Food of Saudi Arabia

Spiced rice cooked in a rich tomato broth with chicken or lamb, heaped on a platter with toasted nuts and raisins.

Tender meat slow-cooked until falling apart and served over smoky, lightly spiced rice.

Meat and rice cooked in a sealed pot, traditionally buried in a pit with hot coals for a deep smoky flavor.

A creamy porridge of crushed wheat cooked with yogurt or broth and topped with fried onions.

Wheat and meat simmered for hours and beaten into a silky, stretchy porridge finished with ghee.

The Hejazi dish of rice cooked in milk and broth until creamy, served under roasted chicken.

A thick stew of lamb or chicken and vegetables in tomato sauce, layered with thin pieces of wheat dough.

A hearty Hejazi lunch of cooked rice with spiced meat and tomato sauce.

A folded, stuffed griddle pastry filled with spiced minced meat, egg and herbs.

A rice and lamb pressed dish from the Hejaz, cooked with tomatoes and spices.

Whole fish rubbed with spices and grilled over coals on the Red Sea coast, served with rice.

Eggs poached in a spiced tomato and pepper sauce, a favorite brunch dish.

Slow-roasted lamb that falls from the bone, served over rice with a smoky aroma.

Warm fava beans mashed with oil, lemon and cumin and served with flatbread for breakfast.

A Hejazi breakfast of mashed banana and bread with honey, ghee and cream.

A sticky mixture of dates, ghee and flour or bread, shaped into balls for breakfast or travel.

Crispy fried triangular pastries filled with spiced meat, cheese or vegetables.

Marinated meat roasted on a spit and wrapped in bread with pickles and garlic sauce.

Crisp fried chickpea fritters tucked into bread with tahini and salad.

Baked pastries filled with cheese, spinach or minced meat.

Grilled or boiled corn sold on the streets, seasoned with salt and lime.

A warming soup of red lentils with cumin and lemon.

Smoky green wheat simmered with chicken and vegetables.

A light vegetable and meat broth served as a starter for large meals.

A savory broth thickened with wheat and served in cold weather.

Chopped vegetables with crisp pita bread and a sumac and lemon dressing.

A fresh parsley salad with tomatoes, mint and a little bulgur.

A peppery arugula salad with lemon and olive oil, served alongside grilled meats.

A simple, juicy chopped salad served beside rice dishes.

Flatbread baked against the walls of a clay oven, soft with a slightly charred crust.

A thick, round, flat bread baked in a clay oven, popular for breakfast.

Soft, thick round bread eaten with stews and soups.

Thin bread cooked on a domed metal griddle.

Crisp shredded pastry with melted cheese, soaked in syrup.

Golden fried dough balls drizzled with date syrup.

Moist semolina cake soaked in sweet syrup.

Buttery semolina cookies filled with dates or nuts.

A silky milk pudding scented with rose water and topped with pistachios.

A soft dough of wheat flour and ghee, eaten with date syrup or honey.

A thin bread broken into a stew of meat and vegetables, also made as a sweet version.

A cool dessert of sago pearls in sweetened milk with cardamom.

Lightly roasted coffee with cardamom and saffron, poured in small cups to welcome guests.

Strong spiced tea simmered with milk and cardamom.

A cool, salty yogurt drink served with heavy meals.

A sweet, chilled drink of fermented bread, sugar and spices from the Hejaz.

Fresh lime juice blended with mint and ice, a cooler on hot days.

A cold drink blending soft dates with milk.

Golden, honey-sweet dates from Qassim, soft and caramel-like.

Dark, soft and mildly sweet dates from Medina.

Tender, rich dates from Al-Ahsa with a deep caramel flavor.

Sweet figs grown in the western mountains.

Ruby-red pomegranates from the western highlands.

The juicy fruit of the cactus, sold in summer on roadsides.

A summer favorite, served cold with salty white cheese.

Aromatic coffee grown in the southwestern mountains and roasted lightly.

Pink roses of Taif, used for rose water that scents sweets and drinks.