Kuwaiti cuisine is a fusion of

Arabian The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate. ...

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

, and

Mesopotamian Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...

cuisines. Kuwaiti cuisine is part of the

Eastern Arabian cuisine Eastern Arabian cuisine, also called Khaleeji cuisine ( ar, المطبخ الخليجي), is the traditional Arabic cuisine variant that is shared by the population in Eastern Arabia and areas around the Persian Gulf. Seafood is a very significan ...

. A prominent dish in Kuwaiti cuisine is ''

machboos ), ''makbūs/machbūs'' ( ar, مكبوس/مچبوس) , country = Saudi Arabia , region = Arabian Peninsula , creator = , course = Meal , served = , main_ingredient = Rice (usually long-grain, ...

'', a rice-based dish usually prepared with

basmati Basmati, , is a variety of long, slender-grained aromatic rice which is traditionally grown in India, Pakistan, and Nepal.

rice seasoned with spices, and chicken or mutton.

Seafood Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of molluscs (e.g. bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus an ...

is a significant part of the Kuwaiti diet, especially

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

. Mutabbaq samak is a national dish in Kuwait. Other local favourites are ''hamour'' (

grouper Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes. Not all serranids are called "groupers"; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name "grouper" is u ...

), which is typically served grilled, fried, or with

biryani Biryani () is a mixed rice dish originating among the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. It is made with Indian spices, rice, and usually some type of meat (chicken, beef, goat, lamb, prawn, fish) or in some cases without any meat, and so ...

rice because of its texture and taste; ''safi'' (

rabbitfish Rabbitfishes or spinefoots are perciform fishes in the family Siganidae. The 29 species are in a single genus, ''Siganus''. In some now obsolete classifications, the species having prominent face stripes—colloquially called foxfaces– ...

); ''maid'' ( mulletfish); and ''sobaity'' (

sea bream The Sparidae are a family of fish in the order Perciformes, commonly called sea breams and porgies. The sheepshead, scup, and red seabream are species in this family. Most sparids are deep-bodied compressed fish with a small mouth separated by a ...

). Kuwait's traditional

flatbread A flatbread is a bread made with flour; water, milk, yogurt, or other liquid; and salt, and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are unleavened, although some are leavened, such as pizza and pita bread. Flatbreads ran ...

is called Iranian ''

khubz Khubz, alternatively transliterated as ''khoubz'', ''khobez'', ''khubez'', or ''khubooz'', ), date=February 2022, is the usual word for "bread" in Standard Arabic and in many of the vernaculars. Among the breads popular in Middle Eastern countrie ...

''. It is a large flatbread baked in a special oven and it is often topped with sesame seeds. Numerous local bakeries dot the country; the bakers are mainly Iranians (hence the name of the bread, "Iranian ''khubuz''"). Bread is often served with

mahyawa Mahyawa or mehyawa ( fa, مهیاوه) is an Iranian cuisine tangy sauce made out of fermented fish. History Mahyawa originates in the southern coastal regions of Iran, but has become a popular food item in the Persian Gulf countries, brought by ...

fish sauce. There are many other cuisines available due to the international workforce in

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

Dishes

* ''

Biryani Biryani () is a mixed rice dish originating among the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. It is made with Indian spices, rice, and usually some type of meat (chicken, beef, goat, lamb, prawn, fish) or in some cases without any meat, and so ...

'' ( ar, برياني) – a very common dish, which consists of heavily seasoned rice cooked with chicken or lamb. Originally from the Indian sub-continent. * ''Gabout'' ( ar, قبوط), – stuffed flour

dumplings Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources), oftentimes wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour, buckwheat or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, ...

in a thick meat stew. * ''

Harees ''Harees'', ''jareesh'' ( ar, هريس), boko boko, or harisa () is a dish of boiled, cracked, or coarsely-ground wheat, mixed with meat and seasoned. Its consistency varies between a porridge and a gruel. Harees is a popular dish known throu ...

'' ( ar, هريس) – wheat cooked with meat then mashed, usually topped with

cinnamon sugar Cinnamon sugar is a mixture of ground cinnamon and granulated sugar used as a spice to flavor foods such as Belgian waffles, Snickerdoodle cookies, tortillas, coffee cake, French toast, and churros. It is also used to flavor apples, cereals, and ...

