding of pumpkin (bobar), flour, sugar and ghee with cardamom and saffron.
Khanfaroosh
Fried cakes with saffron, cardamom and rose water — an Emirati hospitality sweet.
Regag Bread
Paper-thin, crisp bread cooked on a hot griddle, eaten with eggs or cheese or in thareed.
Shrimp Machboos
Machboos rice with shrimp, bezar and tomato — a dish of the Emirati coast.
Mahyawa
A spiced fermented fish sauce spread on regag with eggs or cheese — a distinctive Emirati flavour.
Bathitha
A desert sweet of dates, toasted flour, ghee and cardamom that keeps for a long time without refrigeration.
Gers Ogaily
A traditional Emirati sponge cake with saffron, cardamom and sesame, served with Arabic coffee.
Karak Chai
Tea boiled strong with evaporated milk, cardamom and saffron — the UAE's most popular drink.
Emirati Margooga
A bezar-spiced meat and vegetable stew in which dough sheets are cooked — the Emirati take on margoog.
🇰🇼 Kuwait
Kuwaiti cooking is maritime and mercantile, shaped by India, Persia and Iraq, led by lamb machboos, zubaidi pomfret and murabyan, with sweets of dates and date syrup.
Lamb Machboos
Kuwait's national dish: basmati rice cooked in lamb stock with spices and dried lime, served with daqoos (spicy tomato sauce).
Mutabbaq Zubaidi
Fried silver pomfret over rice cooked in fish stock with coriander and hashu — Kuwait's most famous fish dish.
Murabyan (Shrimp Rice)
Rice with small Kuwaiti shrimp, onion, coriander and spices — a beloved seafood rice.
Kuwaiti Jireesh
Cracked wheat cooked with chicken, tomato and onion, topped with fried onions and ghee.
Kuwaiti Harees
Wheat and meat beaten until smooth, finished with ghee — in Kuwait many like it sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.
Gabout
Dough dumplings stuffed with spiced mince, cooked in a tomato and vegetable stew — a winter favourite.
Kuwaiti Marag
A spiced lamb and vegetable stew with dried lime, eaten with white rice or machboos.
Mumawwash
Rice cooked with mung beans, served with grilled or fried fish.
Aish Mahammar
Sweet brown rice cooked with caramelised sugar or date syrup, cardamom and saffron, served with fish.
Dango
Chickpeas boiled with salt and served with cumin, pepper and lemon — a Kuwaiti street snack sold in cups.
Bajella
Dried broad beans boiled with salt and cumin — a popular Kuwaiti breakfast and snack.
Nikhi
Chickpeas cooked with onion, tomato, spices and lemon, served hot during Ramadan.
Darabeel
Paper-thin rolled crisp wafers dusted with sugar and cardamom — a heritage Kuwaiti sweet.
Khabeesa
Flour toasted in ghee with sugar, saffron and cardamom, served warm with coffee.
Legaimat
Fried dough balls drizzled with date syrup or sugar syrup — present at every Kuwaiti Ramadan ghabga.
Grilled Zubaidi
Silver pomfret grilled with turmeric, garlic and lemon, served with sweet brown rice.
Daqoos (Spicy Tomato Sauce)
A spicy tomato sauce with garlic and coriander — machboos's companion on every Gulf table.
Kuwaiti Tannour Bread
Long oval bread baked in the tannour and sprinkled with sesame, known in Kuwait as "Iranian bread".
Kuwaiti Balaleet
Sweet vermicelli with saffron and cardamom topped with egg — an Eid breakfast in Kuwaiti homes.
Rangina
Walnut-stuffed dates covered with flour toasted in ghee and cardamom.
🇶🇦 Qatar
Qatari cooking is authentically Gulf, based on rice, meat, fish and spices; it shares machboos, harees and thareed with its neighbours, with its own touches in sweets and hospitality.
Qatari Machboos
Rice with Qatari spices and dried lime with chicken or lamb — the first dish at any Qatari occasion.
Qatari Harees
Long-cooked wheat and meat porridge, served at Ramadan and Eid with local ghee.
Qatari Thareed
Regag bread soaked in lamb and vegetable stew — never missing from a Qatari Ramadan iftar.
