Joanna James
A trip to the city of golden deserts, towering skyscrapers and mind-blowing extravagance, the outright fabulous city of Dubai, has got to be undoubtedly exciting. What's adding to your excitement is the Gulf state's array of delectable delicacies, awaiting to give you a taste of the local flavours.
The yellow-hued, long-grain, chicken-mixed rice dish may have its roots in Yemen on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, but it hasn't kept the rest of the Peninsula states, including vibrant Dubai in the UAE, from falling in love with the rice dish, so much so as to go on to consider it a national dish. Traditionally served on a large communal platter, majboos, also known as machboos or kabsa, is more than just another traditional dish, and is a symbol of a community that brings friends and families together, where it is shared with each other and eaten by hand.
Unlike the aforementioned majboos and its association with festive and special occasions, saloona is enjoyed as a simple, everyday home-cooked meal. In fact, it is so versatile, and the traditional dish is meant to be prepared with whatever ingredients available in the household at that time. However, the most common variety is prepared with chicken and the addition of a few vegetables, but beef, lamb or fish could also be used in place of chicken.
Combining a rather strange yet incredibly delicious sweet and savoury flavour, balaleet is a favoured breakfast dish not just in Dubai but throughout the entire Middle East. In its basic form, the traditional dish consists of vermicelli sweetened with sugar and a few other ingredients, including cardamom, rose water, saffron, nuts, dried fruits, and honey, and is served with an overlying egg omelette. Come the month of Ramadan, the traditional breakfast is also served for dinner — a dish that is well deserved to be served for two meals in a day given its nature to leave you completely and totally delighted with every bite.
Sometimes a porridge, other times a gruel, harees — also known as jareesh, boko boko, or harissa — is a dish of boiled, cracked, or coarsely-ground wheat, mixed with meat. Despite its seemingly simple nature, especially due to its uncomplicated and very few ingredients, the preparation of a dish of harees requires a great deal of time and skill, and hence, it is one of the most treasured dishes of Arabian cuisine and is usually served at special occasions.
Your exploration of local cuisine in Dubai doesn't always have to be around large, complex dishes. It could also be something as small and simple as a dough ball of luqaimat, and yet the experience is no less delightful. These decadent, and sugar-packed titbits could be found being served at cafes, coffee shops and even ritzy Palm Jumeirah restaurants at hotels and resorts the likes of Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort.
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A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
