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Winter is a reason for many to wait out this cold season in warm countries. The United Arab Emirates beckons with its warm climate and colorful local cuisine. How not to get lost in exotic UAE dishes and what can a gourmet try in this country?
Dubai is considered one of the world’s gastronomic capitals. Emirati cuisine is almost never found in fast foods, the dishes here are restaurant-level. Shawarma, falafel, hummus, shashlik, lavash, pita are just elements of Middle Eastern cuisine.
The UAE’s gastronomic traditions differ from those of Europe. Buckwheat and pearl barley are an unaffordable luxury, but eating kangaroo or ostrich meat is no problem. Traditional Arabic cuisine is insanely delicious and mouth-watering.
Biryani
This is rice with lamb fried in spices. Here, the first role is played not just by juicy aromatic meat, but by the side dish. Rice is cooked al dente, then simmered with spices and raisins, and at the end chopped pistachios are added to it.
Balalit
This dish is eaten in the UAE for breakfast. A relatively young dish, it consists of two parts: salty-sweet noodles are laid out on the bottom, and on top – an omelet, which is prepared exclusively from eggs, without adding milk.
Shaverma
Young lamb or chicken is wrapped in a fresh flatbread with salad. Dubai shawarma is not the one that is sold on every corner. Its secret lies in a unique combination of spices and herbs and a special sauce based on fermented milk products – sour cream or yogurt.
Ferid
The dish is a meat stew with vegetables. It contains potatoes, tomatoes, squash, pumpkin – or whatever is in the fridge. Rakak bread is laid down on a deep plate, stew with vegetables is laid on it. All the juice flows down and permeates the bread. A rice garnish is sometimes served with the ferid.
Muttabbal
This is an Arabic eggplant pate with nuts or sesame seeds. The taste of muttabal is very tender, aromatic and light – it is eaten alone or as a spread for a flat cake or pita bread.
Machbus
A traditional lunch dish in the UAE. It looks like our pilaf – rice with meat and vegetables. Fish is also popular in Emirati cuisine. The zest of machbous is in seasonings – saffron, cardamom, caraway and turmeric, as well as dried lemon, which gives the dish a characteristic yellow hue.
Harris
This is wheat with meat, which has a very specific taste and appearance. The mixture of garnish with meat is stewed for about 5 hours, sometimes longer, until the meat is completely boiled down. Kheris is prepared for the holidays and is called a dish of the rich.
Briki
Crispy triangular pies are deep-fried with a variety of fillings: meat, fish, vegetables, a mixture of legumes. Briks are also prepared with sweet flavors – candied fruits and sweet nuts. Pies are served with hot tea or soft drinks: ayran or jallab (grape smoothie with nuts).
Shish-barracks
Something in between pies and dumplings, shish-barak is prepared with fish or meat filling. The dish is served with kefir sauce and chopped cilantro. The most popular option is the salmon shish barrack.
Manakish
Arabian Round Cheese Tortillas are simple to look at but absolutely incredible in taste. The cheese for the flatbread is brine (suluguni or feta cheese), and a spicy mixture called “zaatar” is added to it. Manakish is inexpensive, but you can eat your fill with one flat cake.
Tabble
Arabic tabbouleh salad is made from mint, tomato and bulgur. But it is not served as an appetizer, but as a side dish. Tabbouleh is a fairly hearty dish, despite the fact that this salad does not have particularly nutritious ingredients.
Umm-ali
Bread pudding with nuts, fruits and sweet rose water impregnation is a traditional Arabic dessert. Despite the abundance of ingredients, it is light, not sugary and highly digestible. It should be eaten with strong Arabic coffee.
Lukamat
Lucamat are fried flour balls in sweet syrup (dibbs), very similar to the donuts we are used to. Served with date syrup, which distinguishes lucamata from similar dishes around the world.