. * '' Jireesh'' (''Yireesh'') ( ar, جريش) – a mash of cooked spelt with chicken or lamb,

tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...

es, and some

spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices a ...

s. * ''

Machboos ), ''makbūs/machbūs'' ( ar, مكبوس/مچبوس) , country = Saudi Arabia , region = Arabian Peninsula , creator = , course = Meal , served = , main_ingredient = Rice (usually long-grain, ...

'' ( ar, مجبوس) – a dish made with

mutton Lamb, hogget, and mutton, generically sheep meat, are the meat of domestic sheep, ''Ovis aries''. A sheep in its first year is a lamb and its meat is also lamb. The meat from sheep in their second year is hogget. Older sheep meat is mutton. Gen ...

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

, or

accompanied over fragrant rice that has been cooked in chicken/mutton well-spiced broth.Riolo, 2007, p.23 - 24 * ''Mashkhool'' ( ar, مشخول) – white rice and at the bottom of the pot, there are rings of onion with turmeric and black pepper. and sometimes potatoes and eggplants are also added at the bottom of the pot. * mashwi jeder '' ( ar, مشوي جدر) – white rice with beef or chicken, onions, potatoes and spices all at the bottom of the pot and then flipped upside down on a plate. *Maidem (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

: ميدم) – a white rice and on top of it ground fish mixed with spices. * ''Marabyan'' ( ar, مربين) – a rice cooked with either fresh or dry shrimp. * '' Maglooba'' ( ar, مقلوبة) – rice cooked with meat and potatoes and eggplant. * ''Margoog'' ( ar, مرقوق) – vegetable stew, usually containing squash and eggplant, cooked with thin pieces of rolled out dough. * ''Mumawwash'' ( ar, مموش) – rice cooked with green

lentils The lentil (''Lens culinaris'' or ''Lens esculenta'') is an edible legume. It is an annual plant known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each. As a food crop, the largest produ ...

and can be topped with dry

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

. * Muaddas ( ar, معدس) – rice cooked with red lentils and can be topped with dry shrimp. * '' Mutabbaq samak'' ( ar, مطبق سمك) – fish served over rice. Rice is cooked in well-spiced fish stock. * ''

Quzi Quzi ( ar, قوزي), also spelled as qoozi or ghoozi, is a rice-based dish popular and is considered as one of Iraq's national dishes. It is served with very slowly cooked lamb, roasted nuts, and raisins served over rice.eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

, and other ingredients.

Sauces and soups

* Daqqus ( ar, دقوس) – Type of tomato sauce served alongside rice * Mabboj ( ar, معبوج}) – It is hot sauce, red or green pepper mixed with other ingredients. *

Mahyawa Mahyawa or mehyawa ( fa, مهیاوه) is an Iranian cuisine tangy sauce made out of fermented fish. History Mahyawa originates in the southern coastal regions of Iran, but has become a popular food item in the Persian Gulf countries, brought by ...

( ar, مهياوة) – a tangy

fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, P ...

. * Marrag ( ar, مرق }) – It is a type of

broth Broth, also known as bouillon (), is a savory liquid made of water in which meat, fish or vegetables have been simmered for a short period of time. It can be eaten alone, but it is most commonly used to prepare other dishes, such as soups, ...

with tomato paste and a variety of vegetables and spices. *

Lentil soup Lentil soup is a soup with lentils as its main ingredient; it may be vegetarian or include meat, and may use brown, red, yellow, green or black lentils, with or without the husk. Dehulled yellow and red lentils disintegrate in cooking, making a ...

Desserts

Asida Asida ( ar, عصيدة, ‘aṣīdah) is a dish with origins from the Maghreb. It is a lump of dough, obtained by stirring wheat flour into boiling water, sometimes with added butter or honey. Similar in texture to fufu, it is eaten in mainly ...

( ar, عصيدة) – a dish made up of cooked wheat flour, with added butter or honey. * ''

Balaleet Balaleet ( ar, بلاليط) is a traditional sweet and savoury dish popular in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. A popular breakfast choice, it traditionally consists of vermicelli sweetened with sugar, cardamom, rose water and saffron, and ...

