8 Foods to Try in Qatar – Delectable Arabian Specialties

This popular dish will be a great choice with which to commence your experience of Qatari cuisine. Considered to be the national dish of Qatar, this preparation features rice stewed with a variety of different meats and seafood; according to your preferences, you will have the opportunity to enjoy machboos containing lamb, chicken, camel, fish or shrimp. In appearance, this Qatari speciality somewhat resembles the Indian biryani. If you desire a more spicy dish, you will be able to select the bukhari, which is a spicier variety of machboos.

Madhruba is particularly enjoyed during the month of Ramadan. This delicious dish, sometimes referred to as 'beaten porridge' by the locals, is made by combining rice, butter, milk and cardamom; these ingredients are cooked until the resulting mixture is soft. Meat stewed with mashed beans is also a part of this dish.

Thareed is another dish that is favoured during Ramadan. Having some resemblance to a thick stew, this alluring dish features vegetables like beans, carrots, potatoes and onions cooked along with lamb or chicken. Spices and tomato sauce are added to create the distinctive flavours of this dish. Bread is kept at the base of this dish in order to soften it and soak up the juices and flavours. Thareed has been called the Arabian form of lasagna.

This flavourful dish is basically zucchini stuffed with a tasty filling, and is a favoured food throughout the Middle East. You will find that in this internationally popular dish, the zucchini is stuffed with lamb along with flavours like garlic and mint. This dish is prepared by baking it in an oven, after which it is served warm.

This is a scrumptious dessert that is often prepared during Ramadan. Luqaimat is made with milk, butter, sugar, flour, cardamom and saffron. The resulting combination is formed into small dumplings, after which they are deep fried before being immersed in honey or sugar syrup so as to make them sweeter. You will find that these treats are crispy on their outside whilst being soft inside. If you love sweets you are sure to be delighted with luqaimat.

Harees is the name given to a dish of boiled, coarsely ground or cracked wheat that is combined with meat. You will find that the consistency of this dish falls between that of a dumpling and a porridge. Harees is regarded as being a healthy food as it contains a host of health-giving nutrients. This dish is often used to break fast with during Ramadan, when it is popularly consumed for iftar.

Margoog is another health-promoting Qatari speciality, containing many vital vitamins as well as fibre. Generally, this dish is made with carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, tenderized meat and potatoes. Additionally, thin sections of dough are sliced into small pieces and cooked in this stock to make them soak up the delicious flavours. When seeking the best hotels in Doha, Qatar where you will have the opportunity to enjoy similar Arabic dishes, an accommodation choice to consider would be Al Jomrok Boutique Hotel.

If you can imagine a tasty sweet pasta you will have some idea of what balaleet is. This dish which is influenced by Indian cuisine features vermicelli that has been fried served with a savoury saffron-flavoured omelette. This combination makes balaleet crunchy, soft, savoury and sweet at the same time. This much-loved dish is commonly served for breakfast in addition to being a popular dessert feature.