Qatari Madrouba
Rice and chicken beaten with laban, ghee and spices into a creamy porridge — one of Qatar's best-known dishes.
Qatari Balaleet
Vermicelli with sugar, saffron and rose water under a thin omelette — a traditional Qatari breakfast.
Fish Saloona
Fish stew with tomato, spices and tamarind, served with white rice.
Qatari Luqaimat
Luqaimat crisp outside and soft inside, drizzled with date syrup and sesame.
Qatari Khameer
A lightly sweet bread with cardamom, saffron and nigella, served for breakfast with cheese or honey.
Qatari Regag
Translucent bread sheets cooked on a griddle, eaten with egg and cheese or used for thareed.
Mashkhool
White rice cooked with fried onion and spices, then drained ("mashkhool"), served with fish.
Chami
A soft white cheese made by boiling laban, eaten with dates and bread — one of the oldest Bedouin foods.
Sago Pudding
A pudding of sago pearls with sugar, saffron and cardamom — translucent, chewy and served cold.
Qatari Samboosa
Crisp triangles filled with cheese, meat or vegetables — a staple of the iftar table.
Qatari Mandi
Spiced lamb slow-cooked over rice in a sealed oven — one of the most widespread dishes in Qatar's restaurants.
Grilled Hammour
Gulf hammour seasoned with spices and garlic and grilled — Qatar's favourite fish.
Qatari Mehalabiya
A milk pudding with cardamom, saffron and rose water, topped with pistachios.
Qatari Aseeda
Toasted flour cooked with sugar, ghee and saffron until thick — a warm winter sweet.
Esh Asfar (Yellow Rice)
Rice with turmeric and cardamom, served with fried or grilled fish.
Qatari Karak
Tea with milk, cardamom and saffron boiled long and strong — Doha's top street drink.
Qatari Khabeesa
Flour toasted in ghee with sugar and cardamom, served crumbly with Arabic coffee.
🇧🇭 Bahrain
Bahrain's cuisine is an island of flavours: Gulf fish, spiced rice and the famous Bahraini halwa, with Indian and Persian influences from centuries of trade and pearling.
Bahraini Machboos
Bahrain's national dish: rice with spices and dried lime with chicken, fish or lamb, served with daqoos.
Muhammar
Sweet rice with sugar or date syrup, saffron, cardamom and rose water, traditionally served with fried fish.
Bahraini Halwa
A glossy starch sweet with sugar, ghee, saffron, cardamom and nuts — Bahrain's most famous gift and symbol of hospitality.
Ghoozi
Whole lamb or leg stuffed with rice and nuts and slow-roasted — the great banquet dish.
Bahraini Mutabbaq Samak
Rabbitfish or grouper over rice cooked in spiced fish stock with coriander.
Fried Safi Fish
Gulf rabbitfish seasoned with turmeric and pepper and fried crisp — muhammar's companion.
Bahraini Harees
Wheat and meat beaten smooth and topped with ghee, sugar and cinnamon.
Bahraini Thareed
Regag with lamb stew, pumpkin and potatoes — the Ramadan staple.
Bahraini Jireesh
Cracked wheat cooked with chicken and tomato, topped with crisp onions.
Bahraini Balaleet
Sweet saffron vermicelli with egg — Friday breakfast.
Bahraini Khanfaroosh
Fried saffron-cardamom cakes, a traditional festive sweet.
Bahraini Chebab
Saffron and cardamom pancakes served with date syrup and cheese.
Bahraini Nakhi
Chickpeas cooked with cumin and lemon, sold on Ramadan nights.
Bahraini Bajilla
Dried fava beans boiled with salt and cumin — a popular snack.
Bahraini Samboosa
Vegetable or meat samosas with Indian spices — a legacy of trade with India.
Bahraini Saloona
A Gulf-spiced stew of vegetables and meat.
Bahraini Khubz
Large tannour bread with sesame, baked each morning in the old neighbourhoods.
Bahraini Mahyawa
Fermented fish sauce eaten with bread and egg at breakfast.
Gahwa (Arabic Coffee)
Lightly roasted Arabic coffee with cardamom and saffron, poured into small cups with dates — the symbol of Gulf hospitality.
Bahraini Luqaimat
Fried dough balls with date syrup, present at every Bahraini Ramadan majlis.
