Arabic national cuisine: cold dishes and snacks. National cuisine of the UAE
The culinary traditions of any nation fully reflect its culture, religion and history. National Arab cuisine is a very broad concept that combines the common culinary features of the countries of the Middle East and North Africa.
The formation of the Arabic cuisine menu was not only influenced by Islam - the main religion for all these countries, which prohibits the consumption of alcohol and cooking from “unclean meat” pork. In addition, geography also played a significant role - the generous southern sun gave the Arab peoples a rich selection of vegetables and fruits, and the scarcity of freshwater bodies - rivers and lakes - limited the consumption of fish. Travelers who have visited the East know from their own experience how few fish dishes are included in traditional Arab cuisine - and even then only in areas adjacent to the sea.
When it comes to the meat from which Arabic cuisine is prepared, many mistakenly believe that we are talking about lamb. Indeed, due to special natural conditions It was sheep breeding that became widespread in this region, and many religious holidays require the obligatory sacrifice of a lamb, the dishes from which then end up on the festive table. But everyday Arabic cuisine, recipes with photographs of which are on the website, also uses goat meat and poultry. More expensive veal is much less common in oriental cuisine.
Another myth is soups. It is believed that in the east they do not know and do not know how to cook first courses. This misconception is based, first of all, on the different ideas about soups among northern and southern peoples. Arab cuisine really does not abound in soups - their recipes are very simple. All of them are prepared on the basis of rich meat or vegetable broths, almost always with the addition of beans, peas, chickpeas or cereals. The low popularity of soups, of course, is also associated with Muslim traditions - Allah commanded to take food with your hands, which in this case is quite problematic. Therefore, initially the first course was a rich broth in which large pieces of meat were cooked. The meat was taken out and could be picked up with your hands, and the broth was drunk from special bowls.
Arabian spices
Without exception, all Arabic cuisine, recipes with photos of the most exotic and at the same time easy-to-prepare dishes can be found on our website, is replete with spices. All varieties and varieties of pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, saffron, cumin, cloves - in the East they do not recognize the European approach to cooking, when one taste predominates in a dish, and all other ingredients create only the basis for its sound. This “economical” principle, according to the Arabs, seems boring and insipid to them. Authentic Arabic cuisine, the recipes of which sometimes include dozens of different spices, is an explosion of taste. It is no coincidence that it is customary here to add not just one spice to a dish, but mixtures of them - seasonings. The most popular among them are baharat and za'atar.
Features of Arabic cuisine
Arabic cuisine is far from the spiciest - it is seriously inferior to Asian cuisine in this regard, but it is definitely the most aromatic and... the sweetest! Not only are they bursting with delicious desserts... festive tables, but also the most everyday ones. Whenever you visit an Arab, you will certainly be offered coffee or tea and seated at a table full of candied or dried fruits, halva, puddings and other things. Moreover, all this is prepared with an incredible amount of sugar and honey, and when finished, it is also sprinkled with powdered sugar or poured over with syrup.
It is difficult to say where Arabs have such a love for sweets, but perhaps this, like many other features of Arab cuisine, is associated with the ban on alcohol. Since religion already prohibits feasts with wine, in the East real feasts are organized for those with a sweet tooth.
Arabic cuisine includes cuisines from the Middle East as well as the Arabian Peninsula. Many experts argue that in order to become more familiar with the features of traditional Arab cuisine, there is no need to go to some expensive restaurants. It is enough to visit a cafe or look into a street tent. Here you can find a variety of lunches as well as snacks.
Arab national cuisine is oversaturated with a variety of delicacies, which are characterized by quite unusual tastes and aromas. No dish will be identical to another.
If you decide to visit the United Arab Emirates, it's worth trying a little of everything to see what you like best and what you can cook when you get home.
On the site you will find various step-by-step photo recipes that explain how to prepare this or that dish of Arabic cuisine with your own hands at home.
Recipes with photos
- Homemade pita
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Dzhezerye carrot candies -
Beef up your sleeve -
Eggplants with minced meat in a frying pan -
Lamb with beans -
Kebbe
Features of national dishes of Arab cuisine
The peculiarity of the national dishes of Arab cuisine is that it has a huge number of different recipes for products where the main ingredient is rice, since the Arabs are very fond of this product. Also widely popular here are first courses (harira, beyzar), snacks (falafel, manakish), as well as fish (bricks) and meat (biryani, haris) delicacies.
