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United Arab Emirates
Food & Beverages
02 Feb 2026
Admin
Have you ever wondered what the real flavors of the United Arab Emirates are? Beyond the skyscrapers, luxury hotels and international menus, the UAE holds a culinary heritage rooted in desert, sea and spice-trade traditions. The culinary landscape of the Emirates draws from Bedouin history, pearl-diving coastal culture, and imported spices via ancient trade routes. The result is a vibrant array of dishes that reflect the land, the sea, and the journeys of its people.
Tasting food isn’t just about flavor; it’s about stepping into a culture. When you dig into the traditional food of UAE, you’re eating stories of communal tables, desert journeys, and familial recipes passed down over generations. Each dish helps you link flavor to heritage, and understanding that makes your visit or meal so much richer.
Think saffron, cardamom, turmeric, loomi (dried lime), dates, fresh-caught fish, and desert herbs. Many of the signature dishes of the Emirates combine subtle spice and rich simplicity rather than heavy heat. You’ll find rice-based meals, slow-cooked stews, crisp breads, and sweet syrupy treats, each with a story behind it.
Machboos (also spelled Majboos) is a fragrant, one-pot dish made of spiced rice and meat, fish, or shrimp. It evokes festive meals and large family gatherings.
The meat (goat, lamb, chicken, or fish) is cooked until tender, then removed. Rice is then added to the pot along with spices such as loomi, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, turmeric, and bay leaves. The meat is returned to finish cooking, and the dish is often garnished with fried onions, coriander, and chili.
Machboos is considered a national favorite and often served at weddings, Eid celebrations, and large family meals. In the Emirati context, it tells a story of hospitality and communal dining.
Harees is a simple-seeming yet deeply comforting dish: cracked wheat cooked for hours with meat until it forms a porridge-like consistency.
Wheat (sometimes soaked overnight) is boiled with salted water and meat (typically lamb or chicken). It is stirred constantly until the mixture becomes smooth and thick. It is often topped with ghee or butter for richness.
Harees is traditionally prepared during Ramadan, weddings and other special occasions a sign of care and community. The labor-intensive process mirrors the respect given to important gatherings.
Thareed is a slow-cooked stew made with meat, vegetables, and broth served over thin bread (often regag). When the bread absorbs the liquid, it becomes a soft, layered comfort dish.
Meat (chicken, goat, or lamb) is cooked slowly with carrots, pumpkin, potatoes, marrow, and tomatoes. The stew is poured over thin fresh bread, enabling the bread to soak up juices. Variants may forego meat and rely on vegetables.
Often enjoyed during the holy month of Ramadan, Thareed provides warmth and nourishment after a long fast. It’s also a family-style dish, reinforcing ties at large gatherings.
Khuzi is an extravagant rice dish generally served at events: a whole roasted lamb or mutton cooked and served on top of spiced rice, often with nuts and raisins.
The lamb or mutton is marinated with spices for many hours, slow-roasted, then placed on a bed of rice flavored with saffron, cinnamon, cloves, nuts, and dried fruits. The result is dramatic and full-bodied.
This dish represents celebration and generosity in Emirati culture. It’s perfect for weddings, large gatherings, and family occasions, signaling plenty and sharing.
Balaleet is a sweet-and-savory vermicelli dish, often served for breakfast or dessert, topped with an egg omelet.
Thin vermicelli noodles are boiled with sugar, cardamom, saffron, rose water, or orange blossom. An omelet or scrambled egg often tops this preparation. Sometimes garnished with pistachios or served cold.
Balaleet is a dish often enjoyed during Eid and other celebrations, blending sweetness and fragrance, a good reminder of hospitality and joy.
Chebab is a thin, somewhat sweet pancake, spiced with cardamom and saffron, often enjoyed for breakfast or at Suhoor during Ramadan.
Made with flour, egg, butter, yeast, and flavorings like fennel seeds, turmeric, and saffron. It’s cooked until golden-brown and served with date syrup, honey, chami cheese or cream cheese.
Chebab evokes the early morning ritual of sharing tea, bread, and dates linking into Emirati hospitality and traditions of family warmth and gathering.
Regag is a very thin, crisp bread made from whole wheat flour, often served with other dishes. Saloona is a hearty tomato-based stew of meat or fish with vegetables.
Regag involves dough flattened and cooked on a hot plate until paper-thin and crisp. Saloona combines meat, fish, or vegetables slow-cooked in tomato and spice broth, often served with rice or bread.
These dishes reflect coastal and desert traditions. The bread represents quick, efficient preparation for journeys; the stew reflects communal cooking and shared meals.
Luqaimat are sweet, deep-fried dough balls, rolled in sesame seeds and drizzled with date syrup, a beloved Emirati dessert.
Flour dough mixed with yeast or leavening is shaped into small balls, fried until golden, then dipped in date syrup and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Cardamom or saffron may flavor them.
Often served during Ramadan, weddings, and feasts, Luqaimat is synonymous with celebration and sweetness, echoing hospitality and heritage.
Madrooba is a special dish made with rice and meat or salted fish, beaten into a smooth paste comfort food in Emirati tradition.
Rice is boiled, meat is stewed with vegetables and spices, and then everything is combined and stirred until it forms a thick, soft mash. It takes time and care to prepare well.
Because of its labor-intensive preparation, Madrooba often appears in homes during Ramadan or for important meals, connecting the act of cooking with respect and tradition.
In the UAE, a cup of Arabic coffee (Gahwa) or Karak chai is more than a drink; it’s a ritual of hospitality, greeting, and sharing.
Gahwa is made from lightly roasted coffee beans brewed with cardamom (and sometimes saffron), served with dates. Karak chai is a strong milk tea spiced with cardamom and often sweetened.
Offering coffee is a sign of respect and welcome in Emirati culture. It is served to guests before food, and the cup remains somewhat full to keep conversation flowing. This simple beverage carries centuries of tradition.
While the ten dishes listed above are essential, the culinary map of the UAE extends far beyond them. You’ll find regional variations, innovative twists in modern restaurants, and street versions of classics. When exploring Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or the northern Emirates, keep an eye out for regional specialties, seasonal menus in Ramadan, and hidden cafés in older neighborhoods. A food tour, heritage-style restaurant, or local market can unlock even deeper layers of the traditional food of UAE.
When exploring Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or the northern Emirates, keep an eye out for regional specialties, seasonal menus during Ramadan, and hidden cafés tucked in the winding lanes of old neighborhoods like Al Fahidi and Al Seef. Even local markets from Deira’s spice souk to Fujairah’s seafood stalls can become culinary adventures where you learn how ingredients like loomi or saffron shape Emirati taste.
From the one-pot richness of Machboos and the creamy comfort of Harees to the sweet comfort of Luqaimat and the warm ritual of Arabic coffee, these ten dishes capture the breadth of Emirati flavor and tradition.
If you're stepping into the UAE in 2025, don’t settle just for what you know take the time to taste what the region has cherished for generations. Try a dish that looks unfamiliar, ask the story behind it, and enjoy the hospitality that comes with it.
Need help? Look for heritage-style restaurants like Al Fanar or older cafés in Dubai’s Al-Seef or Deira. Food tours and cultural excursions often include local dishes. Also, check local blogs and review platforms for restaurants specializing in traditional food of UAE.