🇴🇲 Oman
Omani cooking is of the sea and the mountains, built on fish, rice, dates and spices from Zanzibar and India, famous for shuwa, Omani halwa and cardamom coffee.
Omani Shuwa
Lamb or goat rubbed with a red spice paste, wrapped in palm fronds and buried in a pit of embers for one or two days — Oman's most important Eid dish.
Omani Qabouli
Rice with chicken or lamb, chickpeas, caramelised onion, Omani spices and raisins — rich and fragrant.
Mashuai
Whole spit-roasted kingfish served with lemon rice — a time-honoured coastal dish.
Mishkak
Small skewers of meat marinated in tamarind, garlic and spices, grilled over coals on Eid nights and in markets.
Arsiya
Rice and chicken beaten with ghee and cardamom into a porridge — for Eid and weddings.
Omani Harees
Wheat and meat cooked for hours, served at Ramadan and Eid with ghee.
Omani Halwa
A dark, glossy sweet of starch, brown sugar, ghee, saffron, cardamom and rose water, served with coffee in every Omani home.
Omani Kahwa
Omani coffee with cardamom and rose water, served with dates and halwa — part of Arabic coffee on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.
Paplou (Fish Soup)
A clear fish soup with turmeric, dried lime, garlic and chili, served with rice.
Maqdeed
Salted, sun-dried meat prepared after Eid and later cooked with onion and tomato.
Khubz Rakhal
Omani paper-thin bread cooked on a hot griddle, eaten with honey or eggs.
Sakhana
A sweet soup of wheat, dates and milk, eaten in Ramadan.
Omani Lokhemat
Cardamom dough balls fried and dipped in date syrup or honey.
Omani Shawarma
Chicken shawarma with hot sauce, toum and fries — Oman is known for its generous style.
Omani Madrouba
Rice and chicken cooked with spices into a porridge — a comforting Ramadan meal.
Omani Kingfish Curry
Kingfish curry with coconut, tamarind and spices, showing clear Zanzibari and Indian influence.
Omani Biryani
Chicken or lamb biryani with yoghurt, spices and saffron — very common in homes and restaurants.
Omani Majboos
Rice with Omani spices and dried lime with meat, served in homes on Fridays.
Khubz with Mahyawa
Thin bread spread with mahyawa and egg — breakfast on the Batinah coast.
Al Owaal (Dried Shark)
Traditionally salted and sun-dried shark, soaked and cooked with onion, tomato, spices and lemon, served with rice — an old dish of the Omani coast.
🇾🇪 Yemen
Yemeni cooking is among the oldest in Arabia, famous for saltah, mandi, aseed and bint al-sahn, with signature fenugreek, sahawiq and Do'an honey.
Saltah
Yemen's national dish: bubbling meat broth served in a stone pot topped with a frothy green fenugreek foam, eaten with bread at lunch.
Yemeni Mandi
Mandi originates in Hadramaut: spiced lamb or chicken cooked in a buried tannour above rice that soaks up its juices.
Bint al-Sahn
Paper-thin layers of dough brushed with ghee, baked until puffed and drenched in honey with black seed — the queen of Yemeni sweets.
Yemeni Aseed
A smooth dough dome eaten with lamb broth or with ghee and honey — served after childbirth and on special days.
Fahsa
Finely shredded lamb bubbling in a stone pot with broth and spices, topped with fenugreek froth — saltah's meatier sister.
Zurbian
Aden-style rice with yoghurt-marinated lamb, fried potatoes and saffron — biryani-like with a Yemeni twist.
Yemeni Haneeth
Young goat slow-cooked in a sealed stone oven with markh leaves, emerging tender and smoky.
Shafoot
Spongy lahoh bread soaked in yoghurt seasoned with garlic, mint and coriander — a refreshing cold Ramadan dish.
Lahoh
A fermented, spongy, hole-covered flatbread cooked on one side — base of shafoot and partner to stews.
Malawah
Flaky Yemeni bread layered with ghee and pan-fried until crisp, eaten with honey or saltah.
Sahawiq
A hot green relish of chilies, coriander and garlic, ground on stone and served with every Yemeni meal.
Yemeni Ful
Mashed fava beans with tomato, onion, chili and cumin, cooked in a stone pot and served with bread.
