Qatari Recipes
6 recipesQatari cooking is a Gulf cuisine built on rice, lamb, chicken, fish and dates, with the sea close at hand. Pearl diving and coastal trade brought spices from India, Persia and East Africa, so cardamom, turmeric, saffron, cinnamon and dried limes (loomi) season the best-known meals. Machboos, rice cooked in a spiced broth with meat or seafood, is the national favorite, while madrouba, harees and thareed mark Ramadan and cooler evenings. Ghuzi, roasted lamb on rice with nuts, is served at weddings and Eid. Breakfast might be balaleet, foul with flatbread, or fresh bread with cheese and eggs, and desserts lean on milk, rose water, cardamom and saffron, as in mehalabiya and luqaimat. Meals are shared from large platters, and hospitality matters: guests are offered Arabic coffee and dates before anything else.
Staple ingredients
- rice
- lamb and chicken
- fish and shrimp
- dates
- cardamom, saffron and turmeric
- dried limes (loomi)
- rose water
- wheat and flatbread
Breakfast
Main Dishes
Machboos Laham (Qatari Spiced Lamb and Rice)QA3 hMedium
Ghuzi (Qatari Roast Lamb on Spiced Rice with Nuts)QA3 h 35 minMedium
Kousa Mahshi (Stuffed Zucchini in Tomato Sauce)QA1 h 50 minMedium
Madrouba (Qatari Spiced Chicken and Rice Porridge)QA2 hEasy
Desserts
Common questions
What is Qatari food known for?
Machboos (spiced rice with meat or seafood), thareed and harees at Ramadan, roasted lamb on rice, and sweets scented with cardamom, saffron and rose water. Arabic coffee with dates welcomes every guest.
What is the national dish of Qatar?
Machboos is the dish most often named: rice cooked with meat or seafood in a spiced broth flavored with dried lime. It is served on a large shared platter.
Is Qatari food spicy?
Not usually. The spices are fragrant rather than hot, and chili sauces such as daqoos are served on the side so each person can add heat.