One of the great things about travelling is discovering some new food that you have never tasted before. Or you get to try authentic cuisine from the country that you can’t find anywhere else. I’m sure that there are some restaurants out there that try and get their meals as close as possible but nothing comes close to trying it in the country of its origin. With this in mind, here are some food you can only find in UAE and that you should try out if you ever travel to Dubai.
Because we live in a world where money is needed to survive, Latte Lindsay runs a number of affiliate programmes and offers contributed or partnered content. If you choose to click the links and read the posts, the site may earn a commission or receives a payment. All of the opinions are my own. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any partner brands/company(s), beauty & lifestyle brands, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities unless specified.
Knafeh
If there is one treat that you have to try, it is Knafeh. I have been lucky enough to taste this when it has been freshly made (it’s delicious) but I have never had the chance to try it in UAE. This is a popular choice in UAE during Ramadan as the food that is used to break the fasting. Sour cheese, crisp sugar syrup and dough are all it takes to put this together but it creates an amazing flavour that is sweet yet savoury. To start, the spun pastry is called kataifi, and this is soaked in a sweet, sugar-based syrup called attar. It can also be layered with cheese, or with other ingredients such as clotted cream, pistachio or nuts. The toppings that you will find will depend on the region that you are visiting. But this gives you the perfect excuse to test Knafeh from a few different places to see which one you like the best.
Camel
As someone who has tried plenty of different animals on my plate, camel is a new one to me. However, new chefs in UAE are trying their hands at creating new meals that will appeal to different people. If you would like to know which dubai restaurants have camel on the menu, you can easily find out online. If the idea of eating a camel steak isn’t for you, you can also try camel milk or camel ice cream. It is important to remember that camel meat is considered gourmet meat and a lot of people only eat it for special occasions. If you are worried that it is unhealthy, don’t. As it turns out, camel meat is considered better than beef or lamb due to its low intramuscular fat, low cholesterol content, and high iron content. If that is not a reason to celebrate and tuck into a plate, I don’t know what is.
Chebab
A lot of places will have you focused on what to have for dinner while you are on holiday, but have you ever stopped to wonder what you can have for breakfast? A chebab is a type of pancake that is packed with sour cheese and sweet date syrup, and then heated which causes the sweet and sour elements to combine. The great thing about them is, if you are unsure about eating different foods, a chebab is a great way to dip your top in as they are so similar to the pancakes that you will find in Britain or America. Don’t be afraid to try this tasty dish out as an introduction to new the food you can only find in UAE.