What is the typical food in Dubai? Good question, the truth is that Dubai It is one of the richest and most beautiful cities in the world. It is on the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf, and is rich not only in economic well-being but also in culture, diversity, and of course gastronomy.
Beyond the large population of immigrants, who have brought their own most cosmopolitan culinary customs, it must be said that Emirati cuisine, typical dubai food, has nothing to envy them and is simply a sea of flavors and aromas. Let's get to know her.
Emirati cuisine, typical food from Dubai
What is Emirati cuisine like? typical dubai cuisine? It is a cuisine based on the use of grains and meat that come from the Arabian deserts and what is caught in the Persian Gulf, in addition to the influence it has received from neighboring regions.
Typical Emirati cuisine It is greatly influenced by its geography and the Islamic religion. Due to the harsh conditions of life in the desert, most traditional dishes use a lot of meat, grains and dairy.
Vegetables grow only in some regions and generally appear a little in all dishes. You will assume that camels are important, and so it is. Camels are important in transportation but also in cooking. Camel meat and milk are normally reserved for special occasions., because the animal is highly appreciated.
Before the oil boom, the poultry available was only local species such as the buzzard, but Nowadays chicken meat and other poultry are widely used. Basically we can talk about Emirati cuisine being a cuisine in which meat is present in most Dubai meals (camel, beef, chicken, lamb)
Pork is almost not eaten since religion does not allow it.. So, chicken, lamb and beef appear more in the typical dubai cuisine after the wealth produced by oil. Camel meat is also popular and milk is also extracted from the animal.
Typical Dubai cuisine also uses rice, especially at lunch, and as for drinks, you drink, as we said, camel milk, very nutritious, coffee, rose water, yogurt... Let's see now What are the most important dishes of typical Dubai cuisine?.
Chicken dishes in typical Dubai food
You can't leave Dubai without trying the Chicken Kabsa, For example. It is a super common and popular dish that has its roots in the cuisine that originated in Saudi Arabia, and that later spread throughout the Middle East and the rest of the world. In the Persian Gulf the kabsa is also known by the name Makbus.
It is a traditional dish whose bites are super tasty and juicy. It is a dish that combine chicken and rice. The rice is cooked in the chicken broth absorbing all the flavors of the garlic, lemon, cinnamon and onion, tomato, olive oil, pepper, curry, cardamom and coriander.
For his part, Maqluba Chicken It is also a popular dish that has rice and chicken. It is made with chopped and marinated chicken, short grain rice, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic and many spices. It is cooked in a pot and when served it is turned over and it looks like a rice cake with chicken. In addition to chicken, it is a dish that is also made with lamb, beef, camel or shrimp.
And the Machboos Chicken, also popular, is made with onions, garlic, lime, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaves. The chicken should be well browned and the dish is accompanied with toasted pine nuts and raisins. So, these three chicken and rice recipes are typical of Dubai cuisine.
Another dish with chicken is shish taouk: marinated chicken that is then grilled and which is usually sold in kebab shops around the world.
Kebabs, a classic of typical Dubai food
In the typical cuisine of Dubai, kebabs are a classic and the best known in Arabic cuisine throughout the world. It is basically about small pieces of meat or seafood that are mounted together on a metal stick and cooked under direct flame. Vegetables such as tomatoes, onions and peppercorns are also used.
There are different styles of kebabs, But shish kebab and Döner kebab They are the best known. Chicken, lamb and beef are among the favorite ingredients for kebabs.
Bath
This typical Dubai dish is made with rice, meat (lamb, chicken or fish) and a mixture of spices. The meat is usually from a young or small animal so that it has better flavor. What makes this dish a little different from the rest of the rice dishes is that the meat is cooked in a typical tandoor, a typical oven here.
Chebab
It is part of breakfast and it is nothing other than some Emirati pancakes that They are made with sour cheese and sweet syrup, to warm up later. This light cooking makes the sweetness and sourness combine and become delicious.
Khubs
Un typical Arabic bread which can be made at home or bought ready-made, but it is not the same. It goes hand in hand very well with hummus and the eggplant dip called mutabal.
Margoogat
It's a stew made with meat and tomatoes which is cooked with cumin, a type of local garam amsala called bezar, and turmeric. We find variations throughout the city, sometimes it is made with lamb or chicken, other times with zucchini and potatoes.
Samboosa
Is typical pastry which is made with techniques and flavors from the Arab world and India. Some of these pastas They are filled with meat and vegetables, various spices too, and the most popular ones are also filled with three varieties of cheese.
Luqaimat
Simple dumplings that when you try them they will remind you a little of donuts, but much tastier Everyday coffee is served with those sweets dipped in date sauce sticky and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Mid-morning with a good coffee.
Knafeh
Although you are Masitas are native to Palestine It must be said that they have become very loved and popular in the United Arab Emirates. They are made with sour cheese, sugar and dough and are served immediately after cooking.
In Ramadam it is a dessert that is ordered a lot, thousands per year, because people buy it for the iftar, the food that Muslims eat to break the fast.
Typical drinks in Dubai food
We can't stop talking about coffee, because the arabic coffee It is one of the best known in the world. It is served throughout the Arab world and is a drink that It is made with lightly roasted beans and cardamom, and served with dates.
Regrettably alcohol is prohibited for those who profess Islam, so only inside the hotels is alcohol served legally, or in the hidden liquor stores in the city that only expatriates know about, and which also ask for a license to purchase alcohol.
In Dubai too camel milk is drunk, is something very popular because it has a lot of proteins, and in terms of cold drinks there is a very typical drink called Jallab, made with rose water, grape molasses and pine nuts and raisins. El laban It is a cold yogurt drink, and the buttermilk, icy and salty, is another yogurt-based drink.
Beyond the dishes from typical Dubai cuisine, The idea is that you leave your hotel and walk around, try the street food, cheaper and undoubtedly tastier and richer, a true symbol of local gastronomy.