It is worth clarifying that the cooking of Arab countries is conventionally divided into cuisines:
- Arabian. This cuisine is replete with legumes (lentils, beans), milk (camel, goat), rice, bakery products(flatbread) and dates. On ordinary days, Bedouins very rarely eat meat products. This product is usually served only on major holidays. If someone has a baby or is planning a wedding, then, according to tradition, in honor of the occasion, the whole goat is baked and served along with boiled rice.
- Mediterranean. Includes Maghreb cooking. This cuisine is famous for the fact that aromatic spices such as saffron, cumin, cinnamon, black red pepper, and ginger are added to almost every dish. In addition, fish and seafood are very often eaten in the Maghreb. The Maghreb people also prefer to eat soups and stews. The most famous and popular first dish is harira, made from lentils.
- Syrian. Syrian cuisine is famous for its well-known shawarma, which requires special preparation. You need to grease the warm flatbread with butter or yogurt, and then just spread the filling. In addition, the cuisine of the Syrian people is characterized by the fact that to create any delicacy, the ingredients must be cut finely. Vegetables are mostly stuffed. Local residents also love to consume grains and olive oil. Some products undergo several relatively complex cooking steps. What is noteworthy is that food in Syrian cuisine, unlike other Arabic ones, is not very spicy and greasy. There are no side dishes or soups as such. Most delicacies are a mix. For the manufacture of various products, they are often taken fermented milk drinks, for example, lyabne, which is a thick yogurt, which is seasoned with olive oil, pickled cheese and mint. In addition, Syrian cuisine is rich in a variety of desserts (baklava, sherbet). The most famous delicacy is kunafa - a dough with nuts, cheese or cream, sprinkled with syrup.
The culinary masterpieces of the Arab states (Libya, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Algeria and Iraq) differ from each other and at the same time have several similar features, namely the use of the same products, as well as the same methods of preparing similar products . By the way, some of them are prepared identically, differing only in the name. For example, an Iraqi delicacy called “kuzi” is called “haruf bir-rizz” in Syrian cuisine, but in the cities of the Maghreb this product is known as “couscous”. That's why experts talk about a common national Arab cuisine.
Traditional Arabic cuisine is characterized by the fact that it often uses lamb as a meat ingredient. In addition, Arabs eat poultry, but rarely eat veal. Due to the fact that Islam is widespread in Arab countries, pork is prohibited from being eaten.
The highlight of Arab cuisine is the specific heat treatment of food. Most meat delicacies are made without the use of fat. To do this, the frying pan is heated strongly (up to about three hundred degrees), then meat pieces are laid out, which, touching the heated surface of the container, are covered with a thin golden crust at lightning speed. By the way, this crust prevents the meat juice from evaporating. Due to this, the meat always turns out incredibly tender and juicy. Sometimes pieces of meat are first fried in a dry, well-heated frying pan, and then fried in fat. Arabs like to serve boiled rice and stewed or fried vegetables as a side dish for meat.
Also in Arab cuisine, a special place is occupied by cheeses (somewhat reminiscent of feta cheese), eggs and fermented milk products.
As for diet, most people in Arab countries prefer to eat twice a day. Breakfast must be hearty, lunch comes before or after the sun sets.
Lunch on holidays usually begins with berries such as melon or watermelon. After this, bintas-sakhn (sweet dough, topped with butter and honey), boiled meat with spicy sauce, or lamb are served. At the end of the meal, broth is always served. For snacks they eat fresh or pickled vegetables, game, watermelon seeds, nuts and much more. In addition, it is customary to serve helba (a spicy sauce containing seasonings and mustard) for lunch.
It is worth noting that during the feast you need to eat only right hand and only those products that are offered by the owner of the house.
In many Saudi Arabian cuisine recipes, fruits are found, in particular dates, which play an important role, as well as grain crops. This fruit is often used to make a paste that can be stored for twelve months. In rare cases, date paste is combined with barley flour. Also, the Arab people prefer to eat sun-dried or dried dates.
Secrets of preparing homemade products: soups and main dishes
There are not too many secrets to preparing homemade items such as soups and main dishes. As for hot dishes, the Arab people prefer to eat soups cooked in meat broth, which also include rice, potatoes, beans, capers or peas.
The technology for preparing soups implies the following. Before sending the meat to cook, the product is fried in a frying pan without adding fat, then completely filled with cool water and left to cook until fully cooked. Prepared vegetables are placed in already prepared and filtered broth.
It is worth noting that soups should definitely be served with kubbe (a flatbread stuffed with meat, made from dark flour coarse) or several varieties of sambusa (triangle-shaped pies). Each type will have its own filling:
cheese is placed in the jabna;
Lyakhma uses meat filling;
spinach is used in sabeneh;
the khudar is stuffed with vegetables.
