Kuwaiti cuisine facts for kids
Kuwaiti cuisine is a tasty mix of Arabian, Iranian, and Mesopotamian foods. It's part of the wider Eastern Arabian cooking style. A very famous dish in Kuwait is machboos, which is a rice dish. It's usually made with fragrant basmati rice, lots of spices, and either chicken or lamb.
Seafood is a big part of what people eat in Kuwait, especially fish! Mutabbaq samak is known as a national dish. Other favorite fish include hamour (a type of grouper), which is often grilled or fried. People also enjoy safi (rabbitfish), maid (mulletfish), and sobaity (sea bream).
Kuwait's traditional flatbread is called Iranian khubz. It's a big, flat bread baked in a special oven. It often has sesame seeds on top. Many local bakeries make this bread. It's often eaten with a tangy fish sauce called mahyawa. Because many people from different countries work in Kuwait, you can find many other types of food there too!
Popular Dishes in Kuwait
Kuwaiti food has many delicious dishes. Here are some you might find:
- Biryani (Arabic: برياني) – This is a very common dish. It has heavily seasoned rice cooked with chicken or lamb. It originally came from India.
- Gabout (Arabic: قبوط) – These are flour dumplings stuffed with fillings. They are served in a thick meat stew.
- Harees (Arabic: هريس) – This dish is made from wheat cooked with meat. It's then mashed and often topped with cinnamon sugar.
- Jireesh (Yireesh) (Arabic: جريش) – This is a mash of cooked spelt grain. It's mixed with chicken or lamb, tomatoes, and 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.
- Mashkhool (Arabic: مشخول) – This dish has white rice. At the bottom of the pot, there are onion rings with turmeric and black pepper. Sometimes potatoes and eggplants are added too.
- Mashwi jeder (Arabic: مشوي جدر) – This dish has white rice with beef or chicken. Onions, potatoes, and spices are all at the bottom of the pot. Then, it's flipped upside down onto a plate.
- Maidem (Arabic: ميدم) – This is white rice topped with ground fish mixed with spices.
- Marabyan (Arabic: مربين) – Rice cooked with either fresh or dried shrimp.
- Maglooba (Arabic: مقلوبة) – Rice cooked with meat, potatoes, and eggplant.
- Margoog (Arabic: مرقوق) – A vegetable stew. It usually has squash and eggplant. It's cooked with thin pieces of rolled-out dough.
- Mumawwash (Arabic: مموش) – Rice cooked with green lentils. It can be topped with dried shrimp.
- Muaddas (Arabic: معدس) – Rice cooked with red lentils. It can also be topped with dried shrimp.
- Mutabbaq samak (Arabic: مطبق سمك) – Fish served over rice. The rice is cooked in a flavorful fish stock.
- Quzi (Arabic: قوزي) – Roasted lamb stuffed with rice, meat, eggs, and other ingredients.
Sauces and Soups
These are often served alongside main dishes:
- Daqqus (Arabic: دقوس) – A type of tomato sauce. It's usually served with rice.
- Mabboj (Arabic: معبوج) – This is a hot sauce. It's made from red or green peppers mixed with other ingredients.
- Mahyawa (Arabic: مهياوة) – A tangy fish sauce.
- Marrag (Arabic: مرق) – A type of broth made with tomato paste. It has a variety of vegetables and spices.
- Lentil soup – A warm and comforting soup made from lentils.
Sweet Desserts
Kuwait has many delicious sweets to enjoy:
- Asida (Arabic: عصيدة) – A dish made from cooked wheat flour. It has added butter or honey.
- Balaleet (Arabic: بلاليط) – Sweet saffron noodles. They are often served with a savory omelette on top.
- Bayth elgitta (Arabic: بيض القطا) – A fried cookie filled with ground nuts. It's tossed in powdered sugar. Its name means "cat's eggs" because of its shape.
- Darabeel (Arabic: درابيل) – Made from flour, eggs, milk, and sugar. It's formed into very thin rolled layers. Sometimes sugar, cardamom, or cinnamon are added.
- Lugaimat (Arabic: لقيمات) – Fried yeast dumplings. They are topped with a sweet sugar syrup that often has saffron.
- Gers ogaily (Arabic: قرص عقيلي) – A traditional cake. It's made with eggs, flour, sugar, cardamom, and saffron. It's usually served with tea.
- Zalabia (Arabic: زلابية) – Fried dough soaked in syrup. The syrup is made from sugar, lemon, and saffron. It has a special swirly shape.
- Ghraiba – Delicate cookies made of flour, butter, powdered sugar, and cardamom. They are usually served with Arabic coffee.
- Khabeesa – A sweet dish made of flour and oil.
- Sab Alqafsha (Arabic: صب القفشة) – Similar to lugaimat. It has extra saffron and cardamom in its syrup.
- Elba (Arabic: ألبة) – A Kuwaiti milk pudding. It's flavored with saffron and cardamom.
Drinks to Enjoy
Here are some popular drinks in Kuwait:
- Laban (Arabic: لبن) – This is a type of yogurt milk.
- Sharbat baithan – A refreshing drink.
- Black tea – Served in small, delicate cups called istikana.
- Arabic coffee – A traditional and important drink.
- Kuwaiti tea – A local tea blend.
- Dried lime tea – A unique tea made from dried limes.
- Karak tea – A strong, sweet, and milky tea.
- Different varieties of Arabic tea.
See also
In Spanish: Gastronomía de Kuwait para niños
