Kuwaiti Cuisine

Kuwaiti cuisine is the fragrant, hearty food of the Gulf, rooted in Bedouin and seafaring traditions and enriched by Persian, Indian and Levantine influences, built on rice, meat, fish and warm spices. The national dish is machboos, a fragrant plate of spiced rice cooked with meat, chicken or fish and a distinctive blend of aromatics and dried lime, the centrepiece of gatherings. Other beloved dishes include murabyan, a spiced shrimp and rice dish reflecting Kuwait's seafaring past, harees, a comforting porridge of wheat and slow-cooked meat, fresh Gulf fish and prawns, and the sweet saffron-and-cardamom cake gers ogaily, all served with famous Gulf hospitality.

What you actually see

• Machboos - the fragrant national spiced rice with meat or fish.
• Murabyan - the spiced shrimp and rice dish.
• Harees - the comforting slow-cooked wheat and meat porridge.
• Gers ogaily - the sweet saffron-and-cardamom cake.

When to go

Year-round; traditional restaurants and the eateries of Souq Mubarakiya serve the national dishes, and fresh Gulf fish and prawns are a highlight of this seafaring nation. As across the Gulf, hospitality is central and meals generous, and Ramadan brings special foods and evening feasts. Note that Kuwait is dry, with no alcohol served anywhere.

Honest expectations

Kuwaiti cuisine shares much with the wider Gulf and Arabian food culture, built on spiced rice, meat and seafood rather than being highly distinctive, so its appeal is fragrant, hearty fare and warm hospitality rather than culinary novelty; cosmopolitan Kuwait City also offers abundant international dining, and no alcohol is served anywhere in the country. Sampled at a traditional restaurant or the souq with fresh Gulf seafood, though, Kuwaiti food is a satisfying and welcoming taste of Gulf tradition.

Nearby

Souq Mubarakiya and Kuwait City's traditional restaurants are the places to eat.