The 20 most famous dishes of Qatar
Qatari cooking is authentically Gulf, based on rice, meat, fish and spices; it shares machboos, harees and thareed with its neighbours, with its own touches in sweets and hospitality.
1Qatari Machboos
Rice with Qatari spices and dried lime with chicken or lamb — the first dish at any Qatari occasion.
2Qatari Harees
Long-cooked wheat and meat porridge, served at Ramadan and Eid with local ghee.
3Qatari Thareed
Regag bread soaked in lamb and vegetable stew — never missing from a Qatari Ramadan iftar.
4Qatari Madrouba
Rice and chicken beaten with laban, ghee and spices into a creamy porridge — one of Qatar's best-known dishes.
5Qatari Balaleet
Vermicelli with sugar, saffron and rose water under a thin omelette — a traditional Qatari breakfast.
6Fish Saloona
Fish stew with tomato, spices and tamarind, served with white rice.
7Qatari Luqaimat
Luqaimat crisp outside and soft inside, drizzled with date syrup and sesame.
8Qatari Khameer
A lightly sweet bread with cardamom, saffron and nigella, served for breakfast with cheese or honey.
9Qatari Regag
Translucent bread sheets cooked on a griddle, eaten with egg and cheese or used for thareed.
10Mashkhool
White rice cooked with fried onion and spices, then drained ("mashkhool"), served with fish.
11Chami
A soft white cheese made by boiling laban, eaten with dates and bread — one of the oldest Bedouin foods.
12Sago Pudding
A pudding of sago pearls with sugar, saffron and cardamom — translucent, chewy and served cold.
13Qatari Samboosa
Crisp triangles filled with cheese, meat or vegetables — a staple of the iftar table.
14Qatari Mandi
Spiced lamb slow-cooked over rice in a sealed oven — one of the most widespread dishes in Qatar's restaurants.
15Grilled Hammour
Gulf hammour seasoned with spices and garlic and grilled — Qatar's favourite fish.
16Qatari Mehalabiya
A milk pudding with cardamom, saffron and rose water, topped with pistachios.
17Qatari Aseeda
Toasted flour cooked with sugar, ghee and saffron until thick — a warm winter sweet.
18Esh Asfar (Yellow Rice)
Rice with turmeric and cardamom, served with fried or grilled fish.
19Qatari Karak
Tea with milk, cardamom and saffron boiled long and strong — Doha's top street drink.
20Qatari Khabeesa
Flour toasted in ghee with sugar and cardamom, served crumbly with Arabic coffee.