Cuisine of UAE

Cuisine of the UAE

Uncover the flavors of Arabia on your trip to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Emirate cuisine can be one of the highlights of any vacation to the UAE. Expect an exotic blend of rich and colorful flavors and, due to the many regional influences, dishes that are both new and comfortingly familiar.

Have you ever eaten camel meat? Often described as a delicious mix between lamb and beef, it’s a specialty of the UAE, eaten during weddings and other such special occasions. If that doesn’t appeal to you never fear – traditional Emirate cuisine is wonderfully diverse thanks to the region’s colorful history and there’s a lot more savor.

Breakfast, like everywhere else, is the most important meal of the day. Traditional Emirate breakfasts are often delicious and filling affairs, packed with all the nutrition you need to start your day. Take for example, the popular breakfast dish balaleet – a bowl of vermicelli sweetened with rosewater, saffron, and cardamom, and topped with a perfectly cooked egg omelet. Packed full of goodness, this savory dish has an interesting sweet undertone that will surprise you.

Since the UAE spreads across the Gulf of Oman, seafood is common in Emirate dishes. One of the highlights is the Jasheed, a dish made from rice and bay shark! You could also try the machboos al samak, a delicious blend of rice, spices, dried limes and fish that’s a favorite during Ramadan. There are variations of this dish with chicken and mutton too.

Many popular Emirate dishes are comfortingly simple. During the holy month of Ramadan, Emirates enjoy harees, an interesting mix of wheat and meat that resembles oatmeal or porridge. It is popular across the Persian Gulf with each country adding or changing small details; some countries, for example, add parsley for garnish.