The 20 most famous dishes of Yemen
Yemeni cooking is among the oldest in Arabia, famous for saltah, mandi, aseed and bint al-sahn, with signature fenugreek, sahawiq and Do'an honey.
1Saltah
Yemen's national dish: bubbling meat broth served in a stone pot topped with a frothy green fenugreek foam,…
2Yemeni Mandi
Mandi originates in Hadramaut: spiced lamb or chicken cooked in a buried tannour above rice that soaks up its…
3Bint al-Sahn
Paper-thin layers of dough brushed with ghee, baked until puffed and drenched in honey with black seed — the…
4Yemeni Aseed
A smooth dough dome eaten with lamb broth or with ghee and honey — served after childbirth and on special…
5Fahsa
Finely shredded lamb bubbling in a stone pot with broth and spices, topped with fenugreek froth — saltah's…
6Zurbian
Aden-style rice with yoghurt-marinated lamb, fried potatoes and saffron — biryani-like with a Yemeni twist.
7Yemeni Haneeth
Young goat slow-cooked in a sealed stone oven with markh leaves, emerging tender and smoky.
8Shafoot
Spongy lahoh bread soaked in yoghurt seasoned with garlic, mint and coriander — a refreshing cold Ramadan…
9Lahoh
A fermented, spongy, hole-covered flatbread cooked on one side — base of shafoot and partner to stews.
10Malawah
Flaky Yemeni bread layered with ghee and pan-fried until crisp, eaten with honey or saltah.
11Sahawiq
A hot green relish of chilies, coriander and garlic, ground on stone and served with every Yemeni meal.
12Yemeni Ful
Mashed fava beans with tomato, onion, chili and cumin, cooked in a stone pot and served with bread.
13Yemeni Shakshouka
Eggs with tomato, onion and chili cooked in a stone pan and served with soft bread.
14Fattah bil Mooz
Crumbled bread with banana, ghee and honey — a simple sweet for breakfast and Ramadan.
15Samak Mofa (Tannour Fish)
Fish rubbed with hawaij and turmeric and baked against the wall of a clay mofa oven — a dish of Hodeidah and…
16Yemeni Kabsa
Rice with chicken, Yemeni hawaij and tomato — lighter in spice than the Gulf kabsa.
17Adeni Tea
Milky tea with cardamom and cloves — Aden's famous drink.
18Yemeni Masoub
Bread mashed with banana, ghee, honey and cream — a popular breakfast in Sanaa and Aden.
19Kubaneh
A rich ghee-laden yeasted bread baked overnight in a sealed pot until golden and soft — traditionally a…
20Muqalqal
Small pieces of lamb tossed over high heat with onion, tomato, peppers and hawaij, served in a stone pot with…