The most famous traditional Emirati dishes
The top 3 according to 4 votes from people: Khabeesa · Harees · Machboos. (Updated Jan 2, 2026.)
The traditional dishes Emiratis count as part of their national culture, according to the UAE government's official portal, Emarat Al Youm, Wikipedia and the Arabic Cooking Encyclopedia.
Automatically translated (original in العربية). See the original
Top 12
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1
Khabeesa
Sweet of flour or semolina with ghee, sugar and cardamom.
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2
Harees
Wheat slow-cooked with meat until creamy, the dish of Eid and Ramadan.
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3
Machboos
Spiced rice with dried lime and meat, chicken or fish.
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4
Thareed
Regag bread soaked in meat and vegetable stew.
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5
Balaleet
Sweet vermicelli with cardamom and saffron topped with an omelette, for breakfast.
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6
Luqaimat
Fried dough balls drizzled with date syrup.
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7
Madrooba
Salted fish or chicken beaten with flour into a porridge.
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8
Ouzi (khouzi)
Whole lamb stuffed with rice, eggs and nuts for feasts.
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9
Salted fish
Salted, dried fish cooked with rice.
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10
Khanfaroosh
Fried cakes with saffron, cardamom and rose water.
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11
Regag bread
Paper-thin bread baked on a griddle.
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12
Jesheed
Shredded baby shark cooked with spices.
Candidates
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13
Al-Bathith
An Emirati dessert made from dates, toasted flour and cardamom.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
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