The following highlights some of the popular Traditional Kuwaiti Foods. If you manage to be in an Kuwaiti restaurant or you are visiting Kuwait, I recommend the following:
1. Quozi
Also known as Goozi or Ghozi. This delicious dish is served in every restaurant in Kuwait. Quozi’s specialty is freshly cut whole lamb. This lamb is usually stuffed with various vegetables, nuts, spices and more. The stuffed lamb is served over five-spiced rice. Traditionally, Quozi is usually cooked over an open fire with glowing coals. It is often served on special occasions such as weddings and ceremonies.
2. Muttabaq Samak
One of the most popular fish and rice combinations is a traditional Kuwaiti dish featuring Kuwait’s national fish, zubaidi, meaning silvery, buttery pomfret, which is abundant in the small country. Zu beidi’s buttery, flaky texture is coated with spices and flour and fried until golden brown. The rice is cooked in fish stock and seasoned with turmeric, onion, garlic, sumac and parsley. The portion is garnished with vegetables, nuts and sultanas and served with mango jam and onion garnish. Excellent with a bowl of tomato sauce or dakoos.
3. Machboos
Machboos is actually a specialty rice dish from Kuwait. These traditional machboos are similar to Indian biryanis. Fragrant basmati rice is often used to make this authentic delicacy. Chicken or lamb is usually used for the meat. Rose water and saffron give the recipes a unique and special flavor. It is customary to serve it with a plate of Daqqus.
4. Jireesh
The dish is similar to harees, using a different type of wheat and cooking it with new spices. Jireesh has made it to the list of Kuwait’s top culinary dishes, as it is an important delicacy during Ramadan. A Gulf snack usually made with wheat or lentils mixed with lamb or chicken, then flavored with spices such as bay leaves, cinnamon sticks and sultanas, topped with dried lemon, onion and tomato.
5. Gers Ogaily
Gers ogaily, that’s what they call this traditional and typical Kuwaiti cake. The word ‘gers’ literally means ‘disc’, while ‘ogaily’ comes from the word ‘ogal’ which is the term they use to describe the way they wrap the black cloth with which men cover their heads in the Gulf region. After tasting this cake you will be left with a face of absolute happiness. It is ultra light, almost like angel food, very juicy and fluffy. The smell of roses and sesame stand out all over the cake. The cardamom is not far behind. And the saffron gives it a beautiful color. After tasting this cake you will be left with a face of absolute happiness. The way the cake is prepared varies, but it is usually baked in a large cake tin.
6. Gabout
A variation on the country’s famous meat dishes are these delicious meatballs stuffed and dipped in stewed meat, seasoned with various spices. These tasty meatballs contain onions and sultanas as well as chunks of meat. Sometimes it is also made with chicken. Meals in Kuwaiti households are always served with a plate of dates and other sweets.
7. Margoog
It is a Kuwaiti meat stew also known as Matazeez. Kuwaiti cuisine is a fusion of Arabic, Persian, Indian and Mediterranean food. It is a stew that has vegetables with chunks of dough. It includes courgettes, carrots, aubergines, tomatoes, potatoes and meat (usually beef). It is one of the most popular dishes in Kuwait, although you can also easily find it in Qatar.
8. Maglooba
A popular dish served for family occasions and banquets, particularly in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine and Saudi Arabia. Translated as ‘upside down’, it is so called because of the unusual way in which the dish is prepared. Cooks place rice, meat and vegetables in a clay pot before turning them upside down on a platter to serve alongside yogurt or a salad.
9. Khubz
It is the traditional bread of Kuwait, a flatbread covered with sesame seeds and baked in a special oven. It is usually served with a fish sauce called mahyawa, dipped in beef stew, with cream spread or any kind of sauce, or combined with hummus. It is basically a staple in the local diet.
10. Harees
The central ingredients in this dish are chicken and shredded wheat. The harees is the final delicious mixture of wheat, chicken, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, pepper, salt and some olive oil. It is traditionally and locally consumed during the month of Ramadan, but you can find it in various restaurants throughout the year. Don’t worry if you find harees with lamb, this is also a typical preparation. Your only concern should be that the mixture has very tender pieces of lamb.
If you found this list useful, here are some more Traditional Asian Foods to try out on my Pinterest channel.