Saudi cooking comes from Bedouin traditions, trade routes and centuries of pilgrims passing through Mecca and Medina, who brought flavours from Asia and Africa. Meals are generous and communal, and hospitality is a point of honour.

National dishes

  • Kabsa: long-grain rice cooked with chicken or lamb and a spice mix of cardamom, cinnamon, black lime, cloves and saffron, often topped with nuts and raisins. It is the national dish.
  • Mandi: meat slow-cooked in an underground oven (taboon) over rice, originally from Yemen and very popular across the kingdom.
  • Madfoon and mathbi: other ways of cooking meat in pits or on hot stones.
  • Jareesh: cracked wheat cooked with meat, onions and spices into a porridge.
  • Saleeg: creamy rice cooked in broth and milk, a Hejazi speciality from the Taif and Jeddah region.

Street food

Shawarma, falafel and mutabbaq (stuffed pancakes) are everywhere. In Jeddah, try fool (slow-cooked fava beans) and tamees bread for breakfast. Al Baik fried chicken, from Jeddah, has a cult following.

Dates and coffee

Saudi Arabia is one of the world's largest date producers, with hundreds of varieties such as Sukkari, Ajwa from Medina and Khalas. Dates are served with Arabic coffee (qahwa), a light, cardamom-scented coffee poured from a dallah pot into small cups. Arabic coffee is on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list. Shake your cup gently from side to side when you have had enough.

Hospitality

Guests are welcomed with coffee, dates and sweets, and meals are often served on a large shared platter on the floor. Hosts will insist you eat more; accepting is polite. In traditional settings, men and women may eat separately.

Ramadan

During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Restaurants open after sunset for iftar, and cities come alive at night. Non-Muslims should not eat, drink or smoke in public during daylight hours. Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are the main holidays.

Modern culture

Vision 2030 has brought concerts, cinemas, festivals such as Riyadh Season and a growing café culture. Heritage sites such as AlUla, with its Nabataean tombs at Hegra, and the old town of Diriyah near Riyadh are opening to visitors.

Etiquette

  • Dress modestly: shoulders and knees covered for everyone in public.
  • Use your right hand for eating and passing things.
  • Do not photograph people, especially women, without permission.
  • Public displays of affection are not acceptable.
  • Non-Muslims cannot enter Mecca or the central area of Medina.
  • Alcohol is heavily restricted.

See our Saudi Arabia country guide for costs and data.