Must Try Traditional Food in Abu Dhabi -Middle Eastern Tastes!

Emiratis enjoy lots of meat dishes however stuffed camel is by far the most distinct. This is a dish recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as one of the biggest dishes served in the world - this is one reason to try it! Stuffed camel is actually a traditional Bedouin cuisine usually served at wedding ceremonies. However, now it has become a dish that visitors look forward to taste when they are in Abu Dhabi. A full-grown camel is usually stuffed with one lamb or sheep, twenty chickens, boiled eggs, fish and rice. The camel is roasted as a whole and then cut into pieces.

This dish is also called Majboos or Makboos. It's a pretty straightforward dish of rice and meat however the secret lies in the seasoning of spices and salt when preparing the meat. Al Machboos is served with chicken, beef, goat, lamb or shrimp in Abu Dhabi. The meat is usually cooked with onions and potatoes along with other ingredients such as tomatoes and of course spices. The succulent meat curry is usually served onto a plate of plain steamed rice. It may sound simple but the taste is truly to die for. If you are on holiday and staying at a place like the Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara, there are plenty of restaurants in and around the resort to grab some traditional dishes.

Another popular Emirati dish is Al Harees. Very few ingredients go into preparing this however it takes hours to finish making it. Ground wheat is added to a pot with some salt and meat is mixed into it with water. This mixture is cooked for hours until it turns into a smooth paste. Then the paste it poured into a clay pot and then cooked overnight in a coal oven. Ghee is added as the final ingredient to give it more flavour. This is usually served for special occasions such as wedding ceremonies and Ramadan festival. Al Harees is a very heavy and filling meal. Localized dishes such as Harees are served in almost all Abu Dhabi Desert restaurants where patrons can not only enjoy the typical Middle Eastern ambiance but their dishes as well.

The taste of shawarma is never the same unless you've had it in the Middle East. This is one of the most popular Arabic dishes in the world, however, it tastes a much yummier when you actually try it in Abu Dhabi. A shawarma is spicy meat stir-fry, which is wrapped in an Arabic Roti (flat bread).

Luqaimat is a sugary delight that you dig into any time of the day. These small crispy dumplings are cooked with fermented batter and then deep-fried. Sugar syrup is poured over it and sometimes they are sprinkled with sesame seeds. The sweet sticky dumpling balls are a must try dessert for sweet tooth's.