Food in the United Arab Emerites

I’ve been asked by several what kinds of foods we eat here and the answer is pretty much everything that is not from a pig.

There are many American and British foods here, but for the most part people here eat lamb, beef and chicken.  Kafta is a ground meat (beef or lamb) with Arabian spices in it.  It is formed into long patties and put on skewers and cooked over a fire or in the oven.  The Arabian bread is flat bread and it is delicious.   They also eat pita which is usually served with hummus (ground chick peas with tahini mixed in) and olive oil.  Everywhere has baklava for dessert, but another local favorite is Um Ali.  It’s like a bread pudding with raisins, pistachios and vanilla flavoring   Lamb stew is very popular, as are curry dishes with lamb or chicken.  Mezzah is an appetizer, which is almost like a hush puppy with meat or cheese filling.    They also eat a lot of fish – Dory and Hammer as well as prawns.  There are olives and cucumbers everywhere, and the fruit section of the market is amazing.  There are things I’ve never heard of, and each fruit or veggie is marked where it came from.  There could be oranges from 4 different regions or countries and each has a distinct flavor and different color.  One thing that is not prevalent is lettuce.  It is expensive and not served as a salad usually.  If you ask for salad you will sometimes get cole slaw.  Lettuce is usually dipped in hummus.  I have seen camel steak in one market, but it does not appear to be a regular food.  I love yogurt chicken.  Kebab is also very popular – chunks of meat with Arabian spice roasted on skewers.  Falafel – fried ground chick peas are also everywhere.  I have not seen goat anywhere.  Of course the most popular food item here is DATES – you see them everywhere and in everything!

 

I took a picture of the spice market.  Spices are SO cheap – they sell them from the buckets they are in and you buy them by the kilogram – of course you’d never need a whole kg!  I bought cinnamon – enough to fill a container you’d buy at home – and it was only .55 DHs – or 15 cents!