12 Popular Qatari Food Dishes

Machboos (or machbous, majboos) is a national rice dish in Qatar, coming from Yemen. Majboos is slow-cooked to combine rice with tender lamb or chicken, fresh vegetables, and spices.

This mixed rice perfectly matches salad and daqqūs (Arabic tomato sauce). Majiboos’ meat is cooked in three traditional methods: mandi (using a barbecued earth oven), mathbi (grilled on flat stones), and madghūt (using a pressure cooker).

You’ll find a hearty serving of machboos on many special occasions and celebrations in the country.

Quzi is a popular rice dish in many regions, such as Qatar, Turkey, and the Gulf countries. Ghoozi’s distinctive character is a whole lamb stuffed and cooked.

Qoozi requires slow-cooking rice with lamb, raisins, roasted nuts, vegetables, and spices. In Iraq, where Quzi is the national dish, people often cook the lamb in a closed or underground oven.

Madrouba is a traditional chicken porridge in Qatar. This chicken porridge calls for overcooked rice, tomatoes, onions, ghee, and various spices.

Known for its signature spicy kick, Madrouba is beautifully balanced with dried limes.

“Madrouba,” which translates to “beaten rice,” hints at this chicken porridge’s consistency, achieved through long, patient simmering. Madrouba takes time and is always served piping hot for a satisfying main course.

Harees is a porridge with equal parts wheat berries and meat. Originating from the Arabian Peninsula, this treat is also popular in Qatar.

It includes meat, usually lamb or chicken, cooked in ghee with aromatic spices. Locals boil harees until the ingredients blend into a thick texture. This wheat berry porridge is also compared to haleem, a similar porridge but with a higher meat-to-wheat ratio.

Though the preparation process is time-consuming, harees is an inexpensive, healthy main course and a superb takeaway item.

As a Ramadan staple, this porridge is also popular in the Middle East, parts of Africa, Armenia, and India.

Thareed is a traditional bread soup available in Qatar. From the Arabian Peninsula, thareed’s origin traces back to the era of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

This bread soup combines slow-cooked meat, vegetables, spices, and flatbread (often the Qatari khobes rgag).

Thareed’s spotlight is the flavorful broth, where locals soak the bread. Served with extra flatbread on the side, this bread soup is particularly sought-after during Ramadan.

Umm Ali, also known as “Ali’s Mother,” is a traditional Qatari dessert. It’s made from pieces of pastry or puff pastry mixed with milk, cream, sugar, and a variety of nuts like pistachios, almonds, and sometimes raisins or dried coconut flakes.

The mixture is baked until it achieves a creamy, custard-like texture with a golden, crispy top. Locals often serve this dessert warm and enjoy it during gatherings.

Khabees is a traditional dessert in Qatar. It comes from the Arabian Peninsula, first documented in the 10th century.

Khabees consists of toasted wheat flour or semolina, water, salt, spices, and ghee, with optional nuts.

Khabees’ batter is fried or toasted. Typically served as a breakfast dish, this sweet treat also holds significance during Ramadan.

Balaleet is a well-loved dish in Qatar hailing from the Arabian Peninsula. As a favorite during Ramadan, Balaleet brings together cardamom, saffron, and rose water. The vermicelli is cooked with sugar in cooking oil until it becomes sweet and crispy or soft.

You can pair Balaleet with an omelette for breakfast or enjoy this vermicelli dessert alone as a dessert. Balaleet is also great with potatoes, sauteed onions, and boiled peas for an extra savory note. This vermicelli dessert is tasty, whether hot or cold.

Samboosa is a handheld fried pastry in Qatar with roots in the Middle East. Samboosa’s dough is made from all-purpose flour, water, baking powder, vegetable oil, and eggs.

This dough wraps around a savory filling of minced meat, onions, and spices before being baked or deep-fried.

Samboosa has several alternative names, like samosa or sumbusa. This fried pastry is also popular in East Africa, South Asia, and Central Asia.

Qatari samboosas are smaller than the Indian ones and are everywhere during Ramadan. You’ll also find them as a snack, appetizer, street food, or even a main course.

Khubz is a classic Qatar bread originating from the Middle East with different names, like Kuboos, Khobez, or Khubez. This baked bread is made with wheat flour, water, yeast, sugar, salt, and oil.

This bread is also a wrapper or a spoon to scoop up gravy or sauces. Khubz is commonly larger than pita bread, but its functionality is similar.

Khubz has a unique puffy texture with an empty pocket inside to hold fillings. This bread is also a good side dish for stews and curries.

Qatari warak enab consists of grape leaves stuffed with a flavorful mix of rice, herbs, and spices, and sometimes meat.

The preparation involves blanching the leaves, stuffing them with the seasoned mixture, and then cooking them until tender.

Warak Enab is normally served as an appetizer or main course, accompanied by yogurt or a lemony garlic sauce.

Khanfaroosh is a traditional Qatari fried cake or doughnut made from a batter of flour, eggs, cardamom, saffron, and rose water.

It’s an ideal dessert here, known for its light, fluffy texture and sweet flavor. Once the batter is prepared, it’s deep-fried until golden brown and then often dusted with powdered sugar or drizzled with honey or date syrup.

Khanfaroosh is especially popular during Ramadan and other festive occasions.