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CULINARY

Authentic dishes to try when visiting Saudi

Food is deeply engrained in Saudi culture so if you really want to get to know the country, you need to see it through your stomach. Here are some of the best local dishes to try…

Words by Lama Obeid

Saudi cuisine is an integral part of the social and family culture, reflecting traditional Arabic hospitality where providing food for guests and visitors, and making sure they leave with their bellies full, is a source of pride.

Rice, breads, grains, and fresh meat flavoured with herbs and spices are the cornerstone ingredients at the heart of Saudi cuisine. A pressure cooker can be found in every Saudi household to prepare popular dishes like kabsa, saleeq and jareesh. Here are eight delicious Saudi dishes you should try during your visit and the best places to try them…

Kabsa

If you visit Saudi and you don’t have kabsa, then you haven’t really visited the country. It’s that much of a favourite. This dish is made with rice, meat or chicken with tomatoes, onions, carrots and sometimes other vegetables like bell peppers depending on the region where it is cooked. A blend of spices gives kabsa its distinguished taste; dried black lime and coriander, cumin, cinnamon, and turmeric are used generously in the dish. The dish got its name from the way it is cooked: kabsa is an Arabic word meaning tightly together as all the ingredients in this dish are cooked together in a pressure cooker coming out as one flavoursome dish.

Jareesh

Jareesh, Saudi’s national dish, originated from the northern reaches of the country and is made out of cracked wheat (jareesh literally translates as ‘ground’ or ‘cracked’) which is a staple in different types of Middle Eastern cuisine. The wheat is slow cooked with vegetables and tomato sauce, which it absorbs and the broth is continuously added until the wheat is fully cooked and has a porridge-like texture. This can be made with pieces of lamb or chicken, or without. A topping with caramelised onions is added to the dish for flavour and garnish. While cooking, a mix of spices are added including cardamom which is very aromatic.

Saleeq

From the Hijaz region, this dish gets its name from the way it is cooked, as saleeq means ‘boiled’. This rice dish is boiled until the rice becomes soft like a puree and then is served with meat or chicken. When we think of boiled food, flavour does not come to mind, but this dish is bursting with flavour; the rice is cooked with Arabic gum, bay leaves, cardamom and plenty of other herbs and spices.

Madghout

This dish also gets its name from the way it is cooked as ‘madghout’ literally translates as ‘pressured’ and it is another dish in the Saudi kitchen that is cooked in a pressure cooker. It is commonly cooked with lamb meat but can also be made with beef or chicken as preference. So, what makes this rice and meat dish distinct from others in Saudi? Again, it is the mixture of herbs and spices that makes each dish different. Madghout is flavoured with plenty of coarse spices like cloves, cardamom, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, black dried lime and garlic.

Marqooq

If you are looking for a dish in Saudi that is not served with rice, then this is for you. This dish is made from marqooq dough made with wholewheat mixed with water and salt and added to a stew to cook the dough. This dish is popular in all Gulf countries but especially in Saudi. The pieces of dough are added to a meat broth with vegetables, meat, and tomato sauce. Aubergine and carrots are usually the main vegetables in this dish, but several other vegetables can be added as well. Marqooq (also spelt markook) is seen by a wholesome, hearty meal to be enjoyed as a family.

Qursan

This dish gets its name from the way the bread is cooked on a ‘saj’ or in the local Saudi dialect ‘maqrasa’. This dish is very popular in Riyadh and Qassim with some differences in how the bread is prepared between these cities. The bread is unleavened and very thin. It is put on the saj on a very high heat and then turned onto the other side, before thin layers of the qursan bread are smothered in a tomato-based vegetable gravy and topped with onions, other vegetables and sometimes meat. It’s similar to marqooq but the difference here, though, is that this dough is baked on a saj before adding it to the broth.

Camel shawarma

You’ve already made it to Saudi, so why not be adventurous and try camel meat? Camel meat is cooked in many different ways in The Kingdom, but if it’s your first time, why not start small and try a camel shawarma. Camel’s meat is known to be very fatty, so it definitely makes a great shawarma. Shawarma Factory is one of the fast food restaurants in Saudi that has made shawarma with camel popular in all of its branches across the country.

Maqshush

After indulging yourself into the savoury dishes of Saudi, it is now time for pudding. Recently named Saudi’s national dessert, maqshush is a sweet bread with sugar and a kick of cardamom to add that Arabic Saudi flavour to it. The small balls of dough are baked after resting them for four hours, and then the small golden balls of bread are served with honey, fresh cream, and jams which is the perfect end to your rich culinary journey in Saudi. This dessert is especially common and popular in the city of Hail and is sold in pastry shops across the city and other parts of the country. Also described as buckwheat pan bites, topped with ghee, honey, dates molasses or sugar, often eaten when it’s cold and rainy!

Practical information

Visas

It’s surprisingly simple and easy to get an e-Visa for Saudi and the process is very similar to applying for an ESTA for the USA. Over 50 nationalities are eligible to apply for an e-Visa, including people from the UK and USA, with it costing (at the time of writing) 535 Saudi riyals (about £115 or US$143). Applications are swift and nearly all applicants will receive a response within three working days – most within 24 hours. To apply for your Saudi e-Visa, visit the official Saudi Tourism Authority website. If you’re from the USA, UK or the Schengen Area, you can also apply for a visa on arrival into Saudi. It’s slightly cheaper than an e-Visa, too, at SAR480 (about £102 or US$128).

Getting there & around

With plenty of direct flight links from the UK to Saudi, it’s really easy to get to the country. Saudi’s national airline SAUDIA flies to Riyadh three times daily from London Heathrow, while British Airways also offers a regular service from Heathrow with daily flights to the capital. SAUDIA also operates twice daily flights to Jeddah from London Heathrow and daily flights from London Gatwick. If you’re travelling from the US, SAUDIA offers direct flights to Riyadh from both New York City and Washington, D.C., as well as direct flights to Jeddah from New York City, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.

Local customs

To really embrace Saudi life and pay respect towards its traditions, there are a few local customs you should abide when travelling around the country. Both men and women should wear clothing that covers their elbows and below their knees when out in public. If you’re heading to the coast, it’s still expected you dress modestly. When meeting and greeting locals, whether it’s a market stallholder or a private guide, say hello with ‘salam alaykum’, which means ‘peace be upon you’, as well as offering a handshake.

Weather

You might think it’s hot all year round in Saudi but it’s a little more nuanced than that. The best time to visit Riyadh is between October and March, when temperatures can dip as low as 20°C during the daytime and rarely exceed 30°C. Summer months in Riyadh can get extremely hot, with temperatures often above 40°C between June and September.

FAQ

Is English spoken in Saudi?

Arabic is the official national language but English is widely spoken.

What is the currency of Saudi?

The currency of Saudi is the riyal, with the current rate (at the time of writing), around SAR4.76 to the UK£. You’ll need to pre-order money before you travel, as in the UK it’s not usually stocked in currency exchange booths.

What’s it like travelling in Saudi as a female?

We think you’d be surprised! To find out more, read our first-hand account on what it’s like to travel in Saudi.

What’s the time difference in Saudi?

Saudi follows Arabia Standard Time (GMT +3) all year round.