Among the traditional main dishes, meat and fish delicacies, as well as seafood, stand out.
For example, chefs can dry fish, bake it on the grill, or cook it in the form of a kebab. Vegetables are often a side dish for fish delicacies. Hot spices and spicy sauces will add a zest to the taste. In Arabic cuisine restaurants you may be offered to try barracuda, lobster, shark, tuna, as well as various types of shrimp.
Meat products are not inferior to fish. In national Arab cuisine there are quite a lot of different recipes for making dishes from veal, lamb, chicken and other, more exotic types of meat. Mostly tourists coming to the United Arab Emirates first of all want to try kebab. This dish is quite popular in Arabic cuisine, and the locals really like it. The product can be cooked different ways. However, the taste of the finished product will always be excellent. Sometimes kebab is made from several types of meat. Arabs love to cook classic recipe lamb kebab marinated in lemon juice and herbs. What is noteworthy is that such a fried dish without the use of fat requires a special sauce.
Also, in addition to seasonings, almonds, raisins and figs can be added to meat products.
Don’t forget that pilaf made from rice and lamb meat is quite popular in this cuisine. It also contains almonds, figs and raisins.
In addition, burgul is quite often prepared - this is a porridge made from corn, which is either poured with sour milk or served at the table along with small pieces of meat.
Traditional salads, desserts, sauces and snacks
Traditional salads, desserts, sauces and snacks of national Arab cuisine are characterized by excellent taste and a fairly simple recipe. Among the desserts, the most popular and widely sought after are:
baklava ( puff pastry with nuts, sprinkled with syrup);
halva (made from seeds, granulated sugar and nuts);
candied fruits (fruits that are boiled in sugar syrup).
In addition, in Arab cuisine there are recipes for creating pies with various fillings, pies with cheese, nuts or raisins, candied fruit, honey, and cream donuts.
Another favorite sweet delicacy of the Arabs is dates, dipped in honey or chocolate. Flatbreads are often prepared from such fruits and eaten together with butter.
Among the traditional snacks of Arab cuisine, meze stands out, which is a set of various tasty and quite appetizing snacks. A huge round dish is served on the table, which is divided into several small cells. Corn or corn are often placed in such compartments. wheat porridge, several varieties of vegetable salads with the addition of chopped parsley, triangular pies with meat, cheese or vegetables, mutabal or babaganoush, nut-garlic paste.
Salads in home Arab cuisine are made from a wide variety of products (vegetables, fruits, meat). At the same time, they can be either light (almost dietary) or quite filling.
Traditional sauces in Arabic cuisine can be both spicy and not very spicy. The famous one is helba sauce, made from mustard, red pepper and aromatic spices. Local residents also use vegetables, yogurt with lard, and tomatoes to prepare this product.
On our website you can find a variety of recipes with photographs for preparing appetizers, salads, sauces and desserts of Arabic cuisine.
Arabic drinks
Arabic drinks can be either alcoholic or non-alcoholic. Among the latter, an important role is played by coffee, which the Arabs prepare according to a special recipe. Initially, coffee beans are roasted, which must be stirred regularly with a metal stick. After this, the fried grains are crushed in a mortar. Coffee is brewed in brass or copper containers that look like a teapot. Then the brewed coffee is poured into cups and served to guests according to seniority. It is customary for guests of honor to be served a hot drink three times, after which they must generously thank and refuse. Traditional Arabic coffee is consumed without adding granulated sugar. However, it may contain cardamom or cloves.
Locals also like to drink after eating meat dishes. green tea, which is brewed with mint or sage.
This kitchen also prepares a milkshake with grated banana called “muz bi-l-laban.” The Arabs claim that this drink, although light, is quite filling.
A traditional alcoholic drink in Arab cuisine is arak (anise-flavored vodka), which was originally made from dates, and then the drink was made from rice and grapes. Arak is poured into glasses surrounded by ice. Then water and honey are added to the drink. When it comes into contact with water, arak becomes cloudy, acquiring a milky hue. When the drink is drunk, a residue will remain on the walls of the container. Therefore, for a new portion of alcohol, you should take a clean glass that has been cooled in advance.
Recommendations on what to try upon arrival in the United Arab Emirates will help you decide which dishes you want to eat first from the national Arab cuisine. Below is a list of the most popular and widely sought after dishes that are prepared in this country.
Name of the dish | What it is? |
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Fish delicacies |
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Meat products |
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First meal |
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Of course, the table does not give the entire list of dishes that are present in the national Arab cuisine. You can get acquainted with its flavor only while visiting the country.