Yemeni Shakshouka
Eggs with tomato, onion and chili cooked in a stone pan and served with soft bread.
Fattah bil Mooz
Crumbled bread with banana, ghee and honey — a simple sweet for breakfast and Ramadan.
Samak Mofa (Tannour Fish)
Fish rubbed with hawaij and turmeric and baked against the wall of a clay mofa oven — a dish of Hodeidah and the west coast.
Yemeni Kabsa
Rice with chicken, Yemeni hawaij and tomato — lighter in spice than the Gulf kabsa.
Adeni Tea
Milky tea with cardamom and cloves — Aden's famous drink.
Yemeni Masoub
Bread mashed with banana, ghee, honey and cream — a popular breakfast in Sanaa and Aden.
Kubaneh
A rich ghee-laden yeasted bread baked overnight in a sealed pot until golden and soft — traditionally a Sabbath breakfast of Yemeni Jews.
Muqalqal
Small pieces of lamb tossed over high heat with onion, tomato, peppers and hawaij, served in a stone pot with bread.
🇸🇩 Sudan
Sudanese cooking unites the Nile and the desert, Africa and the Arab world; it is built on sorghum, fava beans, okra and peanut (dakwa), and known for its generosity and simplicity.
Sudanese Ful
Mashed fava beans with sesame oil, white cheese, tomato and chili, sometimes with torn bread ("bosh") — Sudan's top breakfast.
Kisra
Very thin sheets of fermented sorghum batter cooked on a griddle and eaten with mullah stews — Sudan's daily bread.
Sudanese Aseeda
A thick dome of sorghum or millet dough eaten with tagalia or rob stew.
Mullah Bamia
A stew of ground dried okra with meat, onion and tomato, eaten with kisra or aseeda.
Mullah Tagalia
A stew of ground dried meat (sharmout) with onion, tomato and weika — aseeda's partner on special occasions.
Gurasa
A thick wheat bread cooked on a griddle, served with stews or with ghee and sugar or dates.
Salata Dakwa
Tomato, cucumber and onion salad in a peanut-butter (dakwa), lemon and chili dressing.
Shaiyah
Lamb pieces fried or grilled with onion and peppers, served with peanut salad and chili.
Kawari
Cow or lamb trotter soup simmered for hours with garlic and lemon, served with bread.
Agashe
Meat skewers coated in ground peanut and spice mix and grilled over charcoal — a West African legacy in Sudan.
Umfitit
A traditional dish of finely chopped raw lamb liver, lung and tripe with peanut butter, onion and chili.
Mullah Rob
A stew of yoghurt (rob) with peanut butter and onion, eaten with aseeda.
Sudanese Tamia
Chickpea or fava falafel with coriander, garlic and chili, served in a sandwich with peanut salad.
Mukhbaza
Torn bread mashed with banana, ghee and honey — a dish of eastern Sudan in Kassala and Port Sudan.
Hilu-Mur
A Ramadan drink made from spiced, sprouted-sorghum flakes, soaked and strained — both sweet and bitter.
Sudanese Zalabia
Fried dough balls dusted with icing sugar — Eid morning breakfast in Sudan.
Nile Fried Fish
Nile tilapia seasoned with cumin and chili and fried, served with peanut salad and bread.
Sudanese Kammounia
A stew of tripe and liver with onion, cumin and tomato, served with kisra.
Balila
Boiled pulses or grains (cowpeas, sorghum or chickpeas) dressed with salt and oil — served at Ramadan and folk gatherings.
Karkade (Hibiscus Drink)
A ruby drink of hibiscus flowers served cold or hot — Sudan is one of the world's largest producers.
🇲🇷 Mauritania
Mauritanian cooking meets the desert and the ocean, blending Arab-Amazigh nomad food with West African cuisine — camel meat and milk alongside fish rice and the famous atay tea.
Thieboudienne
Rice with herb-stuffed fish and vegetables in tomato sauce — the signature dish of the Mauritanian and Senegalese coast.
Maru we Llham
Rice with lamb, vegetables and tomato — the everyday dish in Mauritanian homes.
Mauritanian Méchoui
A whole lamb slow-roasted over embers, served at weddings and to honoured guests.
