Yemeni cuisine
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Yemeni cuisine is distinct from the wider
Middle Eastern cuisine Middle Eastern cuisine or West Asian cuisine includes Arab, Armenian, Assyrian, Azerbaijani, Cypriot, Egyptian, Georgian, Iranian, Iraqi, Israeli, Kurdish, Lebanese, Palestinian and Turkish cuisines. Common ingredients include olives and ol ...
s, but with a degree of regional variation. Although some foreign influences are evident in some regions of the country (with Ottoman influences showing in
Sanaa Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء, ' , Yemeni Arabic: ; Old South Arabian: 𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥 ''Ṣnʿw''), also spelled Sana'a or Sana, is the capital and largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate. The city is not part of the Governo ...
, while
Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...
influence is evident in the southern areas around
Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...
and
Mukalla Mukalla ( ar, ٱلْمُكَلَّا, ') is a seaport and the capital city of Yemen's largest governorate, Hadhramaut. The city is in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula on the Gulf of Aden, on the shores of the Arabian Sea, about east of ...
), the Yemeni kitchen is based on similar foundations across the country.


Customs

The generous offering of food to guests is one of the customs in
Yemeni culture The culture of Yemen has an ancient cultural history, influenced by Islam. Due to its unique geographic location, Yemen has acquired a very distinctive culture from its neighbors, historically and culturally. Literature Literature in Yemen ...
, and a guest not accepting the offering is considered as an insult. Meals are typically consumed while sitting on the floor or ground. Unlike the tradition in most Arab countries, lunch is the main meal of the day in Yemen, not dinner.


Food preparation

In Yemen, many kitchens have a ''
tandoor A tandoor ( or ) is a large urn-shaped oven, usually made of clay, originating from the Indian Subcontinent. Since antiquity, tandoors have been used to bake unleavened flatbreads, such as roti and naan, as well as to roast meat. The tandoor ...
'' (also called ''tannur''), which is a round clay oven.


Fruits and vegetables

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,
onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion ...
s, and
potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...
es are some of the staple fruits and vegetables in Yemen.


Meat and dairy

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 ...
,
goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...
, and
lamb Lamb or The Lamb may refer to: * A young sheep * Lamb and mutton, the meat of sheep Arts and media Film, television, and theatre * ''The Lamb'' (1915 film), a silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in his screen debut * ''The Lamb'' (1918 ...
are the staple
meat Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...
s in Yemen. They are eaten more often than
beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantity ...
.
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 ...
is also eaten, especially in the coastal areas.
Cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...
,
butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condiment ...
, and other
dairy product Dairy products or milk products, also known as lacticinia, are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, nanny goat, and ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food items in th ...
s are less common in the Yemeni diet.
Buttermilk Buttermilk is a fermented dairy drink. Traditionally, it was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cultured cream. As most modern butter in western countries is not made with cultured cream but uncultured sweet cream, most mod ...
, however, is enjoyed almost daily in some villages where it is most available. The most commonly used
fat In nutrition science, nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such chemical compound, compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers spec ...
s are
vegetable oil Vegetable oils, or vegetable fats, are oils extracted from seeds or from other parts of fruits. Like animal fats, vegetable fats are ''mixtures'' of triglycerides. Soybean oil, grape seed oil, and cocoa butter are examples of seed oils, or fat ...
and
ghee Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from India. It is commonly used in India for cooking, as a traditional medicine, and for religious rituals. Description Ghee is typically prepared by simmering butter, which is churned from c ...
used in savory dishes, while
clarified butter Clarified butter is milk fat rendered from butter to separate the milk solids and water from the butterfat. Typically, it is produced by melting butter and allowing the components to separate by density. The water evaporates, some solids (i.e. w ...
, known as '' semn'' (سمن), is the choice of fat used in
pastries Pastry is baked food made with a dough of flour, water and shortening (solid fats, including butter or lard) that may be savoury or sweetened. Sweetened pastries are often described as '' bakers' confectionery''. The word "pastries" suggests ...
. Pork consumption is forbidden to Muslims in Yemen, in accordance with
Islamic dietary laws Islamic dietary laws are dietary laws that Muslims follow. Islamic jurisprudence specifies which foods are '' '' (, "lawful") and which are '' '' (, "unlawful"). The dietary laws are found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, as well as in coll ...
.


