One of the exciting things to look forward to when travelling to a new country is checking out local food and tasting a new cuisine. It is interesting to experience what type of food people eat in different parts of the world.

So before you grab your bags, your Saudi Arabia travel insurance papers and passport duly stamped with the Saudi Arabia Visa and head to the airport, here’s a bit about the food culture you will find there.

The cuisine varies from province to province, although some dishes are found across the Kingdom. A typical Saudi meal is a blend of wheat, rice, milk, chicken or lamb, dates, yoghurt, potatoes, delicately flavoured with rich aromatic spices. 

Take a look at some of the traditional Saudi dishes that are definitely worth a try when you’re visiting Saudi Arabia.

Mutabbaq

The Arabic name ‘Mutabbaq’ literally means folded. And that’s exactly what this street food is – a folded, fried pancake stuffed with a lightly spiced mixture of minced meat, eggs, tomatoes and onions. It looks something like a fluffy omelette folded and cut in squares. You will find this dish almost everywhere you go in Saudi Arabia. It is affordable, quick and filling when you’re on-the-go.

Sambusak

Another popular street food is sambusak or ‘samboosa’. This deep fried snack will immediately remind you of our Indian favourite, the samosa! In Saudi it is made with a variety of filling such as minced meat, cheese and vegetables. If your taste buds are not feeling very adventurous towards foreign dishes, this is the perfect local snack to try out.