Food in the UAE is quite expensive, since all products in the Emirates are imported. Food prices depend on where you make a purchase - in a small store, in a market or in a large shopping center, as well as on the manufacturer (supplier). For example, apples brought from France will cost 2 times more than apples brought from China.
As a rule, the menu in many hotels is close to the Central European, so you will always have plenty to choose from. If you wish, you can refuse the buffet and place orders for specific dishes in the hotel restaurant, but in this case you will have to spend significantly more money on food.
Food in the UAE
The diet of the UAE residents consists of vegetables, rice, meat (lamb, lamb, beef, goat meat), poultry dishes (chicken, quail), soups, legumes, fish (barracuda, mackerel, sea bass), seafood (octopus, crustaceans, sharks), fermented milk products (cheeses are especially honored by the Arabs).
Locals love to season their dishes with turmeric, cinnamon, saffron, add dried limes to meat and rice dishes, and nuts (pistachios, almonds) to rice sauces and stews.
In the UAE, you should definitely try tiku (shashlik), kebab, biryani (rice with chicken or meat), guzi (lamb with nuts and rice), hummus (vegetable paste), homos (peas pounded with lemon), kusa makhshi (stuffed green zucchini), donuts with honey, sherbet, baklava, umm-ali (milk pudding).
In the Emirates you will not have any problems with food - local cafes and restaurants offer vacationers a wide selection of Indian, European, Mexican and other cuisines of the world; grocery stores and supermarkets offer the same food as in Europe, and hotel cafes offer European and Arabic food.
Top 10 dishes to try in the UAE
Where to eat in the UAE? At your service:
- ordinary and chic restaurants where you can taste Filipino, Thai, Italian, Arabic, Japanese, Russian cuisines;
- cafes and bars at and outside the hotels;
- street eateries (here you can buy both Arabian shawarma and grilled chicken).
Drinks in the UAE
Popular drinks in the UAE are spiced coffee with cardamom, tea, fruit and milkshakes.
Non-Muslims in the Emirates (with the exception of Sharjah) can consume alcoholic beverages (wine, beer), but not in public places. You can buy alcohol in restaurants, bars, discos at hotels, as well as in special stores (during Ramadan, alcohol can be bought only at night).
Food tour in the UAE
Going on a food tour in the UAE, you can not only taste national cuisine, but also attend culinary master classes by famous chefs, take part in the Dubai Culinary Carnival, attend musical, entertainment and comedy events, as well as take part in contests for the whole family.
While vacationing in the UAE, you can get into a culinary fairy tale and taste the very dishes that Aladdin ordered from the genie.
