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Kuwaiti Recipes

8 recipes

Kuwaiti cooking is a Gulf cuisine shaped by the sea, the desert and a long history as a trading port. Fish, shrimp and rice sit at the center of the table, alongside lamb, chicken and wheat. Spices arrived with merchants from India and Persia, so turmeric, cardamom, saffron and dried limes (loomi) flavor most savory dishes. Machboos, rice cooked in a spiced broth with meat or fish, is the best-known meal, and daqqus, a tangy tomato sauce, is served beside it. Seafood rice dishes such as mutabbaq samak and marabyan are family favorites, wheat dishes like jireesh and harees fill Ramadan tables, and margoog and marag are everyday stews. Sweets lean on saffron, cardamom and rose water, from balaleet and gers ogaily to cardamom cookies. Arabic coffee, black tea with dried lime and strong milk tea are poured for every guest.

Staple ingredients

Main Dishes

Desserts

Sauces, Dips and Condiments

Common questions

What is Kuwaiti food known for?

Machboos (rice cooked in a spiced meat or fish broth), seafood and rice dishes, wheat porridges and saffron-scented sweets. Daqqus, a tomato sauce, goes with most rice dishes.

What is the national dish of Kuwait?

Machboos is the usual answer: rice cooked in a spiced broth with meat or fish and served with a tangy tomato sauce. Mutabbaq samak, fried fish over spiced rice, is also called a national dish.

Is Kuwaiti food spicy?

Generally mild. The seasoning is aromatic, built on turmeric, cardamom and dried lime. Heat comes from chili sauces such as daqqus served on the side.