On our website you will find a huge number step by step recipes with photos that describe the preparation of various delicacies inherent in Arab cuisine, which you can easily make yourself at home.
Choosing to travel United Arab Emirates, everyone gets their own - a beach or active holiday with numerous excursions, getting to know the lifestyle of the richest Arab country, which is different from ours, unforgettable shopping, new experiences. Fans of gastronomic tourism will not be offended either - Arabic national cuisine very diverse. You can find everything in it - the simplicity of traditional dishes preserved from the times of the nomadic past, and exquisite luxury worthy of the table of the great sultans.A large number of constantly appearing positive reviews confirm this.
For those who prefer to do without culinary experiments and eat familiar food, there will be no problems - in every city there are many cafes and restaurants with European, Chinese, Indian and any other cuisine. And the oriental flavor goes well with their decor and menu.
ARABIC CUISINE DISHES
To fully immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the East, you definitely need to get to know the traditional dishes of the country.
Street food
To get acquainted with national cuisine, you should not visit pretentious restaurants. For this the best option There will be a hike through small cafes and street tents. There you can find any options - from full meals to a variety of snacks. Most often, the dish is wrapped in pita bread, a local bread in the form of a flat soft cake. The bread can be of a different shape - small round pita buns.
Manakish
The dish can be called "fast food in Arabic." This is pita bread (sometimes pita bread) inside which soft cheese melted over a fire, a lot of chopped herbs and chopped olives are placed. They sell manakish fresh and very hot, it is better to wait until it cools down a little and eat it like the Arabs - right with your hands.
Falafel
Emirates often cook it at home, but you can try it in any cafe. You have never tried anything like this - chickpeas (“chickpeas”) have not yet become popular on Russian menus. The chickpeas are pureed and then formed into soft balls. After breading in flour, the balls will be fried in fresh olive oil. Most often, falafel is served in pita bread or lettuce leaves with a spicy sauce.
Shawarma or shawarma
The dish, which has become familiar, simple and very tasty (if the recipe is followed and high-quality ingredients are used), is also of oriental origin. Each country has its own cooking characteristics and differences in name. But it is in the UAE that shawarma is made from the freshest juicy meat in soft pita bread, and it is worthy of your attention.
You can choose meat filling - chicken or lamb. It comes with chopped cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce, generously flavored with paprika, other spices and olive oil.
Spices
An abundance of spices is another feature UAE cuisines. When planning to try new Arabic dishes, it is better to remember the traditions of oriental cuisine - seasonings and spices are not skimped on. Whether you dine in expensive restaurants with a varied menu or stop for a bite to eat at a street stall, it doesn't matter - the food will be well-seasoned and spicy.
Among the favorite spices among chefs are sesame, coriander, cumin (many know it as cumin), curry, cinnamon, different kinds peppers To appreciate the amazing richness of their assortment, you will have to visit the spice market. There you can decide which of the yet unfamiliar seasonings you like, and which you definitely don’t want to see in your food.
Meze - a small collection of delicious snacks
The “high-speed” rhythms of today are powerless in the face of the philosophical slowness of the East. There's still no 
It is customary to immediately start a conversation about business or to eat in a hurry, “on the go.” The conversation should have its own introduction, and lunch begins with appetizers or meze served.
A large round dish appears on the table, divided into several separate small cells. They most often contain porridges made from corn and wheat, several types of fresh vegetable salad with a lot of finely chopped parsley, pies with meat, vegetable and cheese filling, babaganoush or mutabal (different types of eggplant caviar), garlic-nut paste. Regardless of the filling, the pies will be triangular.
Even if you are indifferent to eggplants, do not refuse to try mutabal. Caviar, similar to a delicate pate, is made from eggplants baked over coals with the addition of finely chopped nuts, garlic, fresh cilantro, lemon juice and other seasonings. This delicacy has no resemblance to our “overseas eggplant caviar”.
Babaganoush is more like a salad. In addition to baked young eggplants, it contains olive oil, sesame paste, cumin and several other spices.
Among the appetizers, dolma is found - young grape leaves rolled into tubes and stuffed with minced meat or chopped vegetables. Two or three types of cheese are added to this variety.
Some restaurants may serve vegetable meze for free.
First meal
An Arabic meal includes soups made with meat broth with the addition of potatoes, rice and other grains, peas, and beans. The first courses will definitely be served with “kubbe” - flatbreads made of dark flour (coarsely ground) with meat, and several types of “sambusa” - triangular pies. The filling will be different for everyone.