'' ( ar, بلاليط) – sweet saffron noodles served with a savoury omelette on top. * ''Bayth elgitta'' ( ar, بيض القطا) – a fried

cookie A cookie is a baked or cooked snack or dessert that is typically small, flat and sweet. It usually contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of oil, fat, or butter. It may include other ingredients such as raisins, oats, chocolate chips, n ...

filled with a mixture of ground nuts and tossed in powdered sugar. It was named after the egg of the

crowned sandgrouse The crowned sandgrouse (''Pterocles coronatus'') is a species of bird in the sandgrouse family, the Pteroclidae from North Africa and the Middle East. Description A fairly small sandgrouse which appears rather uniformly coloured from a distance ...

(common to the area) due to its similar shape. * ''Darabeel'' ( ar, درابيل) – made from flour, eggs, milk and sugar formed into very thin rolled layers. Sometimes sugar, cardamom or cinnamon are added. * ''Lugaimat'' ( ar, لقيمات) – fried yeast dumplings topped with sugar syrup (sugar, saffron). * ''Gers ogaily'' ( ar, قرص عقيلي) – a traditional cake made with

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. They are rec ...

, and

saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of ''Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent i ...

. Traditionally served with

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and northe ...

. * '' Zalabia'' ( ar, زلابية) – fried dough soaked in syrup (

lemon The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...

, and

, it has a distinctive swirly shape. * Ghraiba – Delicate cookies made of flour, butter, powdered sugar and

. Usually served with

Arabic coffee Arabic coffee is a version of the brewed coffee of ''Coffea arabica'' beans. Most Arab countries throughout the Middle East have developed distinct methods for brewing and preparing coffee. Cardamom is an often-added spice, but it can alternative ...

. * ''

Khabees Khabees ( ar, الخبيص sometimes pronounce as Khabeesa) is a traditional sweet dish from Arab States of the Persian Gulf, and common in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. It is made of flour and oil and is ...

a'' – sweet dish made of flour and oil. * ''Sab Alqafsha'' (

Kuwaiti Arabic Kuwaiti (in Kuwaiti accent , ) is a Gulf Arabic dialect spoken in Kuwait. Kuwaiti Arabic shares many phonetic features unique to Gulf dialects spoken in the Arabian Peninsula. Due to Kuwait's soap opera industry, knowledge of Kuwaiti Arabic ha ...

: صب القفشة) – similar to lugaimat but with additional saffron and cardamom syrup. * ''Elba'' ( ar, ألبة) – Kuwaiti milk pudding with saffron and cardamom.

Beverages

Laban Laban is a French language, French surname. It may refer to: Places * Laban-e Olya, a village in Iran * Laban-e Sofla, a village in Iran * Laban, Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States * 8539 Laban, main-belt asteroid People ...

( ar, لبن) (yogurt milk)DiPiazza (2006) p.57 *

Sharbat Sharbat ( fa, شربت, ; also transliterated as ''shorbot'', ''šerbet'' or ''sherbet'') is a drink prepared from fruit or flower petals. It is a sweet cordial, and usually served chilled. It can be served in concentrated form and eaten with a ...

baithan * Black tea served in delicate cups called ''istikana'' *

* Kuwaiti tea *

Dried lime tea Dried lime tea, also known as chai noomi basra, noomi basra tea or loomi tea, is a type of herbal tea made from dried limes that is traditional to the Arab states of the Persian Gulf and Iraq. Preparation Loomi tea is made by seeding the dried ...

* Karak

* Different varieties of Arabic tea

References

Bibliography

* Al-Hamad, Sarah, 2015, Cardamom and Lime: Tastes of the Arabian Gul

Fox Chapel Publishing, * DiPiazza, Francesca Davis, 200
''Kuwait in Pictures''
Twenty-First Century Books, p. 56- 57, * Riolo, Amy, 2007
''Arabian Delights: Recipes & Princely Entertaining Ideas from the Arabian Peninsula''
Capital Books, p. 23- 24,

Dishes

Sauces and soups

Desserts

Beverages

See also

References

Bibliography

Further reading