Famous & Must-Try Typical Foods of the United Arab Emirates

Offering sunny weather, political stability, and the ease of obtaining a residence visa make many people want to visit the United Arab Emirates. Moreover, there are many famous icons here whose popularity reaches the international world. Just mention the website of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world located in Dubai.

Apart from the abundance of tourist destinations, the United Arab Emirates, which consists of seven states, also has various special foods with super delicious flavors. So it would be a shame if you didn’t taste it when you visited. The following is a list of famous and must-try typical foods from the United Arab Emirates.

Shawarma

Shawarma is widely believed to have originated from Turkey, you can even find this food when traveling in the Arabian peninsula. However, the United Arab Emirates also has a special menu that comes from lamb. Where the lamb will be processed by smoking, then served with garlic sauce, vegetables, pickles and also fried potatoes.

The shape almost resembles a kebab, because shawarma is often served with bread. That is also the reason why this dish is often chosen as a breakfast menu. Apart from lamb, shawarma can also contain a mixture of buffalo, beef and chicken.

Which is then sprinkled with pieces of hummus, tomato, cucumber, tahini, tabbouleh, amba, and fattoush. So you can modify the meat filling and vegetable mixture yourself. If you don’t like lamb, you can ask the seller whether they provide shawarma with beef or chicken.

Tabbouleh

The Arabian Peninsula is synonymous with various menus originating from lamb. If you are not a meat lover, you should know a typical Dubai food that is suitable for vegetarians, namely tabbouleh. This food, which is believed to have originated from Syria, is made from chopped tomatoes, parsley, bulgur, mint and chives. This food is seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice and salt.

There are also people who add garlic and lettuce. You can also replace the bulgur with couscous. Just adjust it to your taste and enjoy traditional Dubai food that was included in the 2014 Golden Globers.

Baleelat

This typical Dubai food is a combination of sweet and salty elements. Baleelat is a breakfast menu made from omelettes and vermicelli. For taste, add cinnamon, sugar, cardamom, turmeric and orange blossom or rose water. Then the spices are added to the sweet vermicelli and then topped with a thin omelet.

At the same time, baleelat can be used as a breakfast food as well as a dessert. This food is always part of the fast-breaking menu and Eid al-Fitr celebrations in the United Arab Emirates. Foods that are close to baleelat can be found in the cuisines of other countries, such as faloodeh from Persia and sheer khurma from India which is a similar ceremonial dish made from vermicelli.

As a breakfast menu, baleelat is served warm. Meanwhile, when consumed as a dessert, baleelat is served cold. To accompany the baleelat, you can also serve garbanzo beans and black beans. According to legend, balaleet became part of Emirati cuisine when the people experimented with pasta.

Luqaimat

The origin of the name of this food comes from Arabic, luqma, which means bite or mouthful. According to the story, lokma was first made in Turkey by the chef of the sultan of the Ottoman Empire although the oldest documentation of a similar meal was even found in the tomb of Ramesses IV.

In traditional UAE cuisine, luqaimat is also one of the most popular dishes. Apart from that, this food also often appears at various UAE cultural events. This food looks like pastry and this food always appears on different special occasions. This delicious cake is shaped like a smooth golden ball that melts in your mouth when you bite into it.