Food & Cuisine in Oman

Rice is the preferred staple during main meals, along with cooked meats. Lunch is the big meal of the day, eaten at noon; the evening repast is fairly light. Maqbous is a saffron-tinged rice dish with either red or white meat. If you’re lucky to be in Oman during a festival, you could get to try some specialities like Aursia, a spice infused mashed rice or another popular dish known as shuwa (meat that’s slow-cooked to tender perfection, sometimes for two days in an underground clay oven). Ask your Oman hotel for suggestions if you're visiting during a festival period.

It’s the marinades and choice of spices that give Omani meat dishes their distinctive, mouth-watering flavour. Mutton, chicken and fish are all regulars on restaurant menus. Laban, or salted buttermilk is popular for its cooling properties. Yoghurt drinks, delectably flavoured with pistachios nuts and cardamom are a must-try.

Despite the liberal use of spices and strong flavouring agents like garlic, onion, lime and various herbs, traditional Omani food won’t set your tongue on fire, unlike many similar Asian cuisines. Omani food is also quite distinct from the cuisine of other Middle Eastern states. There’s a huge difference too between the cuisine of Oman’s northern region, where Muscat is located and Salalah in the south. The common items that are virtually symbolic of Omani hospitality though, are kahwa and dates.

For everyday fare, there are several soups with a range of ingredients such as vegetables, lentils, lamb and chicken. These are accompanied by salads made of fresh vegetables, watercress, smoked eggplant, tuna and dried fish. There are lots of main courses you can experiment with from assorted kebabs, grilled or barbecued chicken and fish and marak, a vegetable curry. Rice is either steamed plain or comes in richer variations with meat and vegetables. There’s a choice of breads too, from plain to those flavoured with dates or spices and herbs like thyme, garlic and sesame.

Vegetarians travelling to Oman can settle for salona, a vegetable curry in tomato gravy. The universal dessert of Oman is the halwa, which is made from wheat flour and is cooked for hours over a fire till it becomes a rich confection.

During festival days in Oman, especially on the first day of Eid, Omanis prepare special dishes like harees, shuwa, mishkak, khubz rakhal (Omani bread) and fatta. Sakhana is a sweet, thick soup made with dates, molasses, wheat and milk, while harees is a delicacy made by combining wheat with meat. Shuwa is prepared by roasting goat or cow meat for over two days in a special oven under the sand. This is preceded by an elaborate process in which the meat is marinated with cumin, garlic, red pepper, cardamom, turmeric, coriander and vinegar, and then wrapped in sacks made from dried palm or banana leaves.

On Eid Al Adha and Eid Al Fitr, Omani households also prepare delicacies like ruz al mudhroub, muqalab, maqdeed and arisia. Muqalab is a dish made with pluck and tripe cooked with ground or crushed spices like black pepper, cardamom, garlic, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and ginger, while arisia is a dish made by cooking lamb's meat with rice.

Travel to Oman is a real culinary delight, you should ask your Oman hotel for more information about the local dining scene. If you’ve got any recommendations for top restaurants or simple eateries across the country, please let us know and we’ll gladly list them on our Oman Restaurants Guide.