Legumes

Broad beans ''Vicia faba'', commonly known as the broad bean, fava bean, or faba bean, is a species of vetch, a flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated as a crop for human consumption, and also as a cover crop. Var ...
are used in Yemeni dishes, such as
bean salad Bean salad is a common cold salad composed of various cooked beans – typically green, wax, kidney, and/or lima beans - tossed in a sweet-sour vinaigrette. Variant ingredients include fresh raw onions, bell pepper, and/or other cooked or raw v ...
.
Lentil 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 pro ...
s are also used in dishes such as stews.


Yemeni dishes


Breakfast dishes

Yemeni people prefer to have warm dishes in the morning. Typically, the meal would often consist of different types of pastries with a cup of Yemeni coffee or tea. A more hearty meal would often include
legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...
s,
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 ...
, or even roasted
meat Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...
or
kebab Kebab (, ; ar, كباب, link=no, Latn, ar, kabāb, ; tr, kebap, link=no, ) or kabob (North American) is a type of cooked meat dish that originates from cuisines of the Middle East. Many variants of the category are popular around the wor ...
, which is usually served with a type of bread either aside or as a sandwich. People in Yemen also make a breakfast dish that is made from lamb or beef liver, which is considered a bizarre delicacy to non-Yemenis. Dishes common at breakfast include '' fattah'', '' fatoot'', ''
ful medames Ful medames ( ar, فول مدمس, ' ; other spellings include ''ful mudammas'' and '' foule mudammes''), or simply fūl, is a stew of cooked fava beans served with olive oil, cumin, and optionally with chopped parsley, garlic, onion, lemon juic ...
'', '' mutabbaq'', and ''
shakshouka Shakshouka ( ar, شكشوكة : šakšūkah, also spelled ''shakshuka'' or ''chakchouka'') is a Maghrebi dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, onion and garlic, commonly spiced with cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper ...
''.


Lunch dishes

Unlike most countries, lunch is the main meal of the day in Yemen, not dinner. The largest amount of meat, poultry, and grains are consumed at lunch. Dishes common at lunch include: * '' Aseed''—a dish made from a cooked wheat-flour lump of dough, sometimes with added butter or honey * ''
Fahsa Fahsa ( ar, فحسة, Fahsa) is a Yemeni stew. It is made of lamb cutlets with lamb broth. Spices and hilbah (a dip made with fenugreek) are added after cooking. See also * List of lamb dishes * List of stews This is a list of notable stews ...
''—a Yemeni stew made from lamb cutlets with lamb broth * '' Fattah''—a dish made with pieces of fresh, toasted, grilled, or stale flatbread covered with other ingredients * ''
Haneeth Haneed , also known as ''hanida'' ( ar, الحنيذ) is a slow-roasted lamb dish from Yemen, It is also a shared dish in places like Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and parts of Somalia and Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiy ...
''—a slow-roasted lamb dish cooked in a ''tannour'' with a spice rub, usually served on a plate of rice * ''
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 ...
''—boiled, cracked, or coarsely ground wheat, mixed with meat and seasoned * ''
Jachnun Jachnun or Jahnun ( he, גַ'חְנוּן, , ) is a Yemenite Jewish pastry, originating from the Adeni Jews, and traditionally served on ''Shabbat'' morning. Yemenite Jewish immigrants have popularized the dish in Israel. Preparation Jahnun is p ...
''—a Yemenite Jewish pastry, traditionally served on
Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...
morning * ''
Kabsa ), ''makbūs/machbūs'' ( ar, مكبوس/مچبوس) , country = Saudi Arabia , region = Arabian Peninsula , creator = , course = Meal , served = , main_ingredient = Rice (usually long-grain, ...
''—a mixed rice dish, served on a communal platter * ''Komroh''—made with fava beans, garlic, ghee, black pepper, and salt * ''
Mandi Mandi may refer to: Places * Mandı, Azerbaijan India * Mandi, Jammu and Kashmir, a town on the Mandi River in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir * Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, a city in Himachal Pradesh ** Mandi State, former princely sta ...
''—meat and rice with a special blend of spices, cooked in a pit underground * ''Samak mofa'' * '' Shafut''— typically made with ''
lahoh Lahoh ( or , ar, لحوح, laḥūḥ, ) ), is a spongy, flat pancake-like bread that originated from Somalia.Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi, ''Culture and Customs of Somalis'', (Greenwood Press: 2001), p. 113. It is a type of flat bread eaten re ...
'' (a sourdough flatbread) or shredded bread, ''hakeen'' (traditional buttermilk) or
yogurt Yogurt (; , from tr, yoğurt, also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial Fermentation (food), fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yogurt are known as ''yogurt cultures''. Fermentation of sugars in t ...
, ''
zhug Zhug ( he, סְחוּג, s'ḥug), sahawiq (Yemeni Arabic: ) or bisbas (Somali language, Somali: ) is a hot sauce originating in Yemeni cuisine. In other countries of the Arabian Peninsula it is also called ma'booj ( ar, معبوج}). Etymolo ...
'', and
leek The leek is a vegetable, a cultivar of ''Allium ampeloprasum'', the broadleaf wild leek ( syn. ''Allium porrum''). The edible part of the plant is a bundle of leaf sheaths that is sometimes erroneously called a stem or stalk. The genus ''Alli ...
*''Shawiyah'' * '' Thareed''—pieces of bread in a vegetable or meat broth * ''Zurbiyan''—a dish made with lamb, rice, and saffron