The filling in "lyakhma" will be meat, in "jabna" - cheese, in "sabenekh" - spinach, in "khudar" - vegetables.
Fish and seafood
The Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf allow you to fill a significant part of the menu with fish dishes. There are many restaurants in the Emirates 
specializing in seafood. They often arrange for visitors to choose their own fish and other seafood. A rich buffet opens before the client - display tables with fish lying among the ice. In other establishments there are huge aquariums with live marine life everywhere. The selection will be immediately taken to the kitchen, asking you to wait a little.
Fish UAE cuisine diverse. The fish is dried, grilled whole or in the form of kebabs. Vegetables serve as a side dish. The combination of hot seasonings with spicy piquant sauces gives a special sophistication.
You can try hamura sea bass, barracuda, which is almost never found here, shark, tuna, several varieties of shrimp, and lobster.
Bricks
These triangle pies, where a thin puff pastry hides a filling of shrimp or fish, will be a great addition to lunch. They are served with fresh herbs and thin slices of lemon.
Sometimes the filling for briki is minced lamb.
Al Madruba
A famous salted fish dish is prepared. It is boiled with the addition of flour and spices. The fish must be served with a spicy, slightly salty sauce.
Meat dishes
Choosing between lamb, chicken, veal and more exotic meats can be confusing at first. You will want to try everything and especially kebabs.This is the most common and favorite way of cooking meat among Arabs. It is prepared in different ways, but always delicious. Sometimes your serving may contain several different types of meat at once. The traditional kebab is especially good - made from juicy lamb marinated in lemon juice and spices. A special sauce is added to fried meat without adding fat.
The risk of “running into” low-quality or old meat is minimal - they are strict about this here.
Biryani 
It is almost impossible to visit the Emirates and not try biryani - this is the pinnacle of the skills of local chefs. Visit restaurants that specialize in this dish.
It's hard to describe its taste - it's something special. But to get a little idea, it’s enough to list the ingredients. Biryani is prepared from lamb, chicken or fish, several types of vegetables and rice. The dish owes its taste to several spices, slowly fried in a thick frying pan. A layer of meat cut into narrow strips (or fatty fish) will then be placed there. Vegetables are laid out on top, with rice as the final layer. And only the Basmati variety - thin to the point of transparency, elongated grains are quickly saturated with seasonings and meat juice. Some cooks add raisins and pistachios.According to the description, the dish may seem similar to pilaf, but this is not so, the taste is completely different.
Among the traditional main dishes of the United Arab Emirates there are others
Tabbouleh made from crushed boiled wheat with finely chopped mint and parsley.
The residents' favorite khomus is pea paste with lots of sesame seeds and lemon.
Kharis is an original dish made from lamb cooked with wheat. Most of all, the wheat side dish in it resembles the usual Russian porridge-kutya.
Lamb is also used to prepare guzi. Rice mixed with nuts is placed on the side dish.
Makboos fry uses chicken or lamb. The rice for the dish is seasoned with a large amount of sautéed onions and tomatoes. The meat is fried on spits, just like in our kebab. There are a lot of kebabs here: lamb shish kebab, minced meat is used for kofta. And the cutlet with the funny name “kustileta” has a filling of herbs.
Small fried kebbe meat balls are served with a large portion of the side dish. They even have their own version of pizza - "rice".
The kebab itself is called “tikka” here.
It will be interesting to try “kussa makhshi”. These are young zucchini stuffed with a mixture of vegetables or meat.
Many different dishes are prepared from chickens:
- “al-mandi” - poultry coated with honey is steamed;
- shish kebab "tikka-dajaj";
- “jaj-tannuri” with a sharp, straight-burning taste;
- small carcasses of crispy quail "samman" especially loved by local residents.
It is customary to garnish the bird with vegetable salads and rice. Everything will be tasty and spicy, sprinkled with herbs.
Desserts in Arabic
Sweets occupy a special place in the cuisine of all Eastern countries. Pies with sweet fillings, many varieties of jam, 
candied fruits, pies with cheese, nuts, raisins, a dozen varieties of donuts with honey, syrups and cream. That's not all, because there are also world-famous Turkish delight and pistachio or almond halva, sorbet and dates.
It is the dates and desserts that you must try only in the UAE. The health benefits of dates have been known since ancient oriental healers, and modern Arabs use them for different types and combinations. Dates stuffed with almonds are usually eaten for breakfast and served with tea and coffee. Those with a sweet tooth can find dates dipped in chocolate or honey, baked into flatbreads and eaten with fresh butter.
But you don’t need to go to the shops for traditional delicacies - look for them among the colorful and colorful bazaars. Local vendors have all types and varieties of desserts to try on site or take home.
