A Study on Bahraini Food & Cuisine

Introduction:

As Bahrain is located in the Middle East, it obviously possesses a Middle Eastern type cuisine, the usual rice and kebabs, lamb or chicken. Fish and olives, herbs of all types (well, not all but you get the picture) such as Parsley and Rosemary and of course, Spices!

Hummus (made from Chick Peas)

Now, it should be said that Bahrain has practically the same dishes made up in other Arabian and Middle Eastern countries, like Hummus and Tabouleh (which are from the Levant region) the Felafels are also very popular here.

Bahrain's Food and Products:

The Shawarma - The Middle Eastern answer to Hamburgers!

But, that doesn't mean Bahrain doesn't have any of its own unique dishes.Bahrain, being the small island that it is, produces a stable amount of fruits and vegetables, especially Dates. Indeed, Dates are the  pride of Bahrain and because of so many Date Palm trees located here, Bahrain was nicknamed the "Land of a Million Date Palms" (sounds better in Arabic!).

Its fair to say that Bahrain has its own livestock industry but not a very big one (like Australia!). But farmers here rear cows and goats for their meat and milk, as well as Chickens (for the meat!). Bahrain imports a majority of their livestock from Australia and such countries (I believe they are alive when brought here). But Bahrain provides itself with a lot of fish and shrimps, the most notable one is the Hamour.

A typical snack in Bahrain almost always features bread or rice. (Its a fact!)

Popular Dishes:

Now, the staple crop of Bahrain is , without a doubt, rice. Its available in almost every dish, rice with fish, rice with chicken, you name it! Rice is always there!

This is regionally called the Kabsa, but known in Bahrain as Machboos

A popular dish where it is used is called Machboos (مجبوس) which is basically rice mixed with either fish or chicken, its appearance is a brownish colour (depending on spices used).
Rice is also used to make sugary treats for festivities such as Eid al Fitr , these are called muhammar(محمر) which is Rice mixed with sugar or dates.

Of course, the hamburger equivalent in Bahrain is the mighty Shawarma. This is made up of chicken or beef along with other sauces and vegetables , jumbled up together with Pita bread to make a delicious (and quick) snack.

A delicacy is Qoozi (قوزي) (Ghoozi), which is grilled lamb stuffed with rice, boiled eggs, onions and spices.

Back to the Fish:

Bahrain sure loves it fish, in fact as mentioned earlier, the most popular fish is the large Hamour fish which I believe comes from the Grouper family.

Bahrain's Favourite Fish- The Hamour (Grouper)

Many other fish are popular here such as the Safi (صافي) which belongs to the Rabbitfish (or Spinefoot) family.

Another delicious one, (and a small one mind you), is the Chan'ad (thats the Mackerel fish).

Sweets and Drinks:

As I've previously said, Bahrain takes a lot of the same cuisine as the rest of the Middle East, so it is no surprise that you get Turkish delights here!

What could be better ? Dates and coffee! (Image not mine)

But a claimed Bahrain-made dessert is the "Halwa Showaiter" or the "Halwa Bahraini". which is a Halva (see link here for description) made from Corn starch, saffron, various types of nuts and other sweeteners like honey.

The only drinks, as far as I'm aware of, that are popular in Bahrain (besides the Pepsi and Cola!) are the Gahwa (قهوة) which is basically Coffee and is typically served with dates.

Its seen as a traditional welcome in Bahrain when you are offered Coffee and dates (Best accept them :)

Well, I hope I've brightened your horizons and gave you a picture of Bahraini cuisine.

I've been talking about the Natural cuisine here but sadly nowadays, we've been too attached to Fast-food restaurants (hence, an Obesity epidemic is gripping Bahrain!)