This post is going to be a little different… it’s a little glimpse into a previous chapter of my life. Let me give you a little background information about me. I spent a few years of my life living in the beautiful country of Saudi Arabia. I absolutely loved my time there and I can dedicate a whole blog post to detailing my experiences and some amazing stories of the lovely people. All that would absolutely shatter the misconceptions that are spread by the media and more so by the common people who’ve either never stepped foot in the country or just have gone to pilgrimage. But this post is not about that; this one’s about the food that I consumed there. The most common dishes that I consumed and as a matter of fact are coincidentally also commonly consumed by locals. I lived in the capital Riyadh, Al Kharj, the tranquil Madinah and the pleasant southern city of Abha too. So, I stand before you with a fairly respectable amount of knowledge of what I’m going to say. The food options are many in the country, but I’m going to focus on the common local dishes and in particular divide it into two meals: breakfast and dinner.
Breakfast
The most traditional spots for breakfast and where you’ll primarily find locals upon locals frequenting are the Yemeni breakfast joints that open up just after the Fajr (dawn) prayer, then close before midday and then reopen later in the evening. Straight after the Fajr prayer, around 6 in the morning is when it’s the busiest and probably mid morning too. I love how busy it gets that early in the morning – the vibes at that time are unmatched. You’ve just prayed and the spirits are high so perfect time for a nice hearty breakfast. If you want to know where the locals in Saudi Arabia go for breakfast, then look no further! It’s these Yemeni breakfast spots. There’s a variety of dishes available at these spots, so what are the most popular things to try?
Masoob or Arika
Now, the most notable, the most distinguishable breakfast dish that you’ll find in Saudi Arabia is the Masoob (or Ma’soob). It’s a dish that you’ll rarely find anywhere else and so it is unique to this region. What is it? I will dedicate a whole post to this dish later on, but for now it is a wholesome Yemeni breakfast dish (some serve it as a dessert) that is made up of ground chapati, banana, cream, honey and topped with more cream, cheese, nuts and a modern addition is corn flakes. Sounds like a wild concoction, but trust me it is oh so good. The perfect start to the day to be honest! Arika is a slight variation to the masoob in that no banana is used and instead dates are used. Equally delicious I must say.
Ful
A common dish in the Arab world with probably Egypt being the place where it’s most common. In these Yemeni/Saudi breakfast restaurant, the fava beans are completely mashed almost like hummus texture. Whenever you see the famous Ful cauldron/pot pictured above, you know you’re getting good Ful.
The best ful in the country will probably be in the dedicated Ful spots. Usually run by Egyptians, you’ll find these breakfast joints divided into two buildings: one for Ful and a small bakery for fresh bread. This is another common and popular breakfast as well as the Yemeni grub.
Adas
This is basically a lentil soup or daal.
Tameez
If the breakfast spot itself doesn’t have a bakery, there’ll probably be one right next door. A bakery that uses a tandoor and fresh bread or tameez is made that goes perfectly with Ful and Adas. As well as the below Kibda.
Kibda
Kibda basically means liver. The dish is sautéed liver that is cooked alongside pepper and onions. It’s such a delicious dish and adds some meat to your breakfast too. If you’re not a liver fan, don’t worry. The way they cook it is completely different to other ways I’ve had it. There’s no odour or bad taste whatsoever. If you didn’t know, you wouldn’t be able to tell it’s liver!
Muttabak
This is basically filled paratha. You can usually choose from a variety of different fillings ranging from vegetarian, chicken, meat, cheese and even sweet! And yes, this is the same dish is what is common in Malaysia and Indonesia- the Murtabak. In all honesty, even though this is really popular, I didn’t have it much. My go to was the Masoob, Adas and Kibda.
Shay Adeni
This is basically like karak, which is strong milk tea with some Indian masala. But this tea, which comes from Yemeni city Aden, has more of a prominent cardamom flavour and is creamier in texture.
Where to eat these dishes?
You’ll find Yemeni breakfast spots in almost every area where there are locals residing or at least a nice driving distance away. The two most famous restaurant chains are probably Al Qarmooshi and Abu Zaid. You’ll find branches all throughout the kingdom.
Dinner
Dinner is also a heavy affair. This is because rice is involved and usually and unfortunately a lot of rice is served. There is a reason for this though as the below dishes are traditionally consumed communally. So, eating alone just isn’t a thing. You go in groups of family or friends, sit on the floor around the big plate of rice and some form of chicken or meat. My favourite is chargrilled chicken on a bed of rice (known as Madhbi in other Gulf countries like the UAE). But there’s a few common varieties that we’ll look at below.
Kabsa
Kabsa is the national dish of Saudi Arabia. This is basically flavoured rice with chicken. It is served with a mandatory red tomato and chilli salsa that ties all the components up so well. You can get the chicken in a variety of different forms, but my personal favourite is the chargrilled chicken. The best! Quite possibly one of my favourite dishes ever! The most traditional is probably roast chicken though. You can also get meat and even fish versions.
Mandi
The most popular meat and rice dish is probably Mandi. This dish comes from Yemen and the rice is spiced and cooked in a different way to the Kabsa to make it distinctive. The chicken Kabsa is more of an every day dish, but the meat Mandi is usually reserved for special occasions or a once a week dining.
Hashi
Hashi is baby camel. This dish is basically Mandi but with camel meat. One for the more adventurous. Taste wise in reality it isn’t too dissimilar to lamb meat, but a bit more lean.
Please note: wudhu breaks upon consumption of camel meat.
Bukhari
This is another meat and rice dish with the most common meat being chicken. The difference here once again is the rice. Also, the chargrilled chicken is more common with Bukhari rice and specific Bukhari joints do stunning chargrilled chicken let me tell you! But more of that below.
Kunafa
The most common dessert at such places is kunafa. My first ever experience of kunafa was at such places in Saudi Arabia.
Where to eat these dishes?
Just like the breakfast spots, but even more so, there’ll definitely be at least one kabsa spot in each and every neighbourhood. It is highly likely that you won’t have to go far to get to one. These restaurants can broadly be divided into two categories: Saudi Arabian style and Bukhari style.
Firstly, the Saudi Arabian style restaurants. The most famous name is probably the Romansiah restaurant. They have numerous branches around the kingdom and are known for their high quality food. Al Nadeg is another one (but not as famous) and as a matter fact was the first ever restaurant I ate at while in Saudi Arabia. And kabsa was the first ever dish I think too. These Saudi Arabian restaurants are clean, spacious, cater for families and big crowds, and have the famous on the floor seating but segregated into private booths. Love this – you get like the comfort of eating in with the social aspect of eating out.
However, my favourite place to get my favourite variation of this dish (i.e. chargrilled chicken with rice) is a Mat’am Bukhari. This basically translates to Bukhari Restaurant. This is the second style. And it ain’t a franchise or a chain, just a genre I guess. And there are numerous such restaurant scattered around each city. The restaurants are more rustic, less clean, more of an open plan seating arrangement (think Afghan) as opposed to the private on the floor booths of the Saudi Arabian restaurants (e.g. Al Nadeg and Romansiah), and usually they don’t cater for family dining (so males only), but the food is oh my oh my oh my!! No one does the chargrilled chicken quite like them!
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