Dubai is an excellent place to sample all types of Gulf and Middle Eastern cuisine, including Iranian, Moroccan and Lebanese. Arabian food makes up an important part of most buffet spreads.
Specialities include:
- Hummus: a dip made from chick-peas and sesame seeds.
- Tabbouleh: chopped parsley, mint and crushed wheat.
- Ghuzi: a whole roast lamb on a bed of rice mixed with nuts.
- Wara enab: vine leaves stuffed with rice.
- Koussa mahshi: stuffed courgettes.
Local dishes include:
- Matchbous: spiced lamb with rice.
- Hareis: a rich delicacy of slow-cooked wheat and tender lamb.
- Seafood served with specially seasoned rice. Naturally, dates are a feature of any Arabian meal.
Regional desserts include:
- Umm Ali (literally ‘Mother of Ali’): a type of bread pudding.
- Esh asaraya (meaning ‘bread of the harem’): a sweet kind of cheesecake with a cream topping.
- Mehalabiya: a pudding sprinkled with rosewater and pistachios.
Fresh fish is also popular due to Dubai’s proximity to the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean species include; lobster, cigale, crab, hammour, shrimp, tuna, kingfish, pomfret and red snapper. A traditional Middle Eastern snack is the shawarma — grilled shavings of lamb or chicken, mixed with salad and rolled inside a pocket of Arabic bread and sold in many small outlets around the city.
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