National dish

After Yemen united in 1990, both North and South Yemen had similar cuisines. Despite its regional variations, ''
saltah Saltah (Arabic: سلتة) is a traditional Yemeni dish. ''Saltah'' is considered to be the national dish of Yemen. In the Ottoman Empire, ''saltah'' was used as a charitable food and was made with leftover food that was donated by the wealthy o ...
'' is considered to be the
national dish A national dish is a culinary dish that is strongly associated with a particular country. A dish can be considered a national dish for a variety of reasons: * It is a staple food, made from a selection of locally available foodstuffs that can be ...
of Yemen. The most common dishes consumed all over Yemen are made with rice and lamb. There are many ways of preparing lamb in Yemen. In general though, the lamb is usually bone-in large chunks. It can be boiled in its broth and called '' maraq'', it can be roasted in an oven like ''
haneeth Haneed , also known as ''hanida'' ( ar, الحنيذ) is a slow-roasted lamb dish from Yemen, It is also a shared dish in places like Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and parts of Somalia and Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiy ...
'', or underground like ''
mandi Mandi may refer to: Places * Mandı, Azerbaijan India * Mandi, Jammu and Kashmir, a town on the Mandi River in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir * Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, a city in Himachal Pradesh ** Mandi State, former princely sta ...
''.


Yemeni bread varieties

Bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...
s are an integral part of Yemeni cuisine, most of which are prepared from local grains. Unleavened
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 ...
s are common. ''Ṣalūf'', a flatbread made from wheat flour, is the most common of all breadstuffs. The dough is allowed to ferment with ''ḫamīrah'', while some would baste the surface of the dough with a prepared batch of unseasoned fenugreek (''ḥilba'') prior to baking. These were almost always baked at home in an earthenware oven called '' tannour'' (تنور) in Arabic, the size of each bread roughly being in thickness with a diameter of to . ''Khobz al tawa'', ', '' malooga'', ''kader'', '' kubane'', '' fateer'', ''kudam'', ''oshar'', ''khameer'', and ''
mulawah Khubz mulawah ( ar, خبز ملوح), mulawah ( ar, ملوح), or rashush ( ar, رشوش) is a Yemeni flatbread that is baked in a traditional tannur in Yemeni cuisine. A similar bread, malawach, has been brought to Israel by Yemenite Jews . ...
'' are also popular breads eaten in Yemen. ''Malooj'', ''
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 ...
'', and ''khamir'' are popular homemade breads. Store-bought
pita bread Pita ( or ) or pitta (British English), is a family of yeast-leavened round flatbreads baked from wheat flour, common in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and neighboring areas. It includes the widely known version with an interior pocket, also ...
and ''
roti Roti (also known as chapati) is a round flatbread native to the Indian subcontinent. It is popular in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, Trinid ...
'' (bread rolls like
French bread This is a list of notable French breads, consisting of breads that originated in France. * Baguette – a long, thin type of bread of French origin. The "baguette de tradition française" is made from wheat flour, water, yeast, and common sal ...
) are also common.