Umm Ali
It is prepared for the family table on special days or for treating guests. Compared to other desserts, it doesn't seem overly sweet. Soaking the dough in aromatic syrups makes it tender. Umm Ali always contains a lot of pieces of dried fruits, raisins and nuts.
Mechalabia
Another sweet pudding with a generous soaking of rose water and a thick layer of crushed pistachios on top.
Ash asaya
It is also advisable to try an unusual taste pie with cheese, generously smeared with cream.
Halva
Pistachio is considered the most delicious; there are many others that are no less pleasant. The only thing that can be called its drawback is excessive sweetness. But what pleasure can you experience from a piece of halva with aromatic tea!
Cold and hot drinks
The hot climate and dry air cause thirst among natives of colder countries who are unaccustomed to them. You can satisfy it with natural freshly squeezed juices. In any tent you will be offered 6-8 different ones and any mixes you wish.
Be sure to visit coffee shops, they are found everywhere. The smell of fresh coffee carries far, tempting you to come in and have a cup. A good establishment can be identified by its cozy atmosphere, conducive to comfortable relaxation and aroma. They avoid bright lighting, preferring twilight.
The coffee they like here is a little unusual for us - they use unroasted (or very lightly roasted) beans for brewing. Coffee makers and coffee machines are not in demand here. It is brewed according to all the “eastern” rules - in a cezve on hot sand or in a special copper coffee pot. If you like light Arabian coffee, you can buy some beans at any market.
Tea is also consumed in the Emirates. More often they complete a hearty meal of meat dishes. Green tea is especially popular. It is brewed with the addition of various herbs - sage and mint.
You can partake in an exotic meal on board a large dhow or among the sand dunes in the desert.
What you might encounter when visiting local restaurants and bars
If you go to a restaurant and see the “Members only” sign on the door, you will have to choose another establishment. Visitors with a "Guest of Honor" card and regular members will be served here.
There are certain requirements for clothing and appearance a visitor whose clothing does not comply with these standards may be refused entry. In this case, you will have to obey and leave.
In most restaurants, tips are included in the price of meals. You can read this on the menu you brought.
Several food-related features of the Emirates
Tourists are warmly welcomed, creating all the conditions for a comfortable and interesting stay. But nothing can change 
the foundations of life of a Muslim state living according to the laws and rules of its religion. Everyone arriving in the UAE has to take this into account.
During the holy month of Ramadan for all Muslims, eating and drinking is allowed only at certain hours (between sunset and sunrise). During this entire period, cafes and restaurants will be closed during the day, and no food will be sold on the streets. They will not open until 20:00.
Tourists are advised to respect traditions by abstaining from eating and drinking during in public places and on the streets.
Another, even stricter ban concerns pork. You won't find pork dishes in regular restaurants. For a juicy chop or crispy ribs, you will have to go to a specialized establishment.
You cannot drink alcohol in public places. It is not available for free sale either. When choosing a hotel, you can check whether it has a sales license. These restrictions apply to alcohol of any strength.
It is impossible to talk about all the features of Arabic cuisine - there are too many of them. But even brief overview enough to help us understand the complex and exotic traditions of this unusual country for us and avoid awkward moments.
We hope that the information and advice will be useful and make your trip even more enjoyable.
Contrary to popular belief, Arabs are not a single people. This is only a collective name for the Semitic peoples, who, for historical reasons, united into a single Arabic-speaking people.
IN modern world Arabs live in North Africa and western Asia. Different cultures, under the influence of the Arab Caliphate and Islamic culture, acquired common features, but still retained their own characteristics.
Today, Arabic cuisine most often refers to Lebanese and Syrian cuisines. The latter is most common in the United Arab Emirates and is known far beyond the Middle Eastern region as classic Arab cuisine. In general, Arab cuisine is conventionally divided into three components: Mediterranean, Syrian and Arabian.
The culinary traditions of the indigenous inhabitants of the Arab states (Egypt, Algeria, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Libya) have some differences and at the same time many common features, such as the use of the same ingredients, the same methods of preparing similar dishes. Moreover, some of them are almost identical, only the names differ from region to region. For example, an Iraqi dish kuzi in Syria it's called haruf bir-rizz, and in the Maghreb countries (Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco) it is known to many couscous. That is why it is customary to talk about a single Arab national cuisine.
Arabian cuisine
The Arab tribes on the Arabian Peninsula initially had a meager and rather monotonous cuisine. With the beginning of a sedentary lifestyle and the establishment of contacts with other peoples and countries, the range of products increased, and accordingly, new dishes began to appear.
