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Food & drink
Machboos and Gulf fish, saffron cakes and cardamom coffee — what to eat in Kuwait and how to enjoy it.
Kuwaiti cooking belongs to the Eastern Arabian kitchen, enriched over centuries by the merchant fleet: spices and basmati rice from India, dried limes and saffron from Persia, dates from Basra and the Arabian oases.
Fish is at the heart of it. Zubaidi (silver pomfret), hamour (grouper), sobaity (sea bream), safi (rabbitfish) and maid (mullet) are local favourites, and Gulf shrimp are celebrated when the season opens. Meals are generous and shared — and in Kuwait, by law, always alcohol-free.
On the table
The national dish
Basmati rice cooked in a rich broth with dried black lime (loomi), cardamom, cinnamon, saffron and a Gulf spice mix, crowned with chicken, lamb or fish. It is usually served with daqqus, a tomato and garlic sauce, and is the centrepiece of Friday family lunches.
From the sea
Often called a national dish of Kuwait, mutabbaq samak pairs fish — classically zubaidi — fried until crisp with rice cooked in the fragrant stock, flavoured with onions, dried lime and spices.
With tea
A soft, golden sponge scented with saffron and cardamom, often sprinkled with sesame — the classic companion to an afternoon glass of tea in Kuwaiti homes.
Daily bread
Large, thin flatbreads slapped onto the walls of a clay tannour oven and eaten hot — sometimes with mahyawa, a pungent fermented fish sauce. Watch the bakers at work in Souq Al-Mubarakiya.
Shrimp season
A favourite when the shrimp season opens: sweet Gulf shrimp cooked into spiced rice with onions, herbs and dried lime.
Ramadan table
Jireesh is cracked wheat simmered with meat or chicken, onions and spices; harees is whole wheat and meat cooked for hours and beaten smooth. Both are fixtures of the Ramadan iftar table.
Breakfast
Vermicelli cooked with sugar, saffron, cardamom and rose water, topped with a thin omelette — sweet and savoury at once, and a favourite weekend and Eid breakfast.
Sweet
Small balls of yeasted dough fried until golden and crisp outside, soft inside, then drizzled with date syrup (dibs) and sometimes sesame. Especially popular during Ramadan.
Hospitality
In homes, diwaniyas and offices, guests are welcomed with gahwa — lightly roasted Arabic coffee spiced with cardamom and sometimes saffron, poured from a dallah into small handleless cups — and a plate of dates.
From the Gulf
Kuwait’s fish markets at Souq Sharq and in Fahaheel are among the best places to see local life. Arrive in the morning to watch the catch being sold; zubaidi is most prized in summer and early autumn, and the shrimp season brings crowds from late summer.
Fishing seasons and bans are set by the authorities to protect stocks, so the fish on sale changes through the year.
Eating out
