Joanna James
Oman is renowned for its delectable cuisine, which boasts an array of mouth-watering dishes that use simple ingredients but are cooked to perfection. Let's explore some of the most enticing flavours that Oman has to offer.
Harees is a unique dish that is a popular Middle Eastern delicacy. It's made from basic ingredients like broken wheat, chicken, and butter, slow-cooked until it forms a thick porridge-like consistency. It's then enhanced with flavourings such as fried onions and spices to produce a delicious dish.
Next up is Mushaltat, a flatbread stuffed with meat, cheese, or spinach that's baked for around five minutes to create a crispy yet soft bread filled with melty cheese and meaty goodness. The unleavened bread is made from wheat flour and shaped into thin cakes.
Majboos is a classic rice dish that originated in Saudi Arabia but is also a favourite in the Gulf region, including Oman. It's a mix of basmati rice and meat like lamb or chicken coated in spices and cooked on low heat to enhance its flavours. It's typically eaten with a green salad, yoghurt, and tomato sauce for a complete meal. You can enjoy this delicacy in restaurants in Oman, as well as in hotels like Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort.
Halwa means "sweet" in Arabic, and this dessert is exactly that! Perhaps the most popular sweet treat in all of Oman is halwa. It's served during important occasions like Ramadan and weddings to entertain guests. Many consider it to be Oman's national dessert. It's prepared from cornstarch, almonds, sugar, honey, butter/ghee, cardamom, saffron, and rose water. But note, you will come across many variations, as it differs according to the maker. Halwa typically comes in brown, white, and yellow colours, but will differ with the ingredients used. You can enjoy halwa with a cup of Arabic coffee, which helps to offset the sweetness and brings in a depth of flavour.
Another beloved Arabic sweet treat is luqaimat. It's customary to consume it during Iftar, the meal eaten after breaking the fast during the month of Ramadan. These fried balls of dough are dunked in sticky date syrup straight from the hot oil. Prepared from flour and yeast, it's quite similar to doughnut balls. When entertaining guests, the host usually includes luqaimat alongside dates, nuts, fruits, and coffee.
The dates found in Oman are delicious. They differ in colour, tenderness, and taste. Being in the region is a good opportunity to try fresh dates too! Dates play an essential role during meal items and Omani culture. It's typically offered to guests with coffee and other sweets. You may also encounter dates with tahini which is used to prepare all kinds of desserts. Kahwa is Arabic coffee, and it's fragrant and robust. The coffee beans in Oman get roasted at varying levels, and cardamom is added to the ground beans. This makes the coffee markedly more fragrant and removes some of the bitterness in the coffee. Similar to dates, coffee plays an integral part in the hospitality culture of Oman. One of the best ways to have a cup is with halwa or dates.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