The main diet of the Bedouins usually consists of legumes (beans, lentils), dates, bread (flatbread), milk (goat or camel), rice appeared later. Few people eat meat on ordinary days - this is a product exclusively for major holidays. During weddings or in honor of the birth of a child, according to tradition, the goat is baked whole and served with boiled rice.
It is sometimes said that "the Arabs live on dates, bread, rice and milk." But this is far from true and has not been the case for a long time, unless we are talking about nomadic Bedouins. Arab culture, and with it cooking, like a sponge, absorbed the best traditions of other civilizations, including Persian, Indian and Ottoman. This gives it sophistication and makes it unique in its own way.
Syrian cuisine
Every Russian is more or less familiar with it through the widespread and well-known shawarma. True, here it is rarely prepared correctly and more often than not it only vaguely resembles the original dish. It's not so much about the ingredients, but about the cooking process. For example, just a heated flatbread is spread with yogurt or butter, and only then the filling is put into it.
Syrian cuisine is distinguished by the fact that the dishes here consist of finely chopped ingredients, and they like to stuff vegetables. Cereals and fresh vegetables are widely used, and olive oil is a favorite. Many dishes are labor-intensive: they go through several stages of preparation. However, it is Syrian cuisine that is distinguished by its dietary dishes. The food here is not as greasy and spicy as others. There are no separate soups or side dishes; many dishes are some kind of mix.
Very often used for cooking dairy products. One of the famous yogurt dishes is lyabna. This is thick yogurt seasoned with olive oil, mint and pickled cheese.
When the hostess wants to be praised more, she treats her guests to dishes using yogurt. The fact is that yogurt is very difficult to prepare: it must be constantly stirred over low heat, without leaving the stove for a minute.
Syrian cuisine is rich in sweets and desserts. Probably in this she is superior to other nations. The most common oriental sweet is baklava, which is also very popular here. Also popular among Syrians sherbet(sherbet), which is distinguished by its variety. You can highlight such a dessert as kunafa- dough with nuts, cream or cheese, filled with syrup.
Mediterranean Kitchen
Maghreb cooking is usually classified as Mediterranean Arabic cuisine. Although traditional Arabian-Syrian dishes have become integral part Maghrebian cuisine, they are not the main ones in this region. Here you can try national dishes of Mediterranean European countries, and you can also feel the presence of the traditional diet of the peoples of Africa.
The peculiarity of the Arabs of Morocco and Algeria is the widespread use of spices. Most often used here are red (hot) and black pepper, cumin, ginger, cinnamon and saffron. In the Maghreb, more than anywhere else in the Arab world, fish and other seafood.
Sharia law allows it to be eaten, therefore, for example, in Morocco it is a kind of delicacy. Locusts are even called “desert shrimp” here. They say that when well dried, this insect tastes like tender smoked herring. In desert areas, locusts are roasted over fires, some make flatbreads out of them, and some even add locusts to main dishes such as couscous.
Maghreb Arabs are very fond of soups and stews. The most common national dish made from lentils is called Harira. It is often prepared for iftars during the holy month of Ramadan.
Cold appetizers, of which there are also a great variety, are a must on the Maghreb table. As is usually the case, the difference between the feasts of rich and less wealthy families lies in the quantity and ingredients of the dishes. And only the main dish - couscous - is both everyday and festive, the food of both the poor and the rich. The most common side dish in the Maghreb is served with a gravy of meat and vegetables. They put it in butter, and sometimes just sour milk - it all depends on the financial situation of the owners.
Another everyday dish, common in particular in Libya, is called asida(or basina). This is a porridge made from corn, barley or wheat flour, brewed with boiling water. Some people add ghee and honey to it; sheep or camel fat can serve as a substitute.
In general, Maghreb Arab cuisine is very unusual and simple at the same time. And each region where Arabs live has its own “local imprint”, which makes their traditional cuisine unique.
Situated at the crossroads of Africa and Asia, Egypt has a lot to offer that is delicious and original. Egyptian cuisine has incorporated dishes from other eastern countries; Egyptian chefs have adapted recipes from Turkish, Lebanese, Syrian and Greek cuisines to suit Egyptian tastes. Simple national dishes are prepared with plenty of fresh and ripe fruits and vegetables, and seasoned with a small amount of spices, although Egyptian dishes are rarely spicy.