Mauritanian Couscous
Couscous with lamb or camel and vegetables, served at family occasions.
Mafé (Peanut Stew)
Meat stew in peanut and tomato sauce, served with white rice — a West African favourite in Mauritania.
Chicken Yassa
Chicken marinated in lemon, onion and mustard and cooked until the onions caramelise, served with rice.
Camel Meat Stew
Camel meat stew with onion, tomato and spices — an authentic food of the Mauritanian desert.
Mauritanian Brochettes
Lamb or camel skewers grilled on charcoal on the street, served with onion and mustard.
Lakh
Steamed millet grains served with sweetened curdled milk — a refreshing dessert.
Bassi
Steamed millet couscous eaten with milk or with a meat sauce.
El Aïch
Millet or sorghum porridge eaten with milk or a meat sauce — the desert's staple food.
Thiakry
A dessert of millet with yoghurt, cream, raisins and nutmeg.
Atay (Mauritanian Tea)
Strong green tea with mint prepared in three rounds — bitter as life, sweet as love, gentle as death — with a thick foam.
Zrig
A refreshing drink of camel or goat milk mixed with water and sugar, offered to guests in the heat.
Bissap
Red hibiscus drink with mint, drunk cold in every home.
Fish Pastels
Fried half-moon pastries filled with fish, onion and parsley, served with spicy tomato sauce.
Fish Boulettes
Minced fish balls with parsley and garlic, simmered in tomato sauce and served with rice.
Akara
Fried balls of ground black-eyed peas, eaten with hot sauce in the morning.
Tichtar
Sun-dried meat cooked with onion and spices — desert travellers' food.
Dates with Butter
The famous dates of Adrar served with fresh country butter or camel-milk butter — the first thing offered to a guest, with zrig and atay.
🇸🇴 Somalia
Somali cooking sits where the Horn of Africa meets Arabia, India and Italy — famous for spiced rice, goat and camel meat, sambuusa and canjeero bread, and tea with cardamom and cloves.
Bariis Iskukaris
Somali spiced rice with xawaash spice, meat, raisins and onion, served with a banana on the side — the top feast dish.
Canjeero (Laxoox)
A thin, spongy fermented flatbread eaten at breakfast with ghee, sugar and tea or with meat.
Suqaar
Small cubes of meat stir-fried with onion, peppers and xawaash, eaten with canjeero or rice.
Hilib Ari (Somali Goat)
Goat marinated in xawaash, slow-cooked then browned and served with bariis — one of Somalia's best-known dishes.
Sambuusa
Crisp triangles filled with spiced minced meat, onion, chili and coriander — the star of Ramadan iftar.
Muufo
A flat cornbread baked in a tandoor or on a griddle, eaten with stews and ghee.
Maraq Fahfah
Spicy goat broth with vegetables, xawaash and chili, served with muufo or canjeero.
Xalwo
A glossy Somali sweet of sugar, starch, ghee, cardamom and nutmeg, served at weddings and Eid.
Shaah
Milky tea with cardamom, cloves and ginger, drunk several times a day.
Malawax
Thin, sweet cardamom crêpes cooked in ghee, eaten at breakfast with tea.
Beer iyo Basal
Diced liver fried with onion, pepper and xawaash — a famous Somali breakfast with canjeero.
Cambuulo
Adzuki beans cooked with rice, ghee and sugar — a traditional Somali supper.
Kac Kac
Somali triangular doughnuts with cardamom and coconut milk, fried and eaten with tea.
Doolsho (Somali Cake)
A Somali cardamom cake — an Italian legacy served at Eid and weddings.
Baasto iyo Suugo
Somali pasta with a xawaash-spiced meat sauce — a legacy of the Italian era, often eaten with a banana.
Soor
Thick cornmeal porridge eaten with stew or with milk, ghee and sugar.
Muqmad
Dried meat cubes fried in ghee with dates and cardamom, keeping for months — food of nomadic herders.
Digaag Qumbe
Chicken in a coconut-milk, tomato and xawaash sauce, served with rice.
Kalluun (Somali Fish)
Indian Ocean fish seasoned with xawaash and lemon and fried, served with rice and banana.
Sabaayad
A flaky ghee flatbread like chapati, eaten with stews or with tea.