Bahraini cuisine facts for kids
The cuisine of Bahrain is full of delicious dishes! You'll find popular meals like Biryani, Harees, and Machboos. The national drink is Qahwah, which is a special Arabic coffee.
Bahrain is a small island country in the Persian Gulf. Its food is a cool mix of flavors from many places. This is because Bahrain has been an important trading port for a very long time. People from Arabic, Persian, Indian, African, and European cultures have all shared their cooking styles here.
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Tasty Bahraini Dishes
Here are some common and yummy dishes you might find in Bahraini homes:
- Masli (Arabic: المصلي) - This dish features rice cooked with chicken, meat, fish, or shrimp. All the ingredients cook together in one pot.
- Biryani (Arabic: برياني) – A very popular dish with heavily seasoned rice. It's cooked with chicken or lamb. Biryani originally comes from India.
- Fi Ga'atah (Arabic: في قاعته) or Taht Al Aysh (Arabic: تحت العيش) - This is white rice cooked with tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplant. These vegetables are placed at the bottom of the pan.
- Harees (Arabic: هريس) – A comforting dish made from wheat cooked with meat. It's mashed until smooth and often topped with cinnamon sugar.
- Jireesh (Yireesh) (Arabic: جريش) – This is a mash of cooked spelt (a type of grain) with chicken or lamb. It also includes tomatoes and some spices.
- Machboos (Arabic: مجبوس) – A famous dish with mutton, chicken, or fish. It's served over fragrant rice. The rice is cooked in a well-spiced broth from the chicken or mutton.
- Mahyawa (Arabic: مهياوة) – A unique and tangy sauce made from fish.
- Mumawwash (Arabic: مموش) – Rice cooked with green lentils. It can be topped with dried shrimp for extra flavor.
- Muhammar (Arabic: محمر) – A special rice dish made with local rice and dates or sugar. It's one of Bahrain's most unique rice dishes. It's always served with fried fish, especially local net fish.
- Qouzi (Ghoozi) (Arabic: قوزي أو غوزي) – A grand Bahraini dish! It's a roasted lamb stuffed with rice, meat, eggs, and other tasty ingredients.
- Falafel (Arabic: فلافل) – These are fried chickpea balls. They are often served in sandwiches with vegetables. While not originally from Bahrain, they are very popular there.
- Al-Mudalal (Arabic: المدلل) – This dish features rice cooked with herbs. It's mixed with small pieces of chicken. A special kind of butter, made just for this dish, is then added.
Modern Bites in Bahrain
Bahrain is also known for Malghoom (Arabic: ملغوم). This is a popular sandwich wrap. It has Shawarma (sliced meat), a piece of cheese, Tahina sauce, hot sauce, salad, and fries. All these yummy ingredients are wrapped in a Chapati bread. Malghoom started in the early 2000s and became a hit in many cafeterias. More recently, in the late 2010s, many local coffee shops began serving Saffron latte and Rose latte.
Sweet Treats from Bahrain
After a delicious meal, it's time for dessert!
- Ghuraiba (Arabic: الغريبة) – These are brittle cookies. They are made from flour, butter, powdered sugar, and cardamom. Ghuraiba is usually served with Arabic coffee.
- Qirs Altaabi - A sweet dish made from flour, eggs, and ground cardamom. These ingredients form a paste that is heated on a hot surface.
- Khabeesa (Arabic: الخبيص) – A sweet dish made simply from flour and oil.
- Gaimat (Arabic: قيمات) or Luqaimat – These are sweet, fried yeast dumplings. They are soaked in a sweet saffron syrup (made with sugar, lemon, and saffron). Sometimes they are soaked in honey or date molasses.
- Khanfaroosh (Arabic: خنفروش) – A popular Bahraini fried dessert. It's prepared using molasses or milk. Khanfaroosh is often served for breakfast with a cup of tea or coffee.
- Zalabia (Arabic: زلابية) – This is fried dough soaked in syrup. The syrup is made from sugar, lemon, and saffron. Zalabia has a cool, distinctive swirly shape.
Popular Bahraini Drinks
Qahwah is the national drink of Bahrain. Tea is also very important and is often offered to guests as a sign of welcome. Other popular drinks include laban (a salty buttermilk drink) and different yogurt drinks. You can also find Sharbat (sweet drinks) like Rose Sharbat or Rose with Milk, and various soft drinks.
Bahrain imports most of its food. This is because the country has limited land for farming.