Every meal is accompanied by bread, which is called “aish”. Traditional bread "aish baladi" (Baladi bread) is a round and fragrant flatbread made from wholemeal flour, rolled in ground wheat. It is split in half, like Greek pita, and filled with various fillings. And of course, it is an integral part of mezze - snacks that you can order in many restaurants. Dip slices of bread in baba ghannuugh (eggplant dip with olive oil and garlic), hummus (chickpea paste) and tahina (chickpea paste). sesame seeds) Then try cold or hot wara inab - grape leaf rolls stuffed with minced meat and rice. And have a bite different salads: torshi (pickled vegetable salad) and tabulah (bulgur salad, parsley, tomatoes and onions, dressed with lemon juice and olive oil). Perhaps after such appetizers, the remaining dishes will not be ordered.
Along with bread, the daily diet includes legumes, fuul. They are prepared in different ways, for example in fuul midamess, when the beans are boiled with vegetables and bean puree is made with tomatoes, onions and spices. This dish is served with an egg for breakfast, and without an egg for lunch or dinner. You can buy Fuul bread from stalls on the street.
Chickpeas and beans are included in many national dishes, they are ground or mashed into a paste and added to tahini and hummus with lots of garlic.
There is no Egyptian lunch without rice and bread. Most Egyptians use meat in small quantities, and cook it with vegetables or serve it with rice. With lamb or beef they make torly, a vegetable goulash with onions, marjoram and lemon juice. Kofta is very popular - meatballs made from minced meat with spices and onions, which are put on skewers and served with traditional side dishes: rice, lentils, herbs, tomato salad, tahini sauce and bread.
Thanks to the proximity of the Red Sea, Egyptian cuisine offers a wide variety of fish dishes. The most common dish in restaurants is assorted fish. There are a lot of specialized fish restaurants. In addition to the usual snapper, try shrimp (hambari), squid (calamari), scallops (gandofli) and eel (ti"baan). Tender deep-fried eel meat can be easily purchased from street vendors.
Rice and vegetables
Rice is often cooked with nuts, onions and vegetables. In Egyptian cuisine, it is customary to stuff green leafy vegetables with various mixtures with rice, for example, wara inab - rolls of grape leaves stuffed with a mixture of spiced rice and a small amount of minced meat. Traditional salad, unchanged for the Egyptian table, are chopped tomatoes, coriander, mint, some green hot peppers and onions, seasoned with garlic oil. The Egyptian dish mussaka is also prepared with eggplant, which is the main ingredient of baba ganoush: fried eggplant is layered with minced meat, sprinkled with cheese and baked. Recipes often use okra, white and cauliflower and potatoes, for example, stewed with tomatoes and garlic.
Hamaam - grilled pigeon stuffed with rice - is considered a national delicacy. They are specially grown in different parts Egypt. Since pigeons are small, you need to order several at once, but they are difficult to eat, like any small bird. The most delicious pigeons are prepared in small local restaurants.
Egyptian desserts are usually drowned in honey syrup. Baklava (filo rolls with nuts and honey) is the least sweet of all desserts. You'll also find fatir pancakes with fillings ranging from eggs to apricots, and the extremely sweet basbousa dessert, made from semolina dough, soaked in honey and sprinkled with hazelnuts. At the end of dinner, many homes and restaurants serve fresh fruit: fresh figs, dates (of which there are more than 200 different varieties and sizes), oranges and pomegranates.
Coffee has always been and remains a national tradition - local residents often gather in cafes to drink coffee and discuss last news, play backgammon and listen to Egyptian music.
A special treat is fruit juices. Small shop owners often mix fruit juices with ice and sugar syrup to create a delicious hot weather drink.
As in any Muslim country, alcohol is not welcome and is very expensive for tourists. However, Stella, the local beer, has a mild taste and comes in large bottles, ideal to quench your thirst in this hot country.
Wine cream and papyrus.
Take a few eggs, break them, mix with melted honey and fresh grape juice. Boil red wine and mix with all ingredients. Then beat everything until foamy. Finally, add the pomegranate seeds.
The recipe belongs to the ancient Egyptians and is written on papyrus.
Some Egyptian names of dishes and products:
Tahini - sesame seed paste
Babaghanoush - eggplant puree with olive oil and garlic
Ta"ameya - cutlets with a side dish of beans
Kofta – minced lamb or beef cutlets
Kebab - well-marinated lamb or beef, grilled on skewers
Kalaoui - fried kidneys
Mayya ma"daniyya - water
Ahwa - coffee
Baklava - phyllo dough rolls stuffed with nuts and honey
Hamaam - pigeons
Torly - vegetable goulash with onions, potatoes, beans and peas
Hummus - chickpea paste
Fuul - thick bean sauce
Aish or aysh - Egyptian bread
