Facts About Omani cuisine
Omani cuisine is influenced by Arab, Iranian, Indian, Asian, Eastern Mediterranean, and African cuisine, reflecting Oman's position as a vast trading empire at the intersection of traditional spice trade routes. Dishes are often based on chicken, fish, and lamb, as well as the staple of rice. Most Omani dishes tend to contain a rich mixture of spices, herbs, and marinades.
Pork consumption is forbidden to Muslims in Oman, in accordance with Sharia, the Islamic law.
Characteristics
Although Omani cuisine varies within different regions of Oman, most dishes across the country have a staple of curry, cooked meat, rice, and vegetables. Soups are also common and are usually made from chicken, lamb, and vegetables (e.g. smoked eggplant). The main meal is usually eaten in the middle of the day, while dinner is lighter.
Dishes
- Harees is wheat mixed with meat or chicken cooked until it forms a thick paste eaten with the fingers or a spoon and served with ghee.
- Kahwa is an Omani coffee mixed with cardamom powder, often served as a symbol of hospitality. It is often served with dates and Omani halwa.
- Kebab is a dish of spiced and salted skewered meat (usually chicken or beef) barbecued or grilled, served with a side of vegetables.
- Mashuai is a dish consisting of a whole spit-roasted kingfish, served with a side of lemon rice.
- Machboos is a rice dish sometimes flavored with saffron and cooked in the same water that the chicken or meat was cooked in.
- Muqalab is tripe and pluck cooked with a variety of spices, including cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, ginger, garlic, and nutmeg.
- Shuwaa is a meal eaten only on festive occasions. The dish consists of chunks of goat, sheep, cow, or camel meat marinated in a spicy date paste and roasted in a special oven, which is a pit dug in the ground. This is usually a communal activity by an entire village. The meat is flavored with a variety of spices, then wrapped in sacks made of dry leaves, which are in turn placed into the oven.
- Sakhana is a thick soup made from wheat, dates, molasses, and milk, typically eaten during Ramadan.
- Albadhinajan mae tawarikh is a cake made from eggplant, dates and onions.
Beverages
Coffee is the national beverage, while tea is drunk for hospitality. Other popular beverages include laban (a kind of salty buttermilk), yoghurt drinks, and soft drinks.
Saudi Arabia