Other Yemeni grain dishes

* '' ʻAṣīṭ''—
sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many othe ...
meal,
cornmeal Cornmeal is a meal (coarse flour) or a cell membrane ground from dried corn. It is a common staple food, and is ground to coarse, medium, and fine consistencies, but not as fine as wheat flour can be.Herbst, Sharon, ''Food Lover's Companion'', ...
, or green
barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...
meal made into a thick paste after being boiled in water. Before eating, ''samneh'' or oil is added. Some eat ''ʻaṣīṭ'' during the afternoon meal (usually scooped up with one's fingers), where soup and meat are served, while others place it in the soup, along with '' ḥilba'' ("fenugreek dollop"). * '' Harīš''—a thick dish (
groats Groats (or in some cases, "berries") are the hulled kernels of various cereal grains, such as oat, wheat, rye, and barley. Groats are whole grains that include the cereal germ and fiber-rich bran portion of the grain, as well as the endospe ...
), made with cracked wheat, – of the kernel's full size, known collectively as ''ğašūš''. There are some who add ''samneh'' (
clarified butter Clarified butter is milk fat rendered from butter to separate the milk solids and water from the butterfat. Typically, it is produced by melting butter and allowing the components to separate by density. The water evaporates, some solids (i.e. w ...
), honey or sugar to ''harīš''.
:In Yemen, ''harīš'' is usually eaten on cold winter mornings, and, because of perceived health benefits, is given to women during the first weeks after childbirth, also to the infirm, the weak, and the frail.
:Similarly, ''harīs'' is a thick grain dish (groats), made with broken wheat, rice, lentils or beans, pre-cooked in water with an added fatty portion of meat or bone marrow, along with vegetables—spring onions (scallions),
garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...
, tomatoes, and more.
* ''Maṭīṭ''—a thin, farinaceous dish (porridge), made with ground wheat or barley (''maṭīṭ šiʻīr''), drunk with ''samneh'', and occasionally with grated onions or sweet marjoram, which gives it a bitter taste.Avshalom Mizrachi, ''The Yemenite Cuisine'', first published in ''Bat-Teman'' (Heb. "Daughter of Yemen"), edited by Shalom Seri, Tel-Aviv 1993, p. 99 (Hebrew) * ''Našūf''—a thin, grain-based dish (porridge), made with broken wheat, cooked with either ''samneh'', sugar or honey, and sipped from a bowl, usually for breakfast. Villagers cook ''našūf'' with sour milk, adding '' zḥug'' (a hot cayenne-pepper sauce) for added flavoring, a dish known locally as ''našūf ʻalā zūm''.


Spices

A spice mixture known as ''
hawaij Hawaij ( ar, حوايج, he, חוויג'/חוואיג'), also spelled hawayej or hawayij (which simply just means “mixture” in Arabic), is a variety of Yemeni ground spice mixtures used primarily for soups and Yemeni coffee. The basic mixtu ...
'' is employed in many Yemeni dishes. ''Hawaij'' includes
aniseed Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to Eurasia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, such as star anise, fennel, licorice, and tar ...
s, fennel seeds,
ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices ...
, and
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 ...
. Yemeni cuisine is often prepared hot and spicy with the use of
chili pepper Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for ...
s,
cumin Cumin ( or , or Article title
) (''Cuminum cyminum'') is a
coriander seeds,
turmeric Turmeric () is a flowering plant, ''Curcuma longa'' (), of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the rhizomes of which are used in cooking. The plant is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asi ...
, and other
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. Herbs such as fenugreek,
mint MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaA ...
, and
cilantro Coriander (;
are also used. Fenugreek is used as one of the main ingredients in the preparation of a paste or sauce called ''holba'' (also spelled ''hulba''). A popular spice used in breads (including '' kubane'' and '' sabayah'') is
black cumin Black cumin can refer to the seeds of either of two quite different plants, both of which are used as spices: * ''Elwendia persica'', black cumin is considered similar to caraway, but they are two distinctly different plants. The seeds differ dr ...
, which is also known by its Arabic name ''habasoda'' (''habbat as sowda'').


Desserts and sweets

'' Bint al-sahn'' (''sabayah'') is a sweet honey cake or bread from Yemeni cuisine. It is prepared from a dough with
white 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 cultures ...
, eggs, and
yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitut ...
, which is then served dipped in a honey and butter mixture. Other common desserts include fresh fruit (
mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...
es,
banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...
s,
grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...
s, etc.), '' baklawa'', ''
basbousa Basbousa () is a sweet, syrup-soaked semolina cake that originated in Egypt. The semolina batter is baked in a sheet pan, then sweetened with orange flower water, rose water or simple syrup, and typically cut into diamond (lozenge) shapes or squar ...
'', '' kunafah'', '' zalābiya'', ''
halwa Halva (also halvah, halwa, and other spellings, Persian : حلوا) is a type of confectionery originating from Persia and widely spread throughout the Middle East. The name is used for a broad variety of recipes, generally a thick paste made f ...
'', ''rawani'', and '' masoob''. ''Masoob'' is a banana-based dessert made from over-ripe
banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...
s, ground
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 ...
,
cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...
, cheese,
dates Date or dates may refer to: *Date (fruit), the fruit of the date palm (''Phoenix dactylifera'') Social activity *Dating, a form of courtship involving social activity, with the aim of assessing a potential partner **Group dating * Play date, a ...
, and honey.


Honey

In Yemen,
honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...
is produced within the country, and is considered a delicacy. Locally produced honey is in high demand, and it is also considered as a
status symbol A status symbol is a visible, external symbol of one's social position, an indicator of economic or social status. Many luxury goods are often considered status symbols. ''Status symbol'' is also a sociological term – as part of social and soci ...
in the country.


Beverages

'' Shahi haleeb'' (
milk tea Milk tea refers to several forms of beverage found in many cultures, consisting of some combination of tea and milk. The term milk tea is used for both hot and cold drinks that can be combined with various kinds of milks and a variety of spices. ...
, served after '' qat''),
black tea Black tea, also translated to red tea in various East Asian languages, is a type of tea that is more oxidized than oolong, yellow, white and green teas. Black tea is generally stronger in flavour than other teas. All five types are made from ...
(with
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 ...
,
clove Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (). They are native to the Maluku Islands (or Moluccas) in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring or fragrance in consumer products, ...
, or
mint MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaA ...
), ''
qishr ''Qishr'' ( ar, قشر ''geshir'', ''gishr'', ''kishr'') is an Southeastern Arabic traditional hot drink made of spiced coffee husks,Dresch, Paul, "A history of modern Yemen" ginger,Hestler, Anna, "Yemen" and sometimes cinnamon.Jacob, Jeanne, ...
'' (coffee husks), '' qahwa'' (Arabic coffee), '' karkade'' (an infusion of dried hibiscus flowers), ''
naqe'e al zabib Naqe'e Al Zabib ( ar, نقيع الزبيب – ''raisin infusion'') is a Yemeni raisin beverage. Naqe'e Al Zabib is served fresh, and as the name implies (''zabīb'' means "raisins") it is made of grapes. It is similar to nabidh, an infusion that ...
'' (cold raisin drink), and ''diba'a'' (squash nectar) are examples of popular Yemeni drinks.
Mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...
and
guava Guava () is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava ''Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family ( Myrtaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, the ...
juices are also popular. Although
coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...
and
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 ...
are consumed throughout Yemen, coffee is the preferred drink in
Sana'a Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء, ' , Yemeni Arabic: ; Old South Arabian: 𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥 ''Ṣnʿw''), also spelled Sana'a or Sana, is the capital and largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate. The city is not part of the Governo ...
, whereas
black tea Black tea, also translated to red tea in various East Asian languages, is a type of tea that is more oxidized than oolong, yellow, white and green teas. Black tea is generally stronger in flavour than other teas. All five types are made from ...
is the beverage of choice in
Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...
and
Hadhramaut Hadhramaut ( ar, حَضْرَمَوْتُ \ حَضْرَمُوتُ, Ḥaḍramawt / Ḥaḍramūt; Hadramautic: 𐩢𐩳𐩧𐩣𐩩, ''Ḥḍrmt'') is a region in South Arabia, comprising eastern Yemen, parts of western Oman and southern Sau ...
. Tea is consumed along with breakfast, after lunch (occasionally with sweets and pastries), and along with dinner. Popular flavorings include
clove Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (). They are native to the Maluku Islands (or Moluccas) in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring or fragrance in consumer products, ...
s with
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
mint MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaA ...
. A drink made from coffee husks, called ''qishr'', is also enjoyed. Alcoholic beverages are considered improper due to cultural and religious reasons.


See also

*
Arab cuisine Arab cuisine ( ar, المطبخ العربي) is the cuisine of the Arabs, defined as the various regional cuisines spanning the Arab world, from the Maghreb to the Fertile Crescent and the Arabian Peninsula. These cuisines are centuries old an ...
*
Halas (food) Halas ( ar, حلص, Ḥlṣ) is a Yemeni food that is made of halaṣ leaf. The food is eaten during drought periods in Yemen. The halaṣ leaves have a very bitter taste but they are boiled in water until the taste is gone. It is then added to tr ...


References

{{Authority control Arab cuisine Middle